Launched in 2009, RMS Beauty is having a renaissance.
A “clean” beauty brand founded by makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift, RMS Beauty sold a majority stake to investment firm Highlander Partners in 2021. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it was estimated that the brand had reached around $30 million in annual sales at the time. The same year, David Olsen, formerly global vp at Net-a-Porter, was appointed CEO of the company.
Recently, the company’s growth has accelerated. In the last year, its number of new customers has grown by over 500%, its social communities have added half a million new members, its loyalty revenue has increased by 300%, and it’s experienced multiple viral moments leading to tens of millions of video views across social channels, Olsen said. Highlander’s investment has allowed the company to invest in its marketing, and Swift’s presence on TikTok has paid off for the brand.
“We always knew RMS had all the ingredients for a timeless, ageless brand and that we just had to unlock the treasure by spreading the word in more creative ways across multiple channels,” he said. “So, we’ve leaned into TikTok, Instagram, CGI, outdoor ads, events and Influencers, and the results are staggering.”
According to Olsen, the business doubled in 2023 and will do so again this year, though he declined to elaborate. Industry sources estimate the brand’s annual revenue is $60 million-$80 million.
Though the brand launched its ReDimension Hydra Powder Blush in June 2022, Swift’s TikTok posts about the product didn’t take off until May 2023. It’s since sold out 10 times, said Elaine Sack, the brand’s chief strategic officer. The brand launched on TikTok Shop in late 2023.
Sack owed Swift’s success on the platform to the fact that her posts are unscripted, plus she has an “authoritative nature, a career as a celebrity makeup artist and content that shows her genuine personality.” Swift is the brand’s most successful influencer, she said.
Through TikTok, Swift has not only introduced herself to a new audience and demographic, but she has also introduced the brand and a new spate of products to people beyond “the cool girls in New York,” Sack said.
Following the Hydra Blush launch, RMS Beauty rolled out its ReDimension Hydra Bronzer in stores on March 21 and online on April 9. “It went viral on TikTok — people love this formula. It’s not the first of its kind, as far as the texture, but we were the first to truly do it super clean,” said Sack. Hydra Blush was the first product the brand both launched and promoted on TikTok Shop.
The Hydra Bronzer launch was driven by comments in a popular post by Swift announcing a new Hydra Powder Blush shade dubbed “Crystal Slipper.” In the video, which has amassed 1.7 million views, she describes the shade as the “perfect tan buff.”
The brand set out to make a bronzer that wouldn’t rob the skin of its moisture; while providing the longevity of a powder, it would give the hydration of a cream, Swift said.
The Bronzer has now been released in four shades, and the brand is celebrating its success. For example, on March 25, it hosted a 125-person event, including 100 new-to-the-brand influencers, at Charleston’s American Theater — the brand, and Swift herself are based in the Southern city. Coinciding with the bronzer’s in-store launch, it included Q&A session between Swift and influencer Chassity Evans and a screening of “The Notebook.”
To further amplify the product, RMS tapped Charleston-based creators, Clara Peirce (1 million followers on TikTok) and Madison LeCroy of “Southern Charm” (189,000 followers on TikTok), as paid partners to post about it. Both also attended the event and posted “GRWM” videos ahead of time.
On April 9, the brand also dispatched wrapped trucks, which incorporated 30-foot brand billboards, for a four-week, out-of-home campaign. The trucks will focus on neighborhoods around RMS’s Blue Mercury and Credo retail locations.
RMS plans to keep its growth going. More new launches are coming soon, Sack said. In late February, the brand launched a three-piece skin-care range that built upon an existing, 10-year-old oil in its collection.
“We’re going against the [common] cadence — most brands launch three or four products a year, but we’re launching something almost every month. We have so much we want to put out, and our customers are just insatiable for the products right now.”
