The real brilliance behind Pocket Blush
Plus observations on some supplements and the body care category.
Hi from my sofa, the third place I’ve cracked away at this. First was Perilla (get the dosirak and enjoy it al fresco c/o delightful cooling mist), second was Camel (get the eponymous cream top and just try to find a seat). Relatedly, if you’re in LA stop by Canyon Coffee for my brilliant friend
’s Sardine Toast — delightful.Today’s agenda: The real brilliance behind Pocket Blush, two new supplement brands in context, why consumers (body) care, and some quick hits.
Why did we need “pocket” blush? Content.
Beauty brands without on-the-go products are familiar with the struggle of creating relevant content beyond the bathroom. Before Pocket Blush, Rhode’s bestselling Peptide Lip Tint was their only on-the-go product. Blush is back, Hailey was already a face of the movement, and it-girls eat up summer travel content. Enter an on-the-go blush, launched alongside limited-edition summer Lip Tint shades just in time for summer travel fever. The result? Engaging seasonal content that nails both product and lifestyle marketing:
Not every product needs to be optimized for lifestyle content and not every beauty brand needs to incorporate lifestyle to succeed — but Pocket Blush is a good example of brand marketing-driven product development that doesn’t require Hailey Bieber or multimillion-dollar budgets.
“Water is not enough.”
That’s the tagline for Cadence, one of two hydration brands launched last month. Magna is the other, and both are entering the VMS market during a bit of a shake up — Care/of just shut down, pharmaceuticals are less interested in acquiring consumer brands, consumers are tired of taking pills that don’t deliver tangible results and aren’t clinically proven.*
Cadence is a modern take on Gatorade that rebrands electrolytes as salt and capitalizes on the canned water market Liquid Death created. The RTD hydration category feels ripe for innovation, the branding is strong and the partnerships are impressive for its first month (Soho House, Heimat, On, Othership) *worth noting that it’s by the founder of Daring. Beverage is a tough category (margins, competition, saturation) but has its pros within supplements. From a brand marketing perspective, it’s easier to capture lifestyle content than with powder packets.
Speaking of powder packets, Magna is the new magnesium-focused LMNT for coastal elites *launched by founder of OG coastal elite brand Everlane. The format has better margins than beverage, and branded bottles help solve for lifestyle content. The branding and story messaging are strong. I do think they need to hone their product messaging a bit — “magnesium-powered hydration” isn’t problem-solution oriented, and although magnesium is a “cure-all,” winning brands are solving problems.*
Relatedly, The Absorption Co. is killing it by solving for VMS efficacy with innovative bioavailability tech — and their products each solve targeted problems (energy, sleep, etc). Great move snagging the content lead who was responsible for Poppi’s TikTok virality. *Being founded by a Bronfman, Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed doesn’t hurt either.
Why we (body)care
I’m fascinated by the sport of collecting every Sol De Janeiro SKU. Body care was supposed to be the new skin care, but turns out we don’t care about the skin on our body in the same way we care about the skin on our precious face. The category is a different game with different rules, and I’ve noticed some winning factors:
Instant results: Unless it’s a daily utility product like deodorant or body wash, winning products deliver instant results like glow and sheen that play into vanity and can be seen in content (which also helps drive digital sales).
Sensoriality: This is kind of tablestakes, but everyone wants to bring the spa home. Winning brands sell and deliver on that experience through the right mix of scent, texture and aesthetic.
Fragrance: Viral brands like Sol De Janeiro and Salt & Stone are hybrid fragrance-body brands *disclosure I recently did a brief stint at Salt & Stone. Soft Services is notably exploring fragrance through its cult-favorite Buffing Bar, first with a Green Banana scent and now with an iconic DS & Durga Debaser collab. Both campaigns were really fun and drove above-average engagement for the brand.
Design: Secondary, but for premium and luxury it’s important to tap into the power of conspicuous consumption — know your target market’s aesthetic and make sure the packaging design fits (Aesop effect).
Quick hits
Haircare brand RŌZ raised a seed round led by Silas and G9. Sephora is bullish on haircare right now and RŌZ is occupying a unique white space with the luxury price point (higher than Crown Affair, OUAI and Nécessaire) and celeb hairstylist founder. I’ve yet to try the products but people rave about them. Looking forward to the inevitable Sephora rollout.
I appreciate
for sharing this news about Poppi’s sorority rush takeover in the context of strategy — subtle but important nuance. We love to obsess over the what behind splashy brand initiatives but rarely the why — they don’t fall out of a coconut tree.New beauty brands are bootstrapping instead of raising VC. If I ever feel crazy enough to be a founder I’d prob do the same.
Views and shares are the new primary metrics of success on IG — just when I noticed likes are down for (anecdotally) a lot of brands. Does that mean the days of hiding like counts are almost over?
I’ll leave you with this career advice from
that I found super helpful.Thoughts comments concerns? Let the conversation begin.
— Jess