When we talk about the frontiers of beauty, we usually think of France, the United States, South Korea, or China. But a new frontier is emerging further East: the GCC. A group of six countries in the Middle East that are shaping the future of beauty.You’ve probably heard the buzz around Dubai, but the GCC as a whole is worth paying attention to. The region already represents 43% of the global luxury market. And unlike much of the world, where personal luxury spending declined by 2% in 2024, the GCC grew by 6%. Fashion may dominate overall sales, but beauty is the standout, growing 12% year-on-year and quickly becoming the fastest-rising category.In today’s episode, we’ll give you a crash course on beauty, luxury, and the GCC. We’ll explore where this growth is coming from and how brands are positioning themselves to ride this wave — so you have the insights you need to do the same.A series of image, references, graphs and visual aids have been created to help narrate this story. You can find them at barefaced.substack.com. And you can find Barefaced everywhere else at beacons.ai/barefaced. Get full access to barefaced at barefaced.substack.com/subscribe
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The Untold Story of L'Occitane
When you think of big beauty, L’Occitane probably doesn’t come to mind. It’s a nearly fifty-year-old French brand that, to me, represented nothing more than dated packaging and one fantastic hand cream. I’d always associated it with a dying customer base–and I mean that quite literally.This brand-turned-group is a quiet powerhouse with a fascinating story. But it’s one the company has mostly told itself, so polished and tightly edited that I never felt compelled to pay attention. That was until a listener of this very podcast, an equity analyst no less, shared some recent financial reports with me. They read like a gripping episode of reality TV… if only they weren’t buried under layers of finance jargon.So in this episode , we’ll unpack the untold story of L’Occitane: from its unlikely founding, to the bold bet on Asia that transformed the business, and finally, to the challenges they faced after going public.A series of images, references, graphs and visuals aids have been created to help narrate this story. You can find them at barefaced.substack.com.You can find Barefaced everywhere else at https://beacons.ai/barefaced . Get full access to barefaced at barefaced.substack.com/subscribe
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Canadian Beauty: Why Is No One Talking About Its Potential?
Despite being the 10th largest economy in the world, Canadian beauty remains a mystery. For a country that birthed giants like MAC and Deciem (The Ordinary) and is a neighbour to the largest beauty market in the world (The US), the lack of conversations around Canadian beauty is nothing short of shocking.After a four-month hiatus, The Barefaced Podcast is back and diving into why this deeply complex and critically under-reported market. Today we will be diving into why this market deserves much more of our attention by breaking down what the Canadian beauty landscape is like, geopolitical and retail shifts affecting the industry, and Canadian beauty on a global stage.A series of graphs, visual aids, and references have been created to help narrate this story. You can find them at https://barefaced.substack.com/ . You can find Barefaced everywhere else at - https://beacons.ai/barefaced . Get full access to barefaced at barefaced.substack.com/subscribe
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Trump’s Tariffs: What They Mean for Beauty’s Supply Chain
The Beauty Funding Boom: Why Are VCs So Obsessed with Beauty?
It seems like almost every day there’s a new beauty brand announcing they've secured funding. Why has there been such a surge?Venture capital (VC) first took off in the tech industry in the 90s, and expanded into consumer packaged goods (CPG) in the 2010s, but why do VCs love beauty brands and why do beauty brands love them back? What is it about the beauty sector that has attracted such significant investment, and what does this mean for the future of the industry? In this episode of The Barefaced Podcast, I speak with Ultra Violette founders Bec Jefferd and Ava Chandler-Matthews about their recent $15 million raise, and what it means for their growth. I also chat with NuFace cofounder and CEO Tera Peterson, who built a cult beauty device brand without taking a cent of outside funding.We unpack the dynamics of VC in beauty, the pros and pitfalls of raising capital, and what this growing trend signals for the future of the industry.A series of graphs, visual aids, and references have been created to help narrate this story. You can access them at barefaced.substack.comYou can find Barefaced everywhere else -https://beacons.ai/barefaced Get full access to barefaced at barefaced.substack.com/subscribe
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