INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Glossier, known for its line of understated makeup products and a cult-following of millennial Instagrammers, is getting colorful with the
launch of its first spin-off brand, Glossier Play.The company — led by founder and chief executive officer Emily Weiss, who built the
nearly $400 million business from a makeup blog called Into The Gloss — has raised a total of $92 million in venture capital funding from
top-tier consumer investors Forerunner Ventures, Index Ventures and IVP
Stitch Fix founder Katrina Lake and Forerunner founder and general partner Kirsten Green, are among the company’s board members.Weiss
introduced Glossier in 2014 as a clean-skincare and natural beauty advocate
Today, the direct-to-consumer business boasts a growing line of barely there makeup, designed to mimic Weiss’s own subtle, au naturale
The launch of Glossier Play, inspired by 1970s’ nostalgia, is its first foray into bright colors, glitter and, in the brand’s own words,
“dialed-up extras.”Glossier Play’s initial line-up of “extras” includes colored eyeliners ($15), highlighters ($20), multi-purpose
glitter gel ($14) and the “Vinylic Lip” ($16)
Customers can purchase “The Playground,” a set that includes each of the new products, for $60.The advertising campaign for the
Instagram -friendly line will be led by none other than Instagram star Donté Colley, as well as pop musician Troye Sivan
The new line and future spin-offs will help Glossier compete with beauty incumbents, Estée Lauder and L’Oréal, for example, in a market
estimated to be worth $750 billion by 2024.Glossier, headquartered in New York, counts 200 employees, meager in comparison to its nearly 2
million — and growing — social media following
The company surpassed $100 million in annual revenue in 2018, it tells TechCrunch, and acquired 1 million new customers
In total, Glossier retails 29 products across skincare, makeup, body, and fragrance.The company won’t be introducing additional brands
this year and clarified it is not a brand incubator.
