Breaking Down TikTok’s Caveman Skincare Trend, REN Skincare’s Closure, and IPSY’s 2025 Beauty Report

Summary

Gloss Angeles Podcast Summary

Episode: Breaking Down TikTok’s Caveman Skincare Trend, REN Skincare’s Closure, and IPSY’s 2025 Beauty Report
Release Date: May 13, 2025
Hosts: Kirbie Johnson and Sara Tan

---

TikTok’s Caveman Skincare Trend

The episode kicks off with Kirbie Johnson and Sara Tan diving into the latest viral sensation on TikTok: the Caveman Skincare Trend. This trend centers around a skincare influencer named Tia Zacher, whose unconventional routine has sparked widespread debate.

Kirbie Johnson introduces the topic with curiosity:

"Kirby, what is caveman skincare and who is Tia Zacher and why is her face, like, kind of dirty looking?" (01:38)

Sara Tan provides a critical analysis, highlighting concerns from dermatologists:

"Every expert in the book was stitching this woman's video saying, you have dermatitis. You have a big problem. You need to see a doctor." (02:00)

The hosts discuss the potential health implications of Tia’s regimen, questioning the authenticity and safety of her methods. Sara expresses discomfort with Tia’s appearance, emphasizing the visible buildup on her skin:

"It doesn't look healthy. It doesn't look like it's getting her anywhere." (04:07)

They speculate that Tia might be dealing with a fungal infection rather than simply trying to restore her skin barrier, urging her to seek professional medical advice:

"Tia, I truly hope you're okay... please go see a doctor." (05:22)

---

REN Skincare’s Closure

Transitioning to industry news, the hosts address the closure of REN Skincare, a beloved clean beauty brand known for its sustainable practices and straightforward formulations.

Sara Tan shares the news:

"Ren Skincare clothes and I... Unilever announced last week that they were going to begin the difficult decision to formally close the Ren business by the end of the third quarter this year." (06:29)

Kirbie reflects on her personal experience with REN products, praising their efficacy:

"I used to use the tonic, the Radiance Ready Steady Glow tonic. I feel like it was sort of ahead of the game." (07:01)

The discussion delves into the challenges REN faced post-acquisition by Unilever in 2015, highlighting how losing the founders impacted the brand's vision and competitive edge. They cite expert Joel Palux, who stated:

"Founders matter. Brands that lose their founders too early often struggle to maintain focus, passion and vision." (08:30)

Sara Tan further explains that REN's lack of a distinct founder story and the saturation of the clean beauty market contributed to its downfall:

"The brand was stale, undifferentiated, and lacks a real reason for being." (10:27)

Kirbie underscores the importance of founder-driven narratives, especially for engaging Gen Z consumers:

"Gen Z likes to support like founder stories... mission-driven businesses with their dollars." (12:41)

The hosts express disappointment over REN's closure, urging listeners to stock up on their favorite products before they disappear from the market.

---

IPSY’s 2025 Beauty Report

In the Data Girl segment, Kirbie and Sara explore IPSY’s 2025 Beauty Report, which analyzes over 200 million product reviews, member feedback, and purchasing patterns to forecast beauty industry trends.

Key Insights Discussed:

1. Viral Buzz Influence:

   • Question: "What percentage of beauty lovers say that they're more likely to try a new product if it has viral buzz? 30%, 40%, 60% or 75%?"
   • Answer: 60% (15:14)
     Kirbie remarks on the significant impact of viral trends on consumer behavior.

2. Gen Z’s Top Beauty Must-Have:

   • Question: "In 2025, which product overtook fragrance as the top must-have item among Gen Z? Foundation, lip gloss, mascara, eyeliner."
   • Answer: Lip gloss (16:10)
     Sara humorously relates her personal affinity for lip gloss, sharing her overstock in her purse.

3. Beauty Routine Preferences:

   • Question: "Which generation is most likely to follow a beauty routine with six or more steps? Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z or Boomers."
   • Answer: Millennials (16:38)
     The hosts discuss how Millennials, now older, may prefer more extensive routines compared to Gen Z’s streamlined approach.

4. Consumer Drop-off Reasons:

   • Question: "What is the number one reason consumers say they stop using a beauty product? Price, the scent of it, ineffectiveness or packaging."
   • Answer: Ineffectiveness (18:11)
     While both hosts agree on ineffectiveness as a primary reason, they also share personal frustrations with product packaging issues.

5. Booming Beauty Categories:

   • Question: "Which of the following categories is seeing a major boom thanks to Gen Z shoppers? Makeup brushes, face masks, scented body lotions or scalp care."
   • Answer: Scalp care (18:54)
     Kirbie humorously notes her frequent invitations for scalp analyses.

6. Preferred Beauty Formats:

   • Question: "What beauty format are younger consumers showing growing interest in for its efficiency and portability? Liquid foundations, serum sticks, lip crayons, powder, SPF."
   • Answer: Serum sticks (19:21)
     The hosts discuss the practicality and rising popularity of serum sticks among Gen Z.

Discussion Highlights:

• Makeup Artist-Led Brands vs. Celebrity Brands:
  The report indicates that makeup artist-led brands are gaining more trust and traction compared to celebrity-founded brands, especially among Gen Z and Millennials.
  Sara Tan questions the methodology behind this finding, pondering whether the data adequately represents diverse consumer experiences:

  "How is this information being determined?... I need more information." (21:27)

• Critical Evaluation of Data:
  The hosts emphasize the importance of critical thinking when interpreting industry reports, suggesting that factors like curated product boxes could influence the results.

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Brand Closures: Cover FX Speculations

Towards the end of the episode, Kirbie and Sara briefly touch upon rumors regarding the potential closure of Cover FX, a favorite among beauty enthusiasts. However, they remain uncertain and invite listeners to share any updates:

"If I miss something, please email, text or dm..." (14:27)

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Closing Remarks

Kirbie and Sara wrap up the episode by reinforcing the need for transparency and authenticity in the beauty industry. They encourage listeners to stay informed and critical of the trends and reports that shape their beauty routines.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Sara Tan on Caveman Skincare:

  "If your skin was doing this, you wouldn't say, oh, my skin is resetting itself. You would go, I think I have a problem." (03:59)

• Kirbie Johnson on REN Skincare:

  "It's been a minute. I haven't used their products in a hot second." (06:21)

• Sara Tan on Beauty Efficacy:

  "I just want the product to work effectively like six Science." (10:32)

• Kirbie Johnson on Gen Z Preferences:

  "Gen Z likes to support like founder stories... mission-driven businesses with their dollars." (12:46)

---

Final Thoughts:

This episode of Gloss Angeles offers a comprehensive look at current beauty trends, industry challenges, and future predictions. Kirbie Johnson and Sara Tan provide insightful commentary, blending professional expertise with personal anecdotes to engage and inform their audience. From scrutinizing viral skincare trends to mourning the loss of a beloved brand, and analyzing data-driven reports, the hosts ensure that listeners are well-equipped with knowledge to navigate the ever-evolving beauty landscape.

Transcript

[Kirby Johnson]

Take your chance Discover chance Ausplanted the new fragrance Chanel. As long as I want it so I'll be more comfortable? Cause I take a chance she won't.

[Sarah Tan]

Go I won't play among the stars.

[Kirby Johnson]

A little more a little more.

[Sarah Tan]

G L A M Los Angeles.

[Kirby Johnson]

Hi, Kirby. Hi, Sarah.

[Sarah Tan]

Welcome to Los Angeles. All right, we have a lot to cover today, but first things first. We heard you. So many of you are like, I want to buy six Science. We've never had this reaction to a seating before. It's incredible. But we were like, what can we do for you guys? We are working on getting you a discount code. If you were in the testing group, you will get a little bit of a sweeter discount for testing. And then they are graciously going to give all of our listeners a discount as well. We're just waiting on those codes. They may be published already. If you're in the slack, you'll probably see them. And then we will add them to the notes of that episode as well as this episode just so you can easily find them. We're thrilled that y' all are thrilled, and we're thrilled that it worked so well. I really started reincorporating it back into my routine because I'm like, eight weeks from now. I'm the tightest neck you've ever seen.

[Kirby Johnson]

Maybe four weeks.

[Sarah Tan]

Maybe three.

[Kirby Johnson]

Three, maybe tomorrow.

[Sarah Tan]

Wow. We love DNA.

[Kirby Johnson]

It's a miracle product. Okay, we have so much to talk about. Let's talk about what's trending right now on TikTok in terms of skincare. Kirby, what is caveman skincare and who is Tia Zacher and why is her face, like, kind of dirty looking?

[Sarah Tan]

Okay, we didn't cover this when this initially happened because it was very viral when it initially happened. And every expert in the book was stitching this woman's video saying, you have dermatitis. You have a big problem. You need to see a doctor. And the reason why they were saying that is because she said that she needed to restore her skin barrier. So she just was point blank, period, not going to do anything to her face, not wash it. No water, no product, nothing. And she claims that the buildup that we were seeing on her face, which it was gross to look at, I'm.

[Kirby Johnson]

Just gonna say I can't. What's. It's like that when you can't look at, like, little dots. It's like that.

[Sarah Tan]

Yeah, try to sit. Phobia. But it's.

[Kirby Johnson]

It's like that times 10. It's just. I Can't. It makes my skin crawl.

[Sarah Tan]

I had a different. It was gross to look at. But growing up, my grandmother took medications that dried out her body.

[Kirby Johnson]

Okay.

[Sarah Tan]

Especially her feet. And I would pick skin off of her feet.

[Kirby Johnson]

Okay.

[Sarah Tan]

So for me, this is like, I want to pick it off, girl. Like, get over here. I want to just scrape it off your face. I would. I would very much enjoy scraping your face right now.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah.

[Sarah Tan]

It doesn't look healthy. It doesn't look like it's getting her anywhere. And a lot of dermatologists specifically were saying, you have some form of dermatitis. You need to go to the doctor. If you just stopped using all of these products, your skin would actually not do this.

[Kirby Johnson]

Right.

[Sarah Tan]

It might get tight, it might gently exfoliate, it might flake, but there would not be so much buildup on your skin.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yes.

[Sarah Tan]

To the point that people are asking you if you have a fungus on your face.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah. So that's what one of the experts said, that she has a fungal infection. And in this People article, it says that the Cleveland Clinic states that it is a condition when the skin cells that don't shed properly from your skin surface can cause acne. So her skin is going hyperkeratosis. So that's what she herself has said. However, it's very likely that she probably has a fungal infection growing on her face.

[Sarah Tan]

If your skin was doing this, you wouldn't say, oh, my skin is resetting itself. You would go, I think I have a problem.

[Kirby Johnson]

Right.

[Sarah Tan]

I don't like the way this feels or looks on my skin. This is irritating retention. Hyperkeratosis is real. You can literally look it up. But I am not convinced that that's what it is, in my humble opinion. And it says, but also, like, if.

[Kirby Johnson]

That'S the case, why don't you go seek help? Why don't you go to a derm.

[Sarah Tan]

Yeah. Someone said, no, she's had it for years. And said previously she's over picked at it and exfoliated constantly. So now she's going cold turkey. Her skin has reacted and built up a lot of dead skin. There is a reason why so many people. And granted, I don't think that, like, the mob mentality is the way to go, but everybody is sniffing out that something is not right here in some regard. So for me, I'm just like, girl, just wash your face and let me see what it looks like after, like, no cuts. Go live. Wash your face and just let me see does it right. If it's real, does it melt off I think that that's a simple favor that she could do to perhaps keep her name from being smeared. What do you guys think? Am I being overly judgmental? I welcome that opinion because sometimes I'm just, like, so sick of people's shit that I get there. But I do think this is not a real opinion.

[Kirby Johnson]

But you're not the only one in the comments. Yeah, I'm not the only one saying that. It's the clay mask, like you said. Yeah. So you're not the only one. There's reason to be Sus.

[Sarah Tan]

Tia, I truly hope you're okay. That's the bottom line. Yes, hello, It's Kirby from the future on my phone. After we recorded this episode, we get on TikTok and we find receipts of Tia from over a year ago having this skin condition. So it's been debunked that it's not something that she's actually experiencing. She is. I would still love to see her wash her face on camera. And I also would love for her to heed the advice of all the experts that have been reaching out to her and please go see a doctor. It cannot feel good and it cannot be something that she is living her best life with when there are ways to help with the condition. So that's my two cents. And now back to the show. Okay, we have some brand closures.

[Kirby Johnson]

Oh, yeah, Sad.

[Sarah Tan]

So Ren Skincare clothes and I. I mean, maybe this is why they closed.

[Kirby Johnson]

It's been a minute.

[Sarah Tan]

It's been a minute. I haven't used their products in a hot second.

[Kirby Johnson]

I know.

[Sarah Tan]

I loved them. I thought they were all lovely.

[Kirby Johnson]

I used to use the tonic, the Radiance Ready Steady Glow tonic. I feel like it was sort of ahead of the game. Right.

[Sarah Tan]

A lot of what Ren did, I think for clean was ahead of the game. They were not using clean. Yes, but.

[Kirby Johnson]

But it was like sustainability was in their. Their mission statement and. Yeah, like, and. And keeping certain ingredients out of their products.

[Sarah Tan]

Yeah.

[Kirby Johnson]

So they were British, They're UK based. Ren.

[Sarah Tan]

I don't remember. I'm reading this story on Beauty Independent by Rachel Brown. Okay, so the brand was acquired by Unilever in 2015 and that's who's owned it since. And Unilever announced last week, or I guess now, the previous week as of filming, that they were going to begin the difficult decision to formally close the Ren business by the end of the third quarter this year. So you can still get the product while supplies last, I'm assuming, but by the end of this year, pretty much, it will be gone. So if there's something you really love, stock up on it. I just thought that for a clean brand, their formulations were incredible. They did not feel too oily, they didn't feel too emollient forward. I liked the sensorial experience because it did have a slight fragrance to it in some regard. A lot of their moisturizers and creams I truly, truly enjoyed using.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah, I liked that their skincare line was very straightforward too. Like, it was like you, you knew what you were getting. The messaging was very simple. It wasn't over complicated. So the brand was founded in 2000 by two men, Rob Calcraft and Anthony Buck in East London. So it is UK based before they were acquired by Unilever. And it was founded because Anthony's wife was pregnant and she was getting all these skin reactions when she was using products. So that's what led them to develop the skincare line.

[Sarah Tan]

Okay, so Beauty Independent has this series called no Stupid Questions. And that's how they essentially announced that Ren was closing by asking several experts in the beauty community what they thought about this. Joel Palux is the founder of a brand called Palux Unlimited, which I am not familiar with. But he said founders matter. Brands that lose their founders too early often struggle to maintain focus, passion and vision, especially when integrated too quickly into a larger corporate group. I think this is why we see some brands really blow up and then when they get acquired, it's kind of like what's going on here. I know that when Elf acquired Naturium they wanted Susan to stay on because she's such a huge part of that brand. And we've seen it, you know, when Bobby Brown left her namesake brand and you know, it's like, well, that's literally her name. Or the Jared's from Too Faced. Like they obviously have polite society now and I feel like Too Faced is having a renaissance. But it is hard when you are tied so close to this founder. It would be like Sheena leaving Kosas after being acquired. She's such a big part of that brand, right?

[Kirby Johnson]

Or like Wendy and Urban Wendy. You can just, you can feel the exit y as a true like fan of the brand. Like things definitely change. And like you said, like Too Faced is still like an incredible brand, but you can feel Jared's is not a.

[Sarah Tan]

Part of it anymore, 100%. Atina Bu Saba is an investor and this was interesting to me given that Unilever has already sold a number of brands including Suave, Q Tips, Caress and others to Yellow Wood Partners, which I didn't realize. I assume that YWP had the opportunity to buy Ren and opted against it. Presumably other private equity firms did as well. And it's probably because the business is relatively small and it lacks the scale for like a PE to get involved in. And that the second is that the brand is stale, undifferentiated, and lacks a real reason for being, in my opinion, which I think goes back to the founders not being a part of it anymore.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah.

[Sarah Tan]

There's not that clear vision of, like, what separates the brand from any other clean pregnancy safe brand.

[Kirby Johnson]

Right. And especially now, I think the founder story is so important especially to, like, the younger audience. They love to get to know the founder, who they're supporting, the why. And we know that, like, even though there is so much greenwashing happening, Clean skincare, Clean Beauty is still such a big market, there's still such a big audience for them, a big consumer base, and there's just. The competition is so stiff.

[Sarah Tan]

I feel like I truly buck tradition in this regard because I do not care about clean and I also do not care about your founder story. I. If your product works effectively like six Science, Love Poland, you know, love the team, incredible smart people behind it.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah.

[Sarah Tan]

But for me personally, yeah, this product better work.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah, no, same 100%. I think it's. I think in our position, especially being like, you know, beauty editors, it's like, like at this point we just were like, if the product works, then great. If it stands for itself, wonderful.

[Sarah Tan]

But at the same time, too, we love Amylou. And Amy Liu was suffering from eczema.

[Kirby Johnson]

Right.

[Sarah Tan]

And that's why she created the hypochlorous acid spray. The SOS spray.

[Kirby Johnson]

Exactly.

[Sarah Tan]

And that basically launched her entire brand and created competitors utilizing that ingredient when we really. People didn't even know what that ingredient was.

[Kirby Johnson]

It's so crazy. And it's why every single product that she launch, including this sunscreen that's coming out, that I think we can talk about now, it has the eczema seal, which all of her products do. It's also rosacea and psoriasis approved. Like, it's. It's such an important part of the brand and who she is that everyone can use her products. But I agree, I. I think we appreciate the founder story. Obviously, we have the founders on.

[Sarah Tan]

We have so many founders on. This is not like a thing that we are. We think is bad by any means. But for me personally, yeah, I'm just looking for efficacy.

[Kirby Johnson]

Right. And I think especially too a brand that has been around for so long that I think to me I'm like, I know Ren Skincare. I didn't even know any of the story about the founders. And like, to me it's already an iconic brand on its own, so that's not important to me. But I think when you're trying to compete, especially for the attention of Gen Z, they want to see the founder.

[Sarah Tan]

I agree. The only thing I would end on is that maybe I don't care about the founder story to sell me, but the founder story will unsell me.

[Kirby Johnson]

Oh, yep. Exactly.

[Sarah Tan]

If I'm like, wow, this founder sucks. Yeah, like not supporting them.

[Kirby Johnson]

Right. And like two white men.

[Sarah Tan]

Not in that regard.

[Kirby Johnson]

No, I know, but I'm just saying, like, I'm trying to just think from like a consumer, like a younger. And like, if I had to choose and I had no idea, like I'd never tried Ren Skincare before and I hadn't tried who's like, what, what would you say is like one of the most successful clean beauty brands right now? Pata Harper. So if I had to pick between Ren and let's say Tata Harper, who I think is like one of the queens of clean beauty, I think as a consumer I'd be like, I want to support the woman. I don't know. That's obviously like I'm not true for everyone, but I think I'm just saying, like, if I were my niece, she'd probably more likely want to choose Tata over Ren if she wanted to support the founder.

[Sarah Tan]

Right. Because Ren doesn't really have a founder story that has been promoted.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah. And we know for a fact that Gen Z likes to support like founder stories. And you know, I'm not saying that like Tata Harper is like changing the world, but like mission driven businesses with their dollars.

[Sarah Tan]

Okay.

[Kirby Johnson]

So that's what I'm thinking. All that to say. Really sad that they're. They're going out of business.

[Sarah Tan]

Yeah. Stock up if that's the case. And then I was just gonna say I actually don't know this for a fact, but somebody was in my DMs saying that cover FX seems to be going away. All their stuff is heavily discounted. I haven't really seen any news about this, so if I miss something, please email, text or dm, whatever.

[Kirby Johnson]

Were they like, really? What was. Oh no, the like bronzing drops.

[Sarah Tan]

Yeah, I loved their stuff.

[Kirby Johnson]

Oh my gosh. Again, ahead of the game. Yeah, ahead of the game. Kirby, it's been a minute, but let's do some data Girl.

[Sarah Tan]

Yeah, we're reviving it because people were asking us if this is a data driven podcast. This is not the same as the data that we use for the podcast, but it's fun because we do get a lot of emails about.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yes.

[Sarah Tan]

Different surveys.

[Kirby Johnson]

And I love a survey.

[Sarah Tan]

Same.

[Kirby Johnson]

I love a survey. Okay, so we have the 2025 Ipsy Beauty discover we report. Okay, so this is based on more than 200 million product reviews, member feedback, and purchasing patterns. So it reveals, like, what's gaining traction, what's falling off, and what's next in the beauty industry. So I have some questions for you.

[Sarah Tan]

Okay. I did see this come through in my inbox, but I only saw one big takeaway.

[Kirby Johnson]

Okay, great. Kirby, what percentage of beauty lovers say that they're more likely to try a new product if it has viral buzz? 30%, 40%, 60% or 75%? 60. Wow, that was so easy for you.

[Sarah Tan]

You know why?

[Kirby Johnson]

Why?

[Sarah Tan]

Because your voice inflection changed. Further answer.

[Kirby Johnson]

I'm gonna have to have AI read this from now on. Okay, that one was like a little. That was just to break the ice.

[Sarah Tan]

Okay, that makes sense.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah, I think that makes sense too. Okay, in 2025, which product overtook fragrance as the top must have item among Gen Z? I'm gonna try to read these in one tone. Foundation, lip gloss, mascara, eyel.

[Sarah Tan]

Lip gloss again. Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. I know, I know.

[Kirby Johnson]

These. That was like, also, like, had to do. Duh. Literally.

[Sarah Tan]

I have a lip gloss holder on my purse.

[Kirby Johnson]

Look at that tiny purse that I have. And just look at what's in it. It's literally just a bag of lip gloss.

[Sarah Tan]

Yeah, there's just lip glosses all over the place.

[Kirby Johnson]

Okay, which generation is most likely to follow a beauty routine with six or more steps? Oh, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z or Boomers.

[Sarah Tan]

Gen Z.

[Kirby Johnson]

Wrong.

[Sarah Tan]

What is it?

[Kirby Johnson]

Millennials.

[Sarah Tan]

Wow.

[Kirby Johnson]

I think it's cause of the ten step routine. Like, we. That was like a very big part of the last decade for us.

[Sarah Tan]

That's true. And also, we're at the age now where we are aging and getting older. So we're like, maybe more is more. I was just thinking when you're younger, you're more sprightly.

[Kirby Johnson]

You're more willing to do as much as you might want to have time.

[Sarah Tan]

But, like, now I really can't be bothered. I'm like, using one serum.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah, no, that's it. I want a one and done. Yeah, like, and I'm out.

[Sarah Tan]

Out.

[Kirby Johnson]

I'm so lazy sometimes that I Will put my moisturizer on my lips because I'm like, I'm too lazy to put the lip mask on. Just like, I hope I can eat this.

[Sarah Tan]

You know what has made me start using eye cream more? What is that? Estee Lauder product. That little applicator. Not the cooling one. It has a. It's not the one that came with the eye. It has a white tip. That's kind of it. Look, it's an oval. It's not a spatula. It kind of is a spatula, but I know you know what I'm talking about. I need to bring it so everyone can have a visual. I freaking love that thing. And I love gliding it under my eyes.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah.

[Sarah Tan]

And then the beauty bio stick that I've been talking about. The eye light.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yes. Yes.

[Sarah Tan]

I freaking love that stuff.

[Kirby Johnson]

Kelly Zhang's new eye cream is like a cooling tip too. So that's really nice. Anything that just feels really nice.

[Sarah Tan]

Anything that's going to deflate.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah.

[Sarah Tan]

Under the eye.

[Kirby Johnson]

And I think that's gonna give, like, make me feel like something's happening.

[Sarah Tan]

Yeah.

[Kirby Johnson]

Okay. What is the number one reason consumers say they stop using a beauty product? Price. The scent of it. Ineffectiveness or packaging.

[Sarah Tan]

Ineffectiveness.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah. Although there have been products that I have stopped using because of packaging.

[Sarah Tan]

Yep. And I have a list. Literally.

[Kirby Johnson]

Glossier, we're waiting.

[Sarah Tan]

Glossier, we're waiting. Even Live tinted. I need Live Tinted to get their cap stuff together.

[Kirby Johnson]

Oh, my gosh.

[Sarah Tan]

It's a non stop problem for me. I think their product formulations are gorgeous, but the packaging is constantly falling apart and breaking on me.

[Kirby Johnson]

The amount of lipstick I have smeared on the bottoms of my purses. It's just so annoying.

[Sarah Tan]

Like, enough is enough.

[Kirby Johnson]

We gotta figure it out. Okay, let's do two more. Which of the following categories is seeing a major boom thanks to Gen Z shoppers? Makeup brushes, face masks, scented body lotions or scalp care?

[Sarah Tan]

Scented body lotions. No, scalp care. Wow.

[Kirby Johnson]

Which is why I think I'm being invited literally every week to a scalp analysis.

[Sarah Tan]

No more scalp analysis. I'm pretty aware of my scalp now.

[Kirby Johnson]

Once a quarter. Yeah, I think is good. Last question. What beauty format are younger consumers showing growing interest in for its efficiency and portability? Liquid foundations, serum sticks, lip crayons, powder, spf.

[Sarah Tan]

And it's Gen Z.

[Kirby Johnson]

It said younger consumers.

[Sarah Tan]

Serum sticks.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah.

[Sarah Tan]

Huh.

[Kirby Johnson]

I know.

[Sarah Tan]

And they're using serums. I guess.

[Kirby Johnson]

Interesting.

[Sarah Tan]

Okay. So, yeah, I saw something in this report about how they were announcing that makeup artist LED brands are going to Be more popular than celebrity brands.

[Kirby Johnson]

That is correct. Says consumers are putting their trust in makeup artists over celebrities. Brands founded by pros are seeing stronger traction, especially among Gen Z and Millennials.

[Sarah Tan]

How did they determine all of this information? Was it based off a survey they did for Ipsy?

[Kirby Johnson]

It says product reviews, member feedback, purchasing patterns, over 200 million product reviews.

[Sarah Tan]

And they were able to analyze all of those or is it just like this product had this many reviews? This is the stuff I'm always like, yeah. Does it make it better just because this brand has way more reviews than these other brands?

[Kirby Johnson]

I think we should do a report.

[Sarah Tan]

I think we should do a report because I think that sometimes these reports are not as interesting or as sexy as they make them out to be. Like, celebrity beauty is not going anywhere.

[Kirby Johnson]

It's not. But I do like that. I'm sure that what it is is that there were like a lot of positive reviews on makeup artist led brands. And so maybe for them that then translated that there is more interest. And I, I mean, I agree, but maybe that's because we're in the industry that like I have a lot of trust in makeup artist led brands like a makeup by Mario or a Ciel because I know that the people behind it are actual artists versus some.

[Sarah Tan]

Like, I'm not disagreeing that I think makeup artist brands have like a better stance than just like, I'm a celebrity.

[Kirby Johnson]

But you're not saying that the celebrity ones are going away.

[Sarah Tan]

But not even that. I think that when you're taking data like this. Okay, so let's just use an example. Makeup by Mario, let's say that was in the IPSY box. Are these subscribers or whoever that they are taking this information from? Are they reviewing because they ended up having makeup by Mario in the box and they didn't have road or rare or whoever in the box. You know what I mean?

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah.

[Sarah Tan]

It's like, how are they? How is this information being determined? And sure, maybe makeup by Mario has more positive reviews than, you know, other brands there.

[Kirby Johnson]

Yeah. But then they do a lot of celebrity collabs. IPSY does their boxes. Yeah.

[Sarah Tan]

Yes. So it's like, you know, these curated boxes, what's in there, what's not? I just need more information.

[Kirby Johnson]

Critical thinking and always approaching things being sus. That's the takeaway, guys. If we do don't believe everything you read on the Internet.

[Sarah Tan]

If we do our own data analysis and we had our own data analysis, we should. No, we should call it FYI. For your information, some of you need it. Some of you need it. And also, where's our data scientist? Where's our girl that wrote in get in? Oh, yeah, let's do.

[Kirby Johnson]

Let's work together.

[Sarah Tan]

Yeah. I would love for her to be like, based off of this particular.

[Kirby Johnson]

Maybe there is like. Maybe Ipsy has like a. I don't know what you would call it. Like, you know, they reveal their protocol for like how they determine the report. Maybe we can.

[Sarah Tan]

Yeah, I just like, don't want you to be like makeup artist. Brands are going to like blow up and it's like. Well, yeah, because your people were only reviewing, like, you didn't give them the opportunity to review anything else. Like, you know what I mean?

[Kirby Johnson]

I need more info.

[Sarah Tan]

Yeah, more info, please.

[Kirby Johnson]

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[Sarah Tan]

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[Kirby Johnson]

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