The Glossy Beauty Podcast

• Longtime beauty CMO Michelle Miller joins Glossy reporters to discuss the future of TikTok, plus industry news

  Esteemed beauty marketer Michelle Miller knows a thing or two about a successful TikTok strategy. Miller served as CMO of K-18 during its gangbuster rise and 2023 strategic acquisition by Unilever. Her CV also includes Kosas, Too Faced and, as of January, CMO of Vegamour hair care.  “[TikTok has] an algorithm that is able to democratize beauty in a way that makes it a lot more accessible [to the average consumer],” Miller said. “With the platform being so uncertain, it's emotionally hard for brands that have invested so much time into creator communities, into content on Tiktok. And most of all, it's really, really hard for creators that have built their entire living and livelihoods on the platform.”  Miller joined Glossy podcast hosts Lexy Lebsack and Sara Spruch-Feiner (23:21), plus Glossy managing editor Tatiana Pile, to discuss the latest movement in TikTok’s ongoing sell-or-be-banned legal predicament and what it means for the beauty industry.  As previously reported by Glossy, concern over TikTok’s algorithm and its ability to influence Americans through disinformation campaigns, as well as the large amount of data being collected by ByteDance about Americans, are the top concerns of those behind the ban. This conversation goes back to 2020 when President Trump said he planned to ban the app, but it wasn’t until TikTok added commerce with TikTok Shop in September of 2023 that momentum rebuilt. Then-President Biden signed a law into effect in April of 2024 that gave TikTok owner Bytedance a window to sell the majority of the business to an American owner or be banned from being downloaded in the U.S.  Despite numerous legal challenges, including one heard by the Supreme Court, Bytedance unsuccessfully fought the legislation, and the app briefly went dark in January before garnering an extension by President Trump.  On April 4, TikTok received a second extension to find a buyer until June 19. Until then, the app is safe. However, alongside a developing trade war with China, TikTok’s fate hangs in the balance with a meaningful impact on the beauty and wellness industries.  “It really puts into place — not only for big brands in beauty, but also for smaller brands that are just getting started — [the questions] of: ‘How do you future-proof your brand? How do you work virality today, and what's next if TikTok does go away in 75 days?” Miller said.  Also included in this episode is a news rundown on the top stories of the week. The team discusses President Trump’s escalating global tariffs, Beyoncé-founded Cécred’s splashy launch into Ulta Beauty and the latest celebrity beauty brand to hire bankers to explore an exit, ahead.

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• With Sephora launch, Ultra Violette readies to take the US market by storm

  Sephora has launched numerous new brands in recent months, many of them buzzy and beloved — but perhaps none has been as hotly anticipated as Ultra Violette (that's pronounced "violet"), the Aussie sunscreen brand first launched in 2018. Sephora marks the brand's official debut into the U.S. market — a landmark occasion, because, as co-founder Bec Jefferd said on this week's episode of The Glossy Beauty Podcast, "You can't be a serious global beauty brand if you aren't in the U.S." That's in spite of the fact that the brand has already launched in 29 other markets. Jefferd and co-founder Ava Matthews met as coworkers at Mecca, the premier Australian beauty retailer. Growing up in Australia, sun protection is a focus, even in childhood, given the country's climate and high skin cancer rates, Matthews said. Still, in 2016, when they began ideation for the brand, the duo saw the opportunity for a brand that approached the category differently. "[Sunscreen] wasn't at the center of a skin-care routine. We were talking about it as a skin cancer preventative or something to wear in summer, even in Australia," Matthews said. "There were a lot of people talking about sun care in a serious way, in terms of [skin] cancer, but no one talking about sun care as a kind of prestige skin-care product." For reference, Supergoop launched in 2007, as did Coola; while Vacation launched in 2021, as did fellow Aussie sunscreen brand Naked Sundays. Ultra Violette, with its brightly colored packaging and elegant formulas, quickly became one of the hottest sunscreen brands on the market — its unavailability in the States only added to its cool factor. In-the-know editors got it overseas or had friends bring it back when they traveled — it became ubiquitous in chic poolside pics. As recently as 2021, Matthews and Jefferd had no plans to launch in the States, but now, with formulas they've deemed just as good as their Aussie counterparts and the promise of a new broad-spectrum filter likely soon to be approved in the U.S., the time was right. And though the U.S. has not approved a new filter since 1999, 2026 might change that. As of March 28, the brand is on Sephora.com and in-store at all doors. As for the marketing for the Sephora launch, influencer partnerships are about to kick off, mailers have gone out, and a New York City breakfast, co-hosted by Tinx has been held. As Matthews put it, "We're really not prepared to fuck this up." The U.S. range features five products, to start, four sunscreens and one lip product — with SPF, of course — in two shades. Prices range from $22-$40. In 2024, the brand closed a 15 million Australian-dollar minority investment from equity firm Aria Growth Partners. In this episode of The Glossy Beauty Podcast, the co-founders discuss why it finally made sense to launch stateside, why there's promise in the long-awaited new sunscreen filters in the U.S. and who the Ultra Violette customer is, especially as the sunscreen market has become more crowded.

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  1:04:19
• Act+Acre founders on the rise of scalp-care: ‘Education is the forefront of the brand’

  Act+Acre’s husband-and-wife founders were early to the growth of the scalp-care market when they launched their brand in 2019 with one product: a $48 prewash treatment called Scalp Detox Oil.  “[Scalp care] was definitely an afterthought for people [a few years ago],” brand founder and hairstylist Helen Reavey told Glossy. “Launching it in 2019, we were one of the first to solely think about scalp care the way skin care had come up and was so personalized, and we took that approach. It's not a one-size-fits-all for the scalp.” Reavey has seen the effects of poor scalp care throughout her 15-year career as a celebrity and editorial hairstylist — most notably during fashion month, when models’ hair is routinely overworked backstage until their scalps become sensitive to the touch. “I had that moment where I was like, ‘I wish I could give them something to remove everything and to really start with a fresh canvas,'" she said. “It was that moment [where we said], ‘OK, we should do this; we should launch a brand.'”  Reavey is also a certified trichologist, a specialization focused on the treatment and health of the hair and scalp. She launched Act+Acre with husband and business partner Colm Mackin, who now serves as CEO.  Now an award-winning hero product for the brand, Scalp Detox is one of 25 products sold individually and through 10 curated systems made up of individual SKUs. From oil control to hydration to hair growth, they’re each designed for a specific concern.  To help consumers navigate the offerings, Act+Acre publishes blog posts and educational content on social media, and offers a 10-plus question quiz on its site to match a consumer with the right products.  Top selling systems include its Stem Cell System, Thick + Full System and Essential Hydration System. Meanwhile, individual bestsellers include Stem Cell Serum for $86 and Daily Hydro Scalp Serum for $24.  The line is sold DTC and through Sephora, Revolve, Bluemercury, Amazon, Dermstore, Anthropologie and TikTok Shop, among other channels. The brand does 60% of its business DTC and has a 50% subscription rate within that cohort, Mackin told Glossy.  Several products are also recognized by the National Psoriasis Foundation for being safe for those with psoriasis.  “People are definitely starting to understand that the scalp is a foundation for healthy hair, and that comes across in all of our messaging,” Reavey told Glossy.  Act+Acre's latest launch, a two-step shampoo and treatment, is focused on hard water buildup, which impacts the majority of U.S. consumers. High levels of minerals like calcium and magnesium in tap water can build up in the hair and cause brittleness and discoloration, especially on color-treated hair. “I don't think people were really understanding that hard water was this silent destructor,” Reavey told Glossy. The brand's Clarifying Hard Water Shampoo sells for $32, while the Clarifying Hard Water Scalp Treatment goes for $38.  In this week’s episode of The Glossy Beauty Podcast, Reavey and Mackin share insider details on these topics. The duo also discusses the ways they stand out in the market, including through community building, education and customer service.

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  39:23
• Hair-care tycoon Carolyn Aronson enters mass with Cloud: ‘It has the callouts Gen Z is looking for’

  Very few beauty entrepreneurs have had more success than Carolyn Aronson. In 2006, the longtime hairstylist and salon owner launched professional hair-care brand It’s a 10 with one hero product: Miracle Leave-In spray. The $21 formula was an immediate success for its ability to hydrate, smooth, condition, defrizz and protect hair with one formula. The brand had immediate success by seeding the product to professional hairstylists before entering Ulta Beauty, Target, Sally’s Beauty, Cosmoprof, SalonCentric and Amazon, and selling DTC.  Using Miracle Leave-In as the anchor for expansion, the company added formulations through the years for various hair types and preferences. This includes new Miracle Leave-Ins for coily, blonde and men’s hair; keratin- or color-treated hair; and lite, fragrance-free and dye-free variations. Each new collection includes shampoo, conditioner, masks and a variety of other offerings. The brand also sells body care.   In 2017, Aronson bought out her co-founder to become the sole owner of It’s a 10. She’s taken on no investors. The brand currently brings in around $500 million in gross annual sales and is distributed in more than 125 countries.  On a personal level, Aronson has also provided inspiration for women in the beauty industry. She entered the foster care system at two weeks old, began working in salons as a teenager and is currently one of the beauty industry’s few self-made billionaires. She’s also known for her philanthropy. For example, It’s a 10 donated $250,000 worth of products to the Los Angeles Dream Center in January to help victims of the Los Angeles wildfires.  This year, Aronson is expanding her empire with Cloud Haircare, a new, Gen Z-focused line of shampoo, conditioner and styling products sold in two collections: nourishing and volumizing. Each SKU sells for $11.99 in CVS, Walmart and DTC.  The line features colorful, flat lay-friendly packaging and Gen Z-focused values: vegan, Leaping Bunny-approved formulas free of parabens and SLS, and sold in bottles made from post-consumer plastic resins.  Aronson’s expansion into mass comes at a time when the sector has experienced a renaissance, of sorts. New, fresh brands are currently flooding the market, many of which are priced at $11.99 — like Odele, Saltair, Being Frenshe, Laura Polko and Function of Beauty —  while bargain formulas like Suave are back with new branding.  Beyond Cloud Haircare, Aronson entered the home hair-color space in 2023 with Rewind it 10, a line of men’s home hair and beard dyes. She partnered with friend and rapper Fat Joe on the collection, as well as her husband Jeff Aronson. It sells for $15 per box DTC and through Sally’s Beauty, CVS, Walmart, Amazon and more retailers.  To entice shoppers, each shade of hair dye is modeled by an influential figure like model Tyson Beckford, football star Travis Kelce, DJ Khaled and celebrity face Brody Jenner, among many others.  On this week's episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, Aronson provides Glossy listeners an inside view of her move into mass hair care with Cloud and insights into navigating the men’s marketplace with Rewind it 10. She also gives listeners a teaser on her entry into women’s hair color and her hopes for Cloud Haircare.

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  43:25
• Hally Hair's Kathryn Winokur: 'Gen Z is not static — she's growing up'

  Kathryn Winokur launched Hally Hair in 2021 after working for companies including PepsiCo and Dove. From engineering college partnerships to hosting a trip for Alabama sorority girls, the brand has succeeded by keeping its finger on the pulse and remaining deeply entrenched in youth culture. Its latest move is a timely one, too: On March 6, it introduced Lady H, a $39 alcohol-free hair perfume that also adds shine to hair. The scent launched DTC and on TikTok Shop and will hit Ulta Beauty — in all doors and online — on April 20. "We see hair and fragrance as some of the most individualistic forms of self-expression. That was the driving force behind Hally's new hair perfume," Winokur said. In this episode of The Glossy Beauty Podcast, Winokur talks about filling a white space with Hally, getting insights directly from Gen Z and launching the brand's new product, Lady H hair perfume. The scent has notes of ripe cherry, jasmine vanilla and deep moss.

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