The Business of Fashion Podcast: "Can Gen-Z Beauty Brands Grow Up?"

Date: October 1, 2025
Host: Sheena Butler Young (Senior Correspondent, BoF)
Guest: Brian Baskin (Executive Editor, BoF); Daniela Morosini (Senior BoF Beauty Correspondent, featured guest)

Overview

This episode explores the evolution of Gen-Z beauty brands like Bubble, Starface, and Byoma. The discussion centers on the unique strategies these brands used to capture Gen Z’s attention, the challenges they now face as their original audiences mature, and whether these playful, TikTok-native labels can cultivate long-term, cross-generational appeal. The conversation also covers real-world examples—including Bubble’s surprising ambassadorship with Leighton Meester—and investigates the broader industry impacts of Gen Z’s preferences.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Origins of Gen-Z Beauty Brand Success

Timestamp: 01:06–03:31

• Gen-Z brands were highly digitally native—small, fast, and run by founders not far removed from their own audience.
  • Quick launch cycles, savvy social marketing, and crowdsourcing heavily influenced product development.
  • Quote [01:20] (Daniela):
    “They had shorter product launch cycles, really savvy marketing... They also did a lot of crowdsourcing...really plugged into Internet forums. So the brands kind of ended up being for Gen Z, almost by Gen Z, or at least by founders who were not a great deal older.”
• Visual appeal (stickers, jelly textures, plush mascots) was crucial for TikTok virality—textures and playful aesthetics caught eyes and drove engagement.

2. Hyper-Focus on Gen Z and Its Consequences

Timestamp: 03:08–05:10

• Brands believed Gen Z’s “maximalist” routines and willingness to quickly rotate products meant high sales volume.
  • The industry assumed Gen Z would “like five perfumes... like a 15 step skincare routine” and get bored quickly, which fueled a focus on them.
• Millennials and Gen X were sometimes overlooked, although some brands attempted a broader appeal.
• This led to a “maniacal focus on this cohort,” expecting them to redefine beauty standards industry-wide.

3. Impact on the Beauty Industry

Timestamp: 05:10–06:15

• Gen-Z brands injected fun, play, and new product formats into the industry.
  • Expectations for performance and sensory pleasure increased:
    Quote [05:20] (Daniela):
    “…much higher expectations for product performance... People are really quick to reject a product if it doesn’t perform exactly the way they want.”
• The “dopamine aesthetic” (bright colors, playful packaging) was both a selling point and potential liability as Gen Z aged.

4. The ‘Credibility Tax’: Is Youthful Branding a Turnoff?

Timestamp: 05:54–07:11

• Childlike branding could signal lack of seriousness to those seeking results (e.g., serious acne or early anti-aging care).
  • Quote [06:15] (Daniela):
    “Colorful, bright things we do associate with play and with silliness and youth and frivolity ... something that's... bright yellow and is called like jelly snail hug moisturiser, that might make you think, oh, this is... not a serious product.”
• Concerns arise about whether maturing Gen Z customers start to filter out products seen as “for kids.”

5. Pricing, Efficacy, and Cross-Generational Appeal

Timestamp: 07:21–08:35

• Affordable brands like Bubble found cross-generational users due to gentle formulas and low price points—contradicting the notion that effectiveness requires high costs.
  • Quote [08:00] (Daniela):
    “Sometimes we equate price with performance... if you are getting to that point where your specific focus is anti aging... there's probably a bit of a sense that, oh, this, I don't know, $15 serum, it can’t really be helping right?”
• Brands like The Ordinary and The Inkey List already challenged that assumption.

6. Staying in the Youth Lane vs. Growing Up

Timestamp: 08:35–10:19

• Legacy brands like Neutrogena and Clearasil have long targeted youth and still dominate as entry points.

• Upstart brands want to be “cool” and culturally relevant, which brings risk—being cool is harder to maintain than simply being dependable.

  • Quote [09:34] (Brian):
    “It feels like a trap in a way, because I think it’s a lot harder to stay cool for generation after generation than just be like, our product works... you're still going to buy us.'

• Brands risk alienating their core or failing to resonate with older consumers if they “age up” too bluntly.

7. The “Catch-22” of Brand Aging

Timestamp: 10:01–11:11

• Trying to attract all ages can dilute what made a brand distinctive.

  • Quote [10:19] (Daniela):
    “…if you tried to spread too far ... it’s not that you would have a credibility crisis per se, but I think you just lose what made you distinctive in the first place..."

• Fragrance brands like Creed succeeded by maintaining exclusivity and not pandering to younger markets.

8. Dual-Market Strategies and Diffusion Lines

Timestamp: 11:11–12:46

• Some brands consider launching separate lines for different ages (diffusion lines)—but success depends on authenticity.
• The failure of Estée Lauder’s “Estée Edit” exemplifies the risks of a too-corporate, engineered approach versus genuinely listening to younger customers.
  • Quote [12:07] (Daniela):
    “...It wasn’t a product issue, it was a marketing issue... It was too corporate. It wasn’t really in the mix with the customer.”

9. The Significance of Leighton Meester as Bubble’s Ambassador

Timestamp: 14:25–16:46

• Bubble’s new campaign with Leighton Meester (Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl) is designed for cross-generational resonance—her appeal spans age groups due to nostalgia for older viewers and TikTok virality for younger ones.
  • Quote [14:41] (Daniela):
    “They tested her name against different...age groups ... everyone seemed to have positive associations with her ... she has these connotations of premium or luxury...”
• Moves like this suggest brands are repositioning while trying to retain their youthful cultural cachet.

10. Balancing Safety, Efficacy, and Message

Timestamp: 17:07–18:54

• Brands like Bubble are reframing bright packaging as “radical joy” rather than just “for kids,” highlighting clinical credibility and dermatologist involvement.
• Sites include age guides to reassure parents amid the “Sephora Tweens” panic regarding strong formulas for children.
  • Quote [18:32] (Daniela):
    “There was such a moral panic that set in...a lot of kids were using products that were way too strong ... that was their way of maybe reassuring parents...”

11. The Drunk Elephant Example: The Dangers of Sudden Demographic Swings

Timestamp: 18:54–19:52

• Drunk Elephant, with bright packaging and 'adult' formulas, inadvertently became a tween craze but struggled with messaging and stock shortages.
• Lack of rapid, clear communication left the brand at risk—highlighting the danger of products mismatched to new audiences.

12. Strategies for Aging Up Successfully

Timestamp: 20:01–21:20

• Bioma cited as a positive example—they expanded into premium retail and broadened their appeal organically, not just via marketing.
  • Placement in aspirational retailers can reposition a brand and subtly appeal to an older audience while maintaining Gen Z roots.

13. The Investor Perspective

Timestamp: 21:20–22:25

• Investors and acquirers are wary of fleeting fads; brands need evidence of “staying power” and crossover appeal to secure buyouts.
  • Rhode (Hailey Bieber’s brand) credited for highly cohesive branding and marketing that doesn’t pander but resonates anyway.

Most Notable Quotes

• “They had shorter product launch cycles, really savvy marketing... The brands kind of ended up being for Gen Z, almost by Gen Z.”
  – Daniela Morosini [01:20]
• “Colorful, bright things we do associate with play... If you’re shopping specifically for skincare ... you want results ... something that's... bright yellow ... might make you think, oh, this is not a serious product.”
  – Daniela Morosini [06:15]
• “It’s a lot harder to stay cool for generation after generation than just be like, our product works. You're going to buy us and not be excited about us, but you're still going to buy us.”
  – Brian Baskin [09:34]
• “It wasn’t a product issue, it was a marketing issue... It was too corporate. It wasn’t really like in the mix with the customer.”
  – Daniela Morosini on Estée Edit [12:07]
• “They tested [Leighton Meester's] name against different... age groups ... she was seen as really likable... had these connotations of premium or luxury...”
  – Daniela Morosini [14:41]

Memorable Moments & Timestamps

• Jelly Texture Craze and Stickers: The “Weird, sensorial point of difference” that helped brands go viral [02:20–03:08].
• Dopamine Aesthetic Debate: Is playful packaging now a disadvantage as the original audience matures? [05:54–07:11].
• Hosts Joke About Wearing Stickers: Illustrates generational assumptions and a bit of self-effacing humor [11:35–11:49].
• Leighton Meester’s Cross-Generational Influence: Both nostalgic and relevant to two very different age brackets [14:41–16:19].

Conclusion: What Determines Long-Term Success for These Brands?

Timestamp: 22:50–23:57

• Brands that will thrive are those whose products deliver consistent, differentiated results and fit an accessible price point—regardless of which age customers first discover them.
  • Quote [23:25] (Daniela):
    “Once you find a moisturizer or a serum ... that genuinely works for you, you probably won’t deviate ... just the fact that you discovered it when you were 17 doesn’t mean you won’t use it when you’re 37, as long as it continues to outperform other things on the market.”

Summary Takeaways

• Gen-Z beauty brands reshaped the industry with digital-first approaches, playfulness, and user-driven design.
• As Gen Z ages, brands face the challenge and opportunity of remaining relevant without becoming generic or losing their distinction.
• The right mix of product performance, authentic cross-generational marketing, careful retailer selection, and cohesive brand identity will determine which Gen-Z-focused brands mature gracefully—and which vanish as fleeting fads.

For more details, read Daniela’s article “Bubble was Built on Gen Z. Now it Must Grow Up” at businessoffashion.com.