This is an episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, which features candid conversations about how today’s trends are shaping the future of the beauty and wellness industries. More from the series →
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Reuben Carranza knows a good brand when he sees it.
Bansk Beauty, where he serves as executive chairman, made headlines in September after acquiring the buzzy, clinical skin-care brand Byoma. It’s part of the late-stage private investment firm’s growing beauty roster, which includes Amika, Eva NYC and Ethique.
“No. 1, they’re on a tear, right? They’re growing rapidly. But I think what we loved about them was the story,” he told Glossy on stage at this week’s annual Glossy Beauty and Wellness Summit about its Byoma acquisition. “It’s the story: they’ve de-complicated complicated skin-care routines.”
Carranza kicked off the Summit with a special live podcast recording, where he shared insights into the firm’s investment philosophy and growth plans for its brands. He also shared career advice from his stacked CV, which includes more than two decades at P&G and leadership roles at R+Co Hair, Kate Somerville skin care, and more.
This special session is ahead, but first, hosts Lexy Lebsack and Emily Jensen share highlights from the Summit and dig into the news of the week.
First up, the hosts break down the latest from Tylenol- and Neutrogena-owner Kenvue. Kimberly-Clark Corp. will acquire Kenvue Inc. in a deal valued at $48.7 billion. Kimberly-Clark’s portfolio includes consumer brands like Huggies, Kleenex and Cottonelle.
Next up, a look at Skims’s buzzy new hire. Diarrha N’Diaye was named evp, beauty and fragrance of Kim Kardashian’s upcoming Skims Beauty. N’Diaye has worked in marketing and branding for the likes of Glossier and L’Oréal, and was most recently the founder of Ami Colé, which shuttered in July. She will lead product development, innovation and brand strategy for Skims’s upcoming beauty launch.
Finally, an analysis of a hefty investment in Blueprint, the supplement company from American entrepreneur and biohacker Bryan Johnson. The company has taken on $60 million in funding from investors like Kim Kardashian, Ari Emanuel, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, and many more big names. Johnson is best known for documenting his quest to age in reverse on YouTube and through the Netflix film “Don’t Die.” Blueprint currently offers a variety of products DTC, including drink mixes, supplements and skin care.
On innovating, in spite of tariffs and recession indicators
Carranza: “It is an incredible time to be in beauty, and beauty and wellness, in particular. You know, there are tariffs, they suck. They’re creating horrible operating experiences. The retailers are having to deal with that, too. We know all of that. I believe that we are in a recession, that there are recessionary factors across the board. But at the end of the day, the reason I talk about the fact that it’s never been a better time [to be in beauty] is the level of innovation, the level of ingredient innovation, the merging of things like longevity and wellness and beauty, and the shifts that are happening on the retailer front and route to market. All of those things all serve that consumer who, at the end of the day, loves to have a great hair day or just loves how she or he’s skin is going to feel when they find a great product that just makes them feel great. When Mr. Lauder would talk about the lipstick effect, I think it’s still there. So we are in an incredible industry. I think, even when the shit hits the fan, … we’re a safe haven to feel good about ourselves, and I think that’s the business we’re in.”
On the credibility of influence today
Carranza: “As a consumer, expertise used to be credibility. Expertise was either coming from your hairdresser, your dermatologist or your aesthetician. Today, you’re seeing it in multiple places, including influencers. So, I think that the challenges on both sides are, as a brand builder, ‘How do you get to the consumer?’ and as the consumer, ‘How do you judge credibility?’ Just because someone has a million followers and has great content, does it mean that they’re actually giving you the right information? Muddling through all of that is what has become the challenging environment that we’re in — and in beauty, in particular. Because you can have results that are immediate, right? Or you can have damage that is immediate, too, right? That’s what’s been interesting, in terms of how to deal with the consumer, ultimately. It is also leading to what I call the disintermediation of the supply chain or of the route to market.”
