Core Concepts

In an industry in which products are regularly viewed as snake oil, clinical testing is a way for brands to build consumer trust. Bombarded with choices, consumers and retailers are distinguishing brands based on it. According to market...

New isn’t always better, especially when it comes to customers. In a beauty industry deluged with trends, products and brands, companies that hold onto customers over time stand out in a crowd of Teflon operations. “If you want...

The euphoria of scoring an order from a big-box retailer can quickly fade when reality sets in. Advice from those who’ve been there to emerging brand founders: Don’t count on making money in your first few years and...

Ulta3 Cosmetics and Salon launched in 1990 with five stores around the Chicago suburb Naperville, Ill. Fast forward more than 30 years later and the company now known as Ulta Beauty has become the largest destination...

It’s pretty tough to be a direct-to-consumer brand today. From establishing differentiation to building awareness, negotiating supplier fees and prioritizing how to allot limited resources, emerging founder-led digitally native brands face consistent challenges....

In 2021, there’s been a bull market for beauty and wellness businesses. With the year wrapping up, acquisitions of Youth To The People, Sol de Janeiro, Ouai, and Billie by L’Oréal, L’Occitane, Procter & Gamble, and Edgewell Personal Care respectively, have been...