Glossier made waves when they debuted in 2014. Offering products to create radiant, dewy skin in chic millennial pink packaging was groundbreaking in its own right. Branded under a no-makeup makeup approach to beauty long before this aesthetic became popular on social media, their DTC business model, robust social media strategy, diverse models, and concept stores all helped set them apart at the time. Glossier has since gone mainstream; their strategies and signature formulas are no longer on the cutting edge, while their chic packaging has become standard across industry. Yet despite losing some of its initial appeal, Glossier can still teach us much about beauty’s future.
Emily Weiss remains committed to her core belief: every woman is an influencer. Instead of reposting “important” influencer content on Instagram feed, Glossier makes an effort to showcase user-generated posts. They also frequently check what users are saying about them on Slack and Discord channels so as to address any potential issues as quickly as possible.
SoHo’s headquarters reflect this ethos perfectly: meeting rooms are decorated in pale pink or white hues and employees work next to a wall of glass display cabinets filled with installations made up of their skincare, makeup, and haircare products (think an artful scattering of eyeliner pencils and sculpture made from lip plumping creams).
Glossier may not offer its customers a loyalty program, but there are still numerous ways you can save when placing orders with them. Rakuten provides coupons and promo codes which provide stackable savings; or subscribe to their mailing list to gain exclusive first access to new product releases, discounts on your order, and entry into events!