Malaysia’s cosmetic industry witnessed notable growth pre-pandemic. However, with the implementation of lockdowns, movement control orders and social distancing measures, the industry faced a steep decline in sales, causing significant monetary losses. As a response, Instagram experienced a surge in popularity, and influencers started using this platform to promote cosmetic brands, consequently shifting the consumer experience. This research investigates the role of Instagram influencers on the purchase intention of cosmetic brands in Malaysia, while focusing on influencer attributes such as popularity, similarity, knowledge and comprehensibility. It also investigates the mediating roles of customer attitude and parasocial relationship (PSR) between influencer attributes and the purchase intention of cosmetic brands. For this purpose, the study incorporated a quantitative design to collect data via an online survey from 424 respondents aged 20 and above, and actively following Instagram influencers promoting cosmetic brands in Malaysia. The findings of this research demonstrate that popularity, similarity, knowledge and comprehensibility significantly influence purchase intention. In addition, customer attitude and PSR partially mediate their influence on purchase intention. These results offer practical insights to brands and assist them in choosing appropriate influencers to improve their marketing strategies and consumer behaviour.