The British Beauty Battle: Why Are There So Many Retailers?
Beauty shopping in the UK is anything but intuitive. You can find luxury brands at Boots, a pharmacy, or Harrods, a luxury department store, or shop them online at Look Fantastic, an e-commerce retailer. But why is the market so fragmented?Over the last five years, online beauty retail boomed but has faced rising customer acquisition costs. Companies like Walgreens Boots Alliance (owner of Boots) have struggled, while luxury department stores have doubled down on beauty. To top it off, after a 17-year hiatus, Sephora re-entered the market by acquiring Feelunique to expand their physical presence.In this episode, we break down these complexities and offer insights on how to navigate this competitive and ever-evolving beauty retail market.This episode is supported by a series of graphs and visual aids to help narrate this complex story. You can access those resources at barefaced.substack.com.You can find Barefaced everywhere else here—beacons.ai/barefaced Get full access to barefaced at barefaced.substack.com/subscribe
--------
50:13
The Glossier Effect: The Blueprint for Building a Cult Beauty Brand
The rise of Glossier wasn’t just a success story; it became the blueprint for modern beauty branding. While much of the conversation surrounding Glossier today focuses on the brand’s current state, this episode dives into the marketing firsts that made Glossier a cultural phenomenon and shaped the beauty industry as we know it.From pioneering the shelfie, founder-driven content, and user-generated campaigns to transforming social media engagement and popularising beauty pop-ups, Glossier created a playbook that countless brands—Merit, Saie, Kosas, Tower 28, Summer Fridays, Rhode, and more—have drawn from.In today's episode, we unpack how Glossier redefined what it means to be a beauty brand, evolving it into something that feels more like a social club than a business, and explore the enduring impact of The Glossier Effect.You can find barefaced everywhere here — beacons.ai/barefaced Get full access to barefaced at barefaced.substack.com/subscribe
--------
35:39
Celebrity Beauty Brands: How Do Consumers Objectively Feel?
It has been well established that consumers are fed up with celebrity beauty brands. So, why do some of these brands still go on to achieve huge success?In this week’s episode, we first dive into the business of celebrity beauty brands, examining how they differ from regular startups, beyond just the access they have to personal fame. We then explore Reddit sentiment data to understand how consumers feel about beauty brands in 2024 and how these opinions have shifted over the past decade. We also look into the reputations of individual brands to uncover why some soar while others fail.Finally, we answer the question: What’s next for celebrity beauty brands?You can find Barefaced everywhere here—beacons.ai/barefaced Get full access to barefaced at barefaced.substack.com/subscribe
--------
23:36
$500 Beauty Devices: The Allure of High-Tech at Home Devices
From the $800 Dyson Airwrap to the $700 Dr. Dennis Gross LED Face Mask and $400 NuFace, luxury beauty devices aren’t just getting attention—they’re flying off shelves.The rise of high-tech beauty gadgets didn’t happen overnight. In fact, the signs were there long before the pandemic. But how did these devices become so popular? Why are consumers willing to spend so much on them? And if this is what shoppers want now, what’s next?We’re breaking it all down in this week’s episode.Subscribe to Barefaced on Substack for all the latest beauty insights and data! Check out Barefaced everywhere else here—beacons.ai/barefaced Get full access to barefaced at barefaced.substack.com/subscribe
--------
20:30
The K-Beauty Boom: How Korean Skincare Took Over the World
To many, the undeniable presence of Korean skincare seems to have come out of nowhere, but in reality, its rise has been anything but random. In this episode, we explore how Korean skincare stands apart from Western products and the story behind its global takeover.Discover the unique philosophies, innovative ingredients, and viral moments that propelled K-beauty to mainstream success. Plus, we break down the impact of social media trends like "glass skin" and why K-beauty’s affordability was a game-changer in the US market.All that and more in today’s episode!Subscribe to the newsletter for all the latest beauty insights and data. Otherwise, you can check out Barefaced on Instagram and everywhere else here—beacons.ai/barefaced Get full access to barefaced at barefaced.substack.com/subscribe
UK