Swan Beauty, the 9-month-old smart mirror company, made a splash online in April when it sponsored a lavish bachelorette trip for influencer Brigette Pheloung, known online as @acquiredstyle.
As previously reported by Glossy, the partnership was fodder for social media. It included a cohort of influencers, a private jet and a beautiful island backdrop to create a bouquet of content across social platforms and channels. The partnership helped Swan’s iOS app downloads jump 4,000% week over week, while subscription signups grew 1,900%.
“It was a wonderful partnership with Bridget [because] we entered an experience that was so special for her, and it was great that she was able to showcase how she uses the platform as an early beta tester for us,” Colby Mitchell, co-founder of Swan Beauty, told Glossy. “Traveling with a bunch of girls, five of them being creators, bringing that group together and then interacting with the platform, … That’s why it was so successful; because it was such a good fit.”
Now, Swan is leveraging many hallmarks of the viral bachelorette trip in other opportunities in hopes of garnering additional upper-funnel brand awareness. The company executed five partnerships during New York Fashion Week, including two fashion shows, a masterclass, a longevity suite, and a salon pop-up.
“This was all about brand awareness, community building [and] showing what Swan has to offer,” Mitchell said. “We were invited to [participate in] triple what we did. … I think people are starting to see the value in having the mirrors [on hand for] the interaction [it creates] with creators, models and designers.”
Swan Beauty’s mirror offers a mix of practical offerings, such as three lighting temperatures and seven brightness levels, with a laundry list of tech-y applications like augmented reality to guide makeup application, a skin analyzer and in-mirror shopping. The mirror retails for $795 plus a $9.95-per-month subscription. But the mirror isn’t required to access the company’s tech: Those without a mirror can subscribe via a smartphone for a similar experience.
The company’s NYFW blitz started on September 9 with a co-branded masterclass with Vike Beauty and its founders Alina Vike and Inessa Vike, known online as the “Vike twins.” The Vike Beauty team created a sleepover masterclass theme at the Plaza Hotel that included matching PJs, bedazzling, hand-drawn portraits, a hairstyling masterclass led by NYC-based artists Liana Davydova and Crystal Anglon, and plenty of time to play with the Swan mirror.
Mitchell told Glossy she sends one brand educator for every three mirrors at an event to ensure everyone learns about the mirror and feels confident sharing their experience online. “We don’t want just the top people in the room [to experience the mirror]; we want everybody that’s a beauty lover,” she said.
Swan also partnered with RPZL Rockefeller Center, also kicking off on the 9th, for a one-week partnership that placed mirrors in the salon so clients could test out the features. This was the one partnership that cast a wide net for New Yorkers who may not have participated in Fashion Week.
Then, starting on September 11, Swan joined an invite-only suite at the Mandarin Oriental, called the longevity suite, where Christina Skincare used the mirrors for skin assessments ahead of custom treatments. Finally, Swan popped up backstage at the LoveShackFancy presentation at Dante on September 10 and the PatBO fashion show at Domino Park on September 15.
Swan Beauty is funded by Mitchell’s husband’s 11-year-old private equity firm, Mitchell Family Office, parent company to COS Bar, AFC Toronto and The Daxton Hotel.
“We worked with [LoveShackFancy key makeup artist] Matthew Taylor, and he created a custom LoveShackFancy spring 2027 look in our [in-mirror and -app] smart makeup artist that’s going to be released in the next month,” Mitchell said. “We’re going to do a collab giveaway with the mirror and LoveShackFancy next month. … [All users will] be able to go into the smart makeup artist feature and try the LoveShackFancy fashion show makeup look.”
Swan told Glossy that its NYFW activations drove a 32% week-over-week increase in site traffic, while combined iOS and Android app downloads rose 27% week over week.
Looking forward, the brand has several partnerships planned to keep growing brand awareness. “We’re doing a masterclass with [dermatologist] Dr. Michelle Henry, MD on the 29th, partnering with Sisley,” she said. “We also have some B2B doors we’re going to be entering.”
