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.

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?

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.

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