In the beauty industry, there is no slow season. Every month, a slew of new brands enters the market. We’re keeping track of the new brands to know each month and filling you in on why they matter. This month, that includes the first skin-care brand to base its product recommendations on hormonal testing, a sunscreen brand with branding that’s all about ’80s nostalgia and a couple of global imports, including a ‘clean’ hair care brand from France that’s launching at Neiman Marcus and a ‘clean’ skin-care brand from Japan that’s entering Sephora.
Founder Allie Egan’s ‘aha’ moment that led to launching her brand came via her own hormone testing while dealing with fertility issues. When she identified her own hormonal imbalances, she realized that many women could benefit from knowing such information — for starters, they could more accurately target their skin-care needs. Earlier this month, she launched Veracity, a direct-to-consumer skin-care company that recommends products to customers based on an at-home hormone test that uses their saliva. After sending a vial of spit off to the lab, they receive a curated skin-care recommendation based on an analysis of their hormone levels. The testing results also come with recommendations for how to make any necessary improvements to their hormonal health. The brand is launching with six products: four $55 “vital concentrates” (which Egan calls “super serums”), one serum and one moisturizer. Of the concentrates, Egan said they are “specifically designed to treat the effects of hormonal imbalances in skin.” For example, they treat the effects of low estrogen (Hydration Balance) or high estrogen (Brightening Support).
One of the buzziest, splashiest beauty launches of the year, Vacation (a direct-to-consumer brand primarily selling SPF) trades on nostalgia, which has taken over just about every element of the beauty industry. In Vacation’s case, the specific focus is vacation and leisure in the ’80s. The brand calls its products “leisure enhancing,” and its sunscreen smells like coconut and banana. The launch was buzzy from the jump, thanks to a successful “business card generator” featured on its website that spit out titles to participating visitors, like “Margarita Shaking Supervisor” and “VP of Birds of Paradise Aesthetics Assessment.” Thousands claimed their “titles” and shared them to social. More than 12,000 people engaged with the tool, and the brand put no money behind it in the first few days. In addition to the brand’s Classic Lotion SPF 30 ($20), it sells a mineral formula (Mineral Lotion SPF 30, $22), an SPF oil (Chardonnay Oil SPF 30, $22), a Super Spritzer Hydrating Face Mist ($12) and the cheeky “Vacation” by Vacation Eau de Toilette ($60) — so you, too, can smell like summer at any moment.
There’s no shortage of new beauty brands coming out of the states, but when you take into account the various brands that are not yet available locally, the selection is truly, incomprehensibly vast. Luckily, retailers like Sephora buy into international brands that they deem worthy of importing and introducing to American shoppers. The latest example is DamDam, a Japanese skin-care line with a minimal aesthetic, which adheres to Sephora’s “Clean at Sephora” standards. The brand’s Nomad’s Cream Purifying Exfoliating Cleanser is gentle enough for daily use, but also exfoliates, thanks to the Japanese root crop konnyaku that dissolves into skin as it’s massaged in.
Another brand making its American debut is French hair-care line Lazartigue, which launched at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Lord & Taylor in early June. The brand ticks many of the boxes of a modern beauty brand, including eco-friendly packaging (it’s 100% recyclable), “clean” ingredients (97% are of natural origin) and a strong retail presence. Plus, of course, it has that French je ne sais quois. The Rebalance Shampoo ($32) uses ingredients like rice vinegar and spirulina to purify the scalp.
There’s no stopping Huda Kattan. Initially known for promoting a full face of makeup, the mega-influencer-turned-entrepreneur (her brand has 49 million followers on Instagram) has just introduced a new franchise to her popular brand, Huda Beauty. Glowish launched at the start of the month with four products: a skin tint and a bronzer, and brushes for each. The Multidew Vegan Skin Tint Foundation ($37) is undoubtedly the hero and represents the larger shift in makeup trends to a more natural look. In this formula, squalane is meant to moisturize skin, damascus rose oil is meant to soothe, and red bell pepper extract is said to defend against blue light.
Liis, a new fragrance brand that launched with three scents, is the brainchild of two beauty veterans. Co-founder Leslie Hendin served as creative director at Vintner’s Daughter, while co-founder Alissa Sullivan was director of product development at Hourglass, L’Artisan Parfumeur and Penhaligon’s. The brand developed its three scents, Studied, Rose Struck, and Bo, with renowned perfumer Jerome Epinette. Each is $165 and available on the brand’s website.
OEM, short for On Earth Momentarily, was co-founded by Shun Kinoshita and Ceilidh MacLeod, who sought to reimagine what wellness looks like, starting with when you have a cold. The line includes a CBD-fortified lip balm and muscle relieving cream, a salve for dry skin, a wellness beverage with CBD (meant to work like a healthier Gatorade) and, of course, a hand sanitizer. “Many people use CBD to manage pain, so when you’re experiencing those flu aches, rubbing a topical into joints and muscles can help provide relief,” MacLeod said. “CBD is an effective anti-inflammatory and can alleviate that discomfort you experience around your nasal passage with congestion. CBD has also been shown to provide restoring and soothing benefits to the skin. Many of us experience dry skin and dehydration when we have a cold, and CBD actually ‘talks’ to receptors (endocannabinoids) on the skin, telling them to stop firing the wrong message, leading to healthier skin.” The brand’s vibe is meant to make you feel cared for, even when you’re feeling rough.
