The big changes in the two beauty monoliths of the 2010s indicate that our priorities have changed, and what is to come
In the 2010s, beauty culture was defined by two archetypal makeup looks. There was the no-makeup makeup look, my face, but dewy, packaged in millennial pink by Emily Weiss. brighter. And then there was the ultra-glam, full-face, highlight and contour routine popularized by the decade’s undisputed icon, Kim Kardashian, which she then capitalized on with her eponymous KKW Beauty makeup line.
Both Glossier and KKW Beauty were paradigms of our new digital culture. Launched in 2014, Glossier was OG’s first social beauty brand and immediately dominated the scene with its aesthetic and affordable products designed for #shelfies. In the early days of our online lives, as our faces became more and more the center of attention, Glossier made makeup accessible and taught us how to aesthetically curate our lives by the gram, all the way to the bathroom shelf. . Just five years later, it had achieved unicorn status as a billion-dollar beauty brand.
Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, our beauty beats became more intense than ever after Kardashian introduced contouring to the public in 2012. As the online world became saturated with faces, we needed a way to stand out on little squares, for our features to pop into pixels. Previously the secret of drag queens and professional makeup artists, a selfie showing Kardashian’s unblurred outline went viral and the practice quickly became a regular step in many of our routines. In 2017, she launched her beauty line with a single product: contour kits, designed to recreate her sculpted look. The KKW range was soon expanded and bBy June 2020, Coty had acquired a 20 percent stake in KKW Beauty for $200 million, valuing the business at $1 billion.
But the 2010s are over and change is afoot in the beauty sphere. A change of vibe is coming. In late May, Weiss announced that she would step down as CEO of Glossier and move into the new role of CEO. Just seven days later, Kardashian relaunched KKW Beauty as SKKN rebranded, rebranded and reimagined. What can it mean that the two beauty monoliths of the last decade are evolving, almost in perfect synchronicity?
KKW Beauty’s rebranding officially signals what we’ve known for a while: the era of highlighting and contouring is over. However, just as we’ve come to expect from the Kardashians, a new season is always upon us. The family is used to changing shape to reflect fashionable ideals. Kim’s continued transformation and manipulation of her physical self has been key to her success, and the fall of KKW Beauty and the rise of SKKN are no different.
Unlike KKW, SKKN does not include makeup, and instead focuses on nine prestige skincare products (prices range from $43 to $95). This change is no surprise. During the pandemic, skincare reigned supreme as we focused on routines and rituals over excessive makeup application. Once the lockdown was lifted, the makeup of our pre-pandemic lives felt too heavy, moving the focus to a ‘five minute face’ or the ‘clean girl aesthetic’.
Ulta Beauty has highlighted this “fake effortlessness” as a defining trend of 2022. “Fake” is the key word here, as what the viral content doesn’t mention is that it’s a look made possible only by good genetics and expensive beauty work: braces, balayage, fake tan, lash extensions, brow plucking, fillers, and the luxury of a dermatologist. (a service not often offered on the NHS). People who go viral tend to have straight hair, fair skin, bushy eyebrows, and are often young, wealthy, white (or light-skinned), slim, and conventionally attractive.
Always up to date with trends, Kardashian’s SKKN products are “cleansed” and focused on “skinimalism”. she can have lowered his BBL and took on a less obvious beauty look, but don’t let that fool you into thinking her involvement in beauty work has diminished. Towards New York Times, Kardashian described all nine SKKN products as “necessary.” “I wanted to stay true to exactly what I wear, even if everyone said this is overwhelming,” he said.
Once the defining beauty mark of an era, Glossier faces a crossroads and needs to adapt in order to survive.
The nine-step lineup is said to reflect Kardashian’s elaborate daily ‘ritual’. Of course not, no cream can replicate the years of lasers, stem cell facials and PRP that she also mentions in the interview. What SKKN actually represents is a further extension of the newly energized beauty industrial complex, one designed to sell the faces of our idols to the masses, and that is increasingly inaccessible to the most
While Kardashian is cashing in on the five-minute clean-girl face aesthetic, it’s brighter that the origins of the look go back. So why isn’t it the biggest brand in the industry right now?
An influencer in her own right, Weiss launched Glossier from her highly successful blog. in the shine and has been a key face of the brand (and the broader #GirlBoss movement) ever since. To many, there is no Glossier without Weiss at the helm, so news of his resignation signals a change, regardless of the reasoning behind it. Weiss says the move will suit his strengths, allowing him to continue to drive the company’s future growth. However, the announcement comes after a series of controversies and setbacks for the brand.
In August 2020, Glossier closed several of its stores before quietly discontinuing its Glossier Play line. Online, an anti-Glossier movement had begun, criticizing the brand’s non-inclusive range of shades and toxic work culture. In 2021, Glossier’s US sales were down 26%, and at the end of the year, just six months after raising $80 million in funding, Glossier announced it was laying off a third of its staff. ‘Is Glossier in his Flop Era?’ a Reddit thread asked earlier this year.
Many have suggested that the millennial consumer with whom Glossier had become synonymous had aged away from the brand, opting for a more elevated beauty experience from brands like Nars and Charlotte Tilbury. Meanwhile, the dewy, minimal makeup look fell a bit out of favor among younger beauty consumers following the arrival of Euphoria in 2019 and its maximalist, expressive and jeweled aesthetic. Ironically, just six months before the HBO drama hit our screens, Glossier had launched its Play range, a more creative and colorful line that aimed to capture Generation Z. One could argue that the range arrived half a year earlier. .
Glossier’s two most recent releases signal an attempt to appeal to Gen Z once again. The brand has announced Olivia Rodrigo as its first celebrity partner, while its latest product launch is a range of boldly colored eyeliners (very Euphoria-is that). Significantly, the liners build on the Glossier Play Color Slide and also launch the brand’s new shopping approach through its partnership with YouTube Short’s new shopping feature.
Recent years have seen a cycle of beauty trend slots: from indie sleaze to clean girl, painfully precise Euphoria glam to anti-trend anarchy. As we realign with post-pandemic self-expression and reconcile what makeup means in our new normal, the future currently feels like a liminal space, with no brand or aesthetic taking the lead. Can Glossier create a space to cement itself in our beauty future? Only time will tell.
However, with Kardashian’s launch of SKKN, a trend is becoming clear that will define the next decade. With botox and filler procedures. rising rapidly in both the UK and the US, and with many consumers trying to keep your beauty job a secret, the next era of beauty culture appears to be a much more covert, insidious and costly operation that, once again, benefits those in a position of privilege. The beauty culture of the next decade will be defined by this invisible work. A focus on anti-aging, touch-ups and covert procedures designed to defy detection.
Source: www.dazeddigital.com