What Beauty Brands Can Teach The Rest Of Retail |
American consumers may be increasingly anxious over rising prices and an uncertain job market, but they're not completely unreachable. And some creative brands have broken through, offering lessons for other retailers.
Forbes' expert contributors have identified the tactics niche brands have used to capture customers looking to escape doom-and-gloom economic scenarios. They want to indulge, affordably; they want to share their experience with others; and they like to take home some of the enjoyment.
Many brands are repositioning themselves to appeal to increasingly choosey and price-conscious shoppers. Beauty brands, in particular, have been marketing products as accessible personal indulgences that can change consumers' mindsets.
More than a third of beauty shoppers said fragrances are a pleasure to use, more than any other category in the beauty industry, the McKinsey “State of Beauty 2025” report found. That's more than skincare, haircare and cosmetics.
Even if tariffs have slowed some fragrance sales, opportunistic brands have found ways to woo shoppers to choose relatively expensive products they want, rather than need, by mastering audience engagement. Companies beyond the beauty industry should take note in 2026.
Fragrance sales rely on direct-to-consumer brands with just a few select boutiques, pop-up events and niche celebrity partnerships, such as golfer Charley Hull and basketball player Jerami Grant promoting Salt & Stone, a fragrance brand founded by former professional snowboarder Nima Jalali.
“The focus on a direct-to-consumer sales approach allows brands greater control over pricing, customer relationships, and brand storytelling,” writes Forbes contributor Kaleigh Moore. “As the industry evolves, brands that combine innovative formulations, compelling storytelling, and diverse retail strategies are positioned to capture disproportionate market share in this expanding category.”
Fragrance is flying. Estée Lauder and the Coty fragrance empire both beat expectations in their latest quarterly earnings........