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Turning around a heritage beauty brand is no easy feat, but CEO Mary van Praag has managed to transform 23-year-old Milani Cosmetics into one of the industry’s most beloved indie brands.
When van Praag joined the team in 2020, she immediately took action, assessing the health of the company and creating a thorough plan to bring it into its next era.
“I implemented a combination of strategy, structure and people,” she told Glossy. “[I asked myself], ‘How are we going to catapult the business into the future?’ We were probably the No. 10 brand [at the time], and we’re now the No. 7 brand in the very competitive, well-resourced category of lip, eye and face.”
That strategy included refocusing on Milani Cosmetics’ DNA and ethos, which has always been to offer prestige quality at an accessible price point for a multicultural audience. To do so, van Praag teamed with the brand’s retail partners and suppliers, among other partners, to restructure its shelf space branding, marketing and product assortment to highlight its ethically created, cruelty-free bestselling products, all priced under $20.
In addition, to modernize the brand’s social presence, van Praag and Milani’s marketing team created a four-part video series in partnership with the Lipstick Lesbians (411,000 Instagram followers) called “Made In and With Matters.” The series offers an in-depth look at how the brand’s products are ethically sourced and made. Van Praag was unable to provide engagement numbers from the campaign as it’s still running, but she shared with Glossy that Milani Cosmetics has seen “positive engagement with the content is driving increased sales with the featured products.”
But according to van Praag, the company’s biggest win this year was its “Face Set. Mind Set.” campaign in June. Marking Milani’s first-ever sports partnerships, the campaign tapped female athletes, including gymnast Jordan Chiles, WNBA star Sabrina Ionescu, volleyball gold medalist Chiaka Ogbogu and weightlifter Mattie Rogers, to promote Milani’s best-selling Make It Last Setting Spray. The product is America’s No. 1 selling setting spray, based on Nielsen U.S. eXtended All Outlet Combined sales figures for the 52 weeks ending April 20.
The campaign’s photos and videos ran across the brand’s and participating athletes’ social channels. The campaign also included ads on streaming TV platforms.
The campaign generated significant results, van Praag told Glossy. Over the four-week period from June 14–July 13, Make It Last Setting Spray sales rose more than 30% year-over-year. And, during the June 20–August 3 period, MilaniCosmetics.com saw an increase in average weekly site visits of more than 150%. Overall, the campaign generated more than 4 billion unique views.
What’s more, since van Praag took the helm, Milani Cosmetics has experienced 13 straight quarters of consecutive growth and has surpassed $200 million in revenue. In the last 52 weeks, it has also become the second fastest-growing mass-color cosmetics brand and the only indie brand within the top 10. According to the aforementioned Nielson data, it is also the second fastest-growing in the eyes, lip, and face categories.
Van Praag said the brand’s intentional pricing has been key to reaching its core customers, which are 50% Gen Z and millennials.
“You can fill your entire makeup bag for $50 with Milani,” she said. “There aren’t many things you can buy for $50 anymore, so it creates a moment of joy. … Our tagline is, ‘Inclusive, not exclusive.’”
Moving forward, van Praag said deepening Milani Cosmetics’ connection with its diverse audience and introducing more product innovation and “fun” campaigns will drive the brand’s growth.
“Next year, blockbuster new products that are on trend will meet the demands of our diverse range of consumers,” she said. “Plus, our innovation pipeline, merchandising footprint and marketing ‘special sauce’ are going to accelerate our growth.”
