The Glossy Beauty Podcast

The Glossy Beauty Podcast is back with its second of three deep dives into beauty packaging. Today, our guest is Helen Steed, a veteran in the field, whose resume includes a 10-year stint leading creative at Bumble & Bumble, and a gig as Glossier's founding creative director before striking out on her own. Now, she helms Steed & Friends, which has worked with brands including Rhode, Lore, Sakara and Ursa Major. On today's episode, she takes listeners through mini case studies, examining her work on products like Rhode's iconic phone case, Glossier's first foray into body care and Merit's logo. But first, a look at some of this week’s headlines, including the news of L’Oréal's biggest acquisition ever, which broke on Sunday — it is purchasing all of Kering's beauty holdings for $4.6 billion. Kering owns brands like Creed, and the deal will grant L’Oréal 50-year exclusive licenses for Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga's beauty ranges.

This week’s episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast introduces a three-week series dedicated to beauty packaging. Despite daily interacting with beauty products — including face wash, body wash, lipstick or shampoo — consumers rarely spend time thinking about the countless decisions that go into a brand’s packaging. From sustainability (Are refills offered? Is the plastic PCR?) to color (think: the pull of millennial pink) to font, every packaging element is carefully considered. As our first guest in the series, FIT Professor Sebba Alqetrani, said, “The first thing the consumer sees, touches and interacts with is the package. [It] is your first opportunity to have a first impression.” Over the next two weeks, we will explore just why packaging is so important and what factors can make it impactful, whether it has to do with a product’s efficacy, branding or deeper emotional resonance. But first, a look at some of this week’s headlines including the launch of Ulta Beauty’s UB Marketplace, a curated third-party marketplace that will allow the mega beauty retailer to integrate many new brands into its existing e-commerce site; Sephora’s growth, bolstered in part by Rhode’s buzzy launch, according to LVMH’s recent earnings; and The Body Shop’s return to U.S. sales , launching online through a direct-to-consumer site and Amazon.

Explore the rise of Gen Alpha as a formidable consumer force in the beauty market. The hosts discuss Sephora's launch of brands like Sincerely Yours, created by a father-daughter duo, aimed specifically at tweens. They highlight the impact of younger shoppers on retail trends and product design, including brands tailored for boys and youth culture. Additionally, learn about Coperni’s innovative probiotic-infused athleisure line and CeraVe's partnership with the NBA, making strides in the world of beauty and wellness.

Leslie Ann Hall, Founder and CEO of Iced Media, shares her insights on the successful TikTok strategy behind MoroccanOil’s fragrance launch, emphasizing social commerce dynamics. Dana Paolucci, Dove's Head of PR, discusses the impactful community-driven approach of the Dove x Crumbl Cookies campaign, which generated substantial user-generated content. Lastly, Nilofer Vahora, CMO at Amika, reveals how their Superfruit Star launch blended cultural storytelling and professional credibility, driving impressive engagement and awareness.

Angela Bennett, a certified executive coach with over two decades in leadership roles at L'Oréal and Estée Lauder, shares her insights tailored for the beauty industry. She discusses the art of balancing data, intuition, and creativity essential for effective leadership. Key topics include her top three tips for executives: mastering communication skills, strategic leadership planning, and career design. Bennett emphasizes the importance of influencing others and developing personalized action plans to navigate career challenges.

After starting as a brick-and-mortar nail salon in Los Angeles in 2013, Olive & June closed up shop in 2020, with founder and CEO Sarah Gibson Tuttle pivoting her focus to DIY manis. By November 2024, Helen of Troy had acquired the brand for $225 million in cash and a $15 million earnout subject to performance over three years. Helen of Troy's beauty portfolio also includes Drybar, Curlsmith and Hot Tools, among others. But Gibson Tuttle was intent on remaining involved in her brand's operations — operating essentially as it did prior to the acquisition, but with greater support. Now, nearly a year post-acquisition, Gibson Tuttle joins the Glossy Beauty Podcast to discuss life after selling her brand, why an obsession with the customer can almost guarantee product success and how the nail category differs from other beauty categories. But first, co-hosts Sara Spruch-Feiner and Emily Jensen discuss industry news, including Sephora's announcement that it will launch its own affiliate platform, the recent acquisitions of Nudestix, Byoma and Cos Bar, and Gap's increased investment and new hires as it looks to grow its beauty offerings.

Guive Balooch, Global VP of Tech and Open Innovation at L'Oréal, shares insights on revolutionizing beauty innovation. He discusses groundbreaking products like ColorSonic for at-home hair coloring and the Cell BioPrint skin diagnostic tool. Balooch delves into the intersection of biotechnology and beauty, including investments in longevity and AI applications in product development. He also introduces the 3D shu:brow, an innovative device for perfecting brows, highlighting a future of hyper-personalized beauty experiences.

What does it take to successfully reinvent a heritage beauty brand? Industry veteran Dawn Hilarczyk is on a mission to completely transform Borghese, the 68-year-old heritage brand famous for its Italian skin care and Fango mud masks — and it’s working.  In today’s episode, Hilarczyk dives into the nitty-gritty of her brand turnaround efforts. She breaks down her strategy in great detail, from cleaning up the brand’s Amazon presence and expanding into Ulta Beauty, to reestablishing a social presence and reducing the brand's SKU count from 87 to 27.  But first, host Lexy Lebsack is joined by Glossy senior reporter Emily Jensen to walk through the biggest news stories of the week.  First up is specialty beauty retailer Violet Grey’s acquisition of clean beauty retailer The Detox Market. The deal was reportedly quietly closed earlier this year. Founder Cassanda Grey purchased Violet Grey in September of 2024 from Farfetch alongside private-equity investor Sherif Guirgis, who later transitioned into its CEO.  Lebsack and Jensen also discuss the latest GLP-1 news, including a possible new pill form of the drug and the rumored connection between the rise of GLP-1s and gourmand fragrances.  Finally, the duo discuss changes at Estée Lauder Companies-owned Tom Ford, including new spokesperson Tilda Swinton and new creative director Haider Ackermann, and what it all means for luxury fragrance. 

The beauty industry had an eventful summer marked by changing retailer strategies, stark revenue tumbles and a flurry of pricey acquisitions.  In this special episode of The Glossy Beauty Podcast, reporters Lexy Lebsack, Emily Jensen and Sara Spruch-Feiner walk through the stories that defined the season.  This includes strategy shifts within retailers like Sephora, Ulta Beauty and Target, plus a look at disappointing revenue at conglomerates Shiseido and Estée Lauder Companies. The team also discusses the biggest acquisitions of the season — including Rhode, Dr. Squatch, Space NK and Touchland — and the tariff-related topics we’re watching as fall approaches.  To start (0:53), Glossy’s beauty team digs into the industry’s biggest summer investments, led by E.l.f. Beauty’s May purchase of Hailey Bieber’s Rhode for $1 billion. The team also walks through CPG company Church & Dwight’s $700 million purchase of trendy hand sanitizer brand Touchland in May and Unilever’s June purchase of digitally-native men’s care brand Dr. Squatch for $1.5 billion.   Beauty’s top specialty retailers also had big summers. Sephora (8:37) is leaning deeper into a tried-and-true brand launch playbook: the celebrity artist. In the past few weeks, the retailer has rolled out new lines from celebrity makeup artists Hung Vanngo and Mary Phillips, plus hairstylist Chris McMillian.  Meanwhile, Ulta Beauty (18:17) had a whirlwind summer as new CEO Kecia Steelman executed her “Ulta Unleashed” comeback plan. Steelman, who was appointed CEO in January after more than a decade with the company, announced her plan in March as a response to the company’s 1.9% year-over-year holiday sales tumble. Glossy’s team unpacks all the changes, including the acquisition of U.K. retailer Space NK, international expansion into Mexico and the Middle East, and the end of Ulta’s shop-in-shop with Target.  Finally (25:37), Glossy’s team walks through can’t-miss beauty conglomerate news: LVMH’s splashy Louis Vuitton Beauté launch and Shiseido’s sales tumble caused by Drunk Elephant’s poor performance, plus turbulence at Waldencast and Estée Lauder Companies. Finally (36:27), team Glossy ends with a few autumn tariff predictions. 

Host Lexy Lebsack is joined by reporter Melissa Daniels from Glossy’s sister publication Modern Retail and co-host of the Modern Retail Podcast, to walk through this week’s biggest beauty news stories.  This includes a brief analysis of E.l.f. Beauty’s response to consumer outcry over casting controversial comedian Matt Rife in its latest campaign, a topic Lebsack and Glossy reporter Emily Jensen discussed in last week’s episode.  Next, Lebsack and Daniels discuss the likely voluntary recall of mousse sunscreens, which includes offerings from Vacation and Supergoop sold through Sephora, Target, Nordstrom and more retailers. Its part of the FDA’s crackdown on the unapproved sunscreen format. Finally, the two hosts break down the announcement that Target and Ulta Beauty will dissolve their shop-in-shop partnership, which was launched in 2021 but has been far less successful than similar partnerships between Sephora and Kohl's.  Then (23:30), to discuss what makes a successful retail pop-up, Glossy is joined by three powerhouse executives in today’s roundtable episode: Jacquelin Barrett, Patrick Ta Beauty svp of marketing; Matte Projects president Neda Whitney; and Michelle Lee, chief brand officer at Front Row Group, fractional CMO of Landing International and former editor-in-chief of Allure magazine.