While every other brand is knee-deep in TikTok, some forward-thinking brands are diversifying their focus and taking a different path.
Surprisingly, very few beauty brands are taking advantage of YouTube ads—a platform with untapped potential and the ability to deliver a more cost-efficient CPC compared to Google or Meta ads, right now. For indie brands looking to scale effectively, it’s a powerful yet underutilized channel for driving more impact and efficiency.

From our experience, Q1 is often the prime season for brands to explore or launch a brand refresh. There’s something about the start of a new year—after some well-earned rest, brand founders and teams are energized and ready to bring fresh ideas to enhance their brand’s presence and impact. From our perspective, a brand refresh represents a 'step change,' while a rebrand is a major pivot involving a completely new look, feel, message, and often a new target market.

A brand refresh is about enhancing the existing 'you'—evolving to better reflect who you are today. It aligns with how your business, customers, and market have naturally progressed, ensuring you remain relevant in the current landscape. On the other hand, a rebrand is about starting fresh—targeting new customer segments, redefining your identity, and doing things in a completely reimagined way.

Whether it’s a refresh or a full rebrand, the key is striking a balance between evolution and preserving what customers already love most about the brand.

What separates a good brand from an irresistible investment? While financial viability and growth potential are essential, a standout factor lies in a brand’s ability to build and sustain a thriving community. Differentiation, a compelling story, and an engaged audience don’t just win over customers—they drive long-term capital efficiency and scalability.

Investors increasingly evaluate the ecosystems brands create. A loyal, connected community lowers customer acquisition costs, boosts lifetime value, and propels organic growth. These elements have a direct impact on profitability, making community-centric brands highly attractive to investors focused on sustainable returns.

For this reason, building a tight-knit community is vital to being investor-ready. A strong, engaged audience reduces CAC through organic referrals and repeat purchases, decreasing reliance on costly advertising. Meanwhile, loyalty nurtured by emotional connections drives higher CLV, creating steady and predictable revenue streams that highlight your brand’s scalability and financial potential.

So, how do you cultivate this kind of community? It starts with strategic foundations designed to differentiate your brand and deepen its connections.

I recently spoke at the inaugural InStyle Beauty Summit, sharing my perspective on how beauty brands can tap into the biggest opportunities in the industry today. Joining a dynamic lineup, we engaged with an audience of brand owners and industry insiders, unpacking the trends and challenges shaping the beauty world.

In between fireside chats with Richard Christiansen, Founder of Flamingo Estate, and Celeste Barber, Founder of BOOIE Beauty, I joined Kate Blythe, Chief Marketing Officer at Mecca Brands, Doone Roisin, Founder of Female Startup Club and Paul Balbo, Industry Head at Meta.

Here are some highlights, from the perspective I shared on the night:

Click here to follow Antonella Colella on LinkedIn
Click here to learn more about Colella Legal Studio

In this interview, Antonella Colella shares her expert insights on the legal challenges and strategies for indie beauty brands. Drawing from her extensive experience in the beauty industry's legal sector, Antonella emphasizes the importance of securing intellectual property (IP) protections early in the brand's development. She highlights common pitfalls indie brands face, particularly in trademarking and managing contracts, and offers practical advice for mitigating risks and ensuring legal compliance.

The perfect marketing calendar breaks down the year’s activities into actionable steps that support major objectives like strategic product launches, category growth priorities, and more. This calendar serves as a blueprint, aligning every initiative with the brand’s purpose, ensuring that each campaign contributes to both immediate wins and long-term success.

From our team's experience in previous career roles, working with best-in-class beauty brands and now supporting the next big players in the industry, we’ve noticed that some brands take a distinct approach to planning. That looks something like this...

Click here to follow Lindsey Smolan on LinkedIn
Click here to learn more about VLIV Communications

In this interview, Lindsey Smolan shares her expertise on the evolving landscape of PR in the beauty industry. She delves into the significant trends impacting the field, the strategies beauty brands should adopt to stand out, and the increasing importance of authenticity and niche targeting. Lindsey emphasizes the need for beauty brands to be transparent and purpose-driven, particularly in an oversaturated market where standing out to both consumers and the media is crucial. She also highlights challenges in the shift from influencer-driven strategies to more personalized and community-oriented approaches.

Topics in Focus:

1. Shifts in the Beauty PR Landscape
2. Strategies for Brand Differentiation
3. Influencer Landscape Evolution
4. Celebrity and Expert Endorsements
5. Building Long-term Media Relationships

Interview Host: Effie Asafu-Adjaye

Effie Asafu-Adjaye is the Founder of Beautiful Sparks. Beautiful Sparks helps beauty and fashion businesses get more fanatics in love with their brands, by refining their brand strategy, messaging, branding, content storytelling, and community-building strategy. Read more about Effie here. Linkedin.

A cult beauty brand goes beyond just having loyal customers, it’s when a brand cultivates a following of fanatics who hang onto every word they say. Brands like these have their customers hooked. They're deeply invested, and back a brand, on its journey, every step of the way.

So what's the recipe for creating a cult following?

Some founders thrive on the bootstrapped path, maintaining complete control and navigating challenges on their terms. For many, it's enough to fuel their growth and vision. However, for others, partnering with the right beauty investors—whether beauty venture capital firms or angel investors in the beauty industry—could unlock new possibilities, forge strategic alliances, and accelerate growth in ways that might not be possible alone.

For those exploring external investment, one of the key steps is developing a compelling cosmetics pitch deck. A strong pitch not only showcases your brand's potential but also communicates your unique story, values, and vision to captivate the right beauty investors. Ultimately, it's not just about securing funding—it's about attracting partners who believe in your mission and align with your core values.

So where do you begin?

Click here to follow Maggie Spicer on LinkedIn
Click here to learn more about Source Beauty

In this interview, Maggie Spicer, an expert in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) strategies for the beauty industry, shares her insights on the growing importance of ESG practices. She discusses the critical need for beauty brands to integrate ESG into their business operations, emphasizing how these factors can influence a brand's long-term success. Spicer highlights key trends, challenges, and opportunities in the beauty industry, particularly the importance of transparency in a rapidly evolving market.

Topics in Focus:

- ESG’s Growing Importance in the Beauty Industry
- Balancing ESG Initiatives with Business Growth
- Triggers for Developing ESG Strategies
- The Role of B Corp Certification
- Emerging Trends: Transparency

Interview Host: Effie Asafu-Adjaye

Effie Asafu-Adjaye’s profile is an experienced professional in the beauty industry with a deep understanding of the intersection between sustainability and brand strategy. She has a strong background in marketing and communications, particularly in guiding beauty brands through the complexities of implementing ESG initiatives. Effie's expertise allows her to engage in meaningful dialogues with industry leaders, providing valuable insights to help brands navigate the evolving demands of sustainability and governance in the beauty sector.