THE Internet can make or break people and brands—that’s a fact. Beauty brands ColourPop and Glossier are two examples of brands that made it big on the Internet before they even went mainstream.
Maybe that sentence is wrong because Internet is the new mainstream, isn’t it? And the mainstream, as we know it, is really for middle-aged and seniors.
Anyway, ColourPop was launched in 2014. It’s probably the first beauty brand that was launched and sold exclusively on the Internet.
I tried to reach out to ColourPop in those early days and was politely turned down. I felt hurt and thought that they felt I was too insignificant to be granted an interview. Note: In my e-mail, I specifically said I didn’t want samples, just an interview.
Later on, I learned that ColourPop had turned down some of the world’s most famous editors. Apparently, it was all part of their marketing plan. Or maybe they just didn’t care at all. After that, I lost interest in buying ColourPop. I mean, I want to know who made my makeup. I’m interested in back stories, and I became interested in the company’s after buying six of their “Lippie Stix” and three of their liquid lipsticks. Their plan, whatever it was, worked. A woman in her 50s with just over 1,000 Instagram followers is not their market, no matter how many products I purchase.
ColourPop’s lip products were well-pigmented and amazingly cheap ($5 for the Lippie Stix). The packaging was brilliant and you got the lip products in a box with a note.
Later on, ColourPop would release other products including eyeshadows, blushes, highlighters and concealers. Their makeup is still worn by influencers and YouTubers, and the owners (apparently a brother-and-sister duo) still don’t do interviews. Or at least they rarely do interviews. As far as I know, there is no ColourPop physical store but they have 5.5 million followers on Instagram. ColourPop President Laura Nelson has been quoted as saying that for them, “digital marketing is like breathing.”
In an interview, Nelson also said ColourPop isn’t personality driven—but it is. They collaborate heavily with influencers. But here is one thing I can say about ColourPop: Their products are good.
Another beauty brand that was launched on the Internet in Glossier. I would love to see the marketing plan for this company, which is the brainchild of Emily Weiss, a former fashion assistant at Vogue.
Weiss created the blog Into The Gloss, which became a beauty bible featuring cool girls and cool women. From this blog, Glossier was born in 2014. Glossier has been described as beauty products for girls who hardly wear makeup.
Again, I’m not their market but I really love their packaging. I haven’t purchased anything except their balm because I need makeup that really covers, conceals and colors.
Having said that, I think Weiss is a genius who parlayed her coolness into an actual successful business. Weiss had $2 million in seed funding and she launched four products: Soothing Face Mist, Perfecting Skin Tint, Balm Dotcom and Priming Moisturizer. Instead of a grand launch, the products were introduced on Instagram and the blog Into The Gloss. Glossier now has almost 1 million followers on Instagram and has raised $34.4 million in venture capital to date.
What I like about Glossier and Weiss is the transparency involved in the business. I also appreciate how, despite the overwhelming millennialism of Glossier, older people don’t feel excluded. The brand talks to its customers and asks for feedback. If you go on their Instagram and ask questions, they will reply.
ColourPop and Glossier have basically removed the middleman and gone directly to the consumers via social media. They’ve both done it successfully and whether we buy their products or not, we’re always very excited about what they’re up to.