The Barefaced Podcast

Barefaced

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The Barefaced Podcast

A beauty business podcast. barefaced.substack.com

4 JAN

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 min
06/12/2024

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

36 min
26/11/2024

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

24 min
17/11/2024

$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

21 min
02/11/2024

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

20 min
25/10/2024

The Mecca Effect: Why Sephora Can't Compete in Australia

Australia's beauty market flew under the radar until Jo Horgan changed everything by launching Mecca in 1997. By the time Sephora arrived in 2014 to claim its share, it was far too late. But how did Mecca build such a stronghold in the Australian market, why did Sephora take so long to set up shop? Plus, we deep dive into the latest TikTok fixation of which retailer offers more value. We take a look at the data to understand, objectively, which is truly more popular. That and so much more in today's episode! If you enjoyed this 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. Key Figures: Only 41.2% of Sephora’s US brands are available at Sephora in Australia.45.6% of Sephora’s US brands are available at Mecca in Australia.61% of Mecca’s brands are exclusives.76.8% of beauty revenue in 2023 was generated offline (Statista). This is projected to decline by 4.9% by 2027. Analysing 2,500 Reddit comments for each search term revealed: "Mecca Beauty loop" has a 61.2% positive sentiment and 16.1% negative sentiment"Sephora Beauty Insider" has a 56.7% positive sentiment and 23% negative sentiment"Sephora Australia Beauty Insider" has a 48.4% positive sentiment and 21.1% negative sentiment Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Get full access to barefaced at barefaced.substack.com/subscribe

21 min
04/10/2024

How Advertising Laws Changed the Beauty Industry

In the past decade, shifts in advertising laws have continuously reshaped the beauty business. What did the industry look like before #ad was enforced? How did brands dodge disclosure rules, and when did we stop trusting influencer beauty reviews? Despite its significance, influencer-related legislation rarely gets spoken about. In 2024, authorities are finally catching up with the impact of influencers—great news for consumers, but a challenge for marketers. In this episode, we explore how brands are navigating today’s regulations, the missteps to avoid, and how to build consumer trust while maximizing reach. If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to follow the podcast and subscribe to our newsletter for all the latest beauty insights and data - https://barefaced.substack.com/ Otherwise, you can check us out everywhere else https://beacons.ai/barefaced RESOURCES: University of Manouba, Youtube vlogger's popularity and influence: The roles of homophily, emotional attachment and expertise, https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698919303911#:~:text=In%20turn%2C%20the%20vlogger's%20popularity,effect%20on%20the%20vlogger's%20popularity.ACCC, Subscribe to media releases, https://www.accc.gov.au/about-us/news/subscribe-to-media-releases-and-speechesSocial Law Co, Social Media Lawyers, https://www.instagram.com/sociallawco/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Get full access to barefaced at barefaced.substack.com/subscribe

39 min
29/09/2024

The Black Beauty Problem

Welcome to episode one of The Barefaced Podcast! The podcast revealing the beauty industry's untold stories. It only made sense for episode one to be the most untold story of them all, The Black Beauty Problem. While this episode was filmed a few weeks ago, it’s unsurprising that yet another racial inclusivity 'scandal' has emerged this week with the launch of YSL’s 'Make Me Blush' liquid blushes. This recurring cycle, where black women are racially discriminated against by a new product launch before the issue is addressed in pop culture, needs to change. This episode delves into the beauty industry's consistent neglect of black consumers' needs. We first outline the problem by quantifying the limited product options, underrepresentation, and disproportionate economic opportunities, before figuring out how we got here and what is needed next. If you enjoy this video, please be sure to follow the podcast here on Spotify and check out the newsletter for further insights, ⁠https://barefaced.substack.com/⁠ Or, check us out everywhere else ⁠https://beacons.ai/barefaced⁠ ___________________________ RESOURCES: - Mckinsey and Co, Black representation in the beauty industry; ⁠https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/black-representation-in-the-beauty-industry⁠ - The Pudding, The Naked Truth; ⁠https://pudding.cool/2021/03/foundation-names/⁠ - Abo Akademi University, "Because you're worth it" : A Study of the Labels of Women's Foundations; ⁠https://www.doria.fi/handle/10024/180034⁠ - Netflix, Black Beauty Effect; ⁠https://www.netflix.com/search?q=black%20beauty&jbv=81705398⁠ - JP Morgan, Black women are the fastest growing group of entrepreneurs. But the job isn’t easy; ⁠https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/business/business-planning/black-women-are-the-fastest-growing-group-of-entrepreneurs-but-the-job-isnt-easy#footnote-src-5⁠ - Harpers Bazaar, The evolution of Black beauty by Lollie King; ⁠https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/beauty/a38010209/black-beauty-evolution/⁠ - Havard Business Review, How Inclusive Brands Fuel Growth; ⁠https://hbr.org/2024/05/how-inclusive-brands-fuel-growth⁠ - Vogue Au, Miss Representation: How First Nations makeup artist Rosie Kalina blends culture and beauty by Divya Venkataraman; ⁠https://www.vogue.com.au/miss-vogue/news/meet-rosie-kalina-the-first-nations-makeup-artist-blending-culture-and-beauty/news-story/d5d1d5e01060a6ef31417be798539bc8⁠ __________________________ Brands that should be on your radar: - Soft Rows; ⁠https://www.beautyindependent.com/sephora-accelerate-brand-soft-rows-wants-fill-gaps-prestige-textured-haircare-market/⁠ - Deeper; ⁠https://www.beautyindependent.com/forthcoming-body-coverage-brand-deeper-black-girls-self-tan/⁠ - Carra; ⁠https://www.instagram.com/heycarra/ Get full access to barefaced at barefaced.substack.com/subscribe

49 min

8 Episodes

A beauty business podcast. barefaced.substack.com

Creator

Barefaced
Years Active

2024 - 2025
Episodes

8
Rating

Clean
Copyright

© barefaced
Show Website

The Barefaced Podcast