Do Beauty Brands Really Need More New Products?

Beauty brands have two options as they battle to compete with consumers’ contracting attention spans and increased competition:

1. Deliver newness to capture attention through regular new product releases
Winky Lux released new products every 15-30 days with a strict 45-day turnaround cycle up until CORE Industrial Partners acquired a majority stake in the brand. The acquisition amount is undisclosed, but Winky Lux scaled to over $100+ million in lifetime retail sales since it launched in 2015.

2. Manufacture newness and build consistent hype without succumbing to pressure for constant product development
The Beauty Chef has a wide portfolio of products but their original product, GLOW powder continues to be their anchor and the acquisition product that they build campaigns around. GLOW was The Beauty Chef’s original product and remained its best selling product for at least 14 years, driving LTV and repeat purchase. The brand then leans on their other products as add-ons to this anchor product to increase their AOV.

I was a part of the MAC Cosmetics UK Marketing team who was the first to build their own locally-relevant campaign, What’s Your Thing, on one of their hero categories, foundation. The local campaign pushed MAC to number 1 in foundation, highlighting the potential impact of creating newness with existing products.

Both approaches are incredibly effective for brands. Focusing on hero products creates massive brand recognition and eliminates decision fatigue.

Social platforms reward accounts that consistently spark high engagement and spark viral moments, and major partners favour disruptive products that drive traffic and sales. This approach also creates more of a “buy now or miss out” mentality - reducing the need for discounting.