Before Sephora, beauty retail was a very different world. Products sat behind glass, and a single sales rep, loyal to just one brand, controlled how a customer experienced beauty.

Today, Sephora has completely rewritten that experience. It is now the largest beauty retailer in the world, generating over 17 billion U.S. dollars in annual sales and holding immense power over which brands rise and which brands fade. But how did a 60-year-old French company become an American powerhouse? What happened that allowed Sephora to rise from a disruptor to the most powerful player in beauty retail?

In this episode, we’re diving into part one of Sephora’s story. (Apologies for the late upload, but this turned out to be a much bigger story than we expected.) We’ll unpack how Sephora began, and how it went on to take over the world. Next week, we’ll zoom in on the past decade and take a closer look at the wider industry to understand what Sephora’s position means for brands today, and where it’s headed.

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When we talk about the frontiers of beauty, we usually think of France, the United States, South Korea, or China. But a new frontier is emerging further East: the GCC. A group of six countries in the Middle East that are shaping the future of beauty.

You’ve probably heard the buzz around Dubai, but the GCC as a whole is worth paying attention to. The region already represents 43% of the global luxury market. And unlike much of the world, where personal luxury spending declined by 2% in 2024, the GCC grew by 6%. Fashion may dominate overall sales, but beauty is the standout, growing 12% year-on-year and quickly becoming the fastest-rising category.

In today’s episode, we’ll give you a crash course on beauty, luxury, and the GCC. We’ll explore where this growth is coming from and how brands are positioning themselves to ride this wave — so you have the insights you need to do the same.

A series of images, references, graphs and visual aids have been created to help narrate this story. You can find them at barefaced.substack.com. And you can find Barefaced everywhere else at beacons.ai/barefaced.

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When you think of big beauty, L’Occitane probably doesn’t come to mind. It’s a nearly fifty-year-old French brand that, to me, represented nothing more than dated packaging and one fantastic hand cream. I’d always associated it with a dying customer base–and I mean that quite literally.

This brand-turned-group is a quiet powerhouse with a fascinating story. But it’s one the company has mostly told itself, so polished and tightly edited that I never felt compelled to pay attention. That was until a listener of this very podcast, an equity analyst no less, shared some recent financial reports with me. They read like a gripping episode of reality TV… if only they weren’t buried under layers of finance jargon.

So in this episode , we’ll unpack the untold story of L’Occitane: from its unlikely founding, to the bold bet on Asia that transformed the business, and finally, to the challenges they faced after going public.A series of images, references, graphs and visuals aids have been created to help narrate this story. You can find them at barefaced.substack.com.You can find Barefaced everywhere else at https://beacons.ai/barefaced .

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Despite being the 10th largest economy in the world, Canadian beauty remains a mystery. For a country that birthed giants like MAC and Deciem (The Ordinary) and is a neighbour to the largest beauty market in the world (The US), the lack of conversations around Canadian beauty is nothing short of shocking.

After a four-month hiatus, The Barefaced Podcast is back and diving into why this deeply complex and critically under-reported market. Today we will be diving into why this market deserves much more of our attention by breaking down what the Canadian beauty landscape is like, geopolitical and retail shifts affecting the industry, and Canadian beauty on a global stage.

A series of graphs, visual aids, and references have been created to help narrate this story. You can find them at https://barefaced.substack.com/ . You can find Barefaced everywhere else at - https://beacons.ai/barefaced .

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Another person talking about tariffs… I know! But this episode is different.

Trump’s tariff announcement sent shockwaves through the markets—the S&P 500 dropped 4.9%, the second-biggest daily point loss in history. And beauty felt it too; Elf Beauty’s stock fell by 23.4% and Estée Lauder’s by 15.4%. But what does all this mean for the long-term future of beauty?

In this episode of The Barefaced Podcast, that is what we are going to answer. First, we’ll get clear on what’s actually happening, why different countries are being charged different rates, and how Trump’s economic advisors came up with those numbers. Then, we’ll zoom in on the beauty industry—how are international beauty businesses affected, and equally, brands already "Made in the USA"? Finally, we’ll put it all together to explore what this means for the future of beauty.

Ultimately, this isn’t a story about tariffs, it’s a turning point for beauty’s entire supply chain.

A series of graphs, visual aids, and references have been created to help narrate this story. You can access them at barefaced.substack.com

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It seems like almost every day there’s a new beauty brand announcing they've secured funding. Why has there been such a surge?

Venture capital (VC) first took off in the tech industry in the 90s, and expanded into consumer packaged goods (CPG) in the 2010s, but why do VCs love beauty brands and why do beauty brands love them back? What is it about the beauty sector that has attracted such significant investment, and what does this mean for the future of the industry?

In this episode of The Barefaced Podcast, I speak with Ultra Violette founders Bec Jefferd and Ava Chandler-Matthews about their recent $15 million raise, and what it means for their growth. I also chat with NuFace cofounder and CEO Tera Peterson, who built a cult beauty device brand without taking a cent of outside funding.

We unpack the dynamics of VC in beauty, the pros and pitfalls of raising capital, and what this growing trend signals for the future of the industry.

A series of graphs, visual aids, and references have been created to help narrate this story. You can access them at barefaced.substack.com

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Luxury brands spend years developing products—MCo Beauty swoops in and replicates them in weeks. And the results speak for themselves.

Originally known as ModelCo, an Aussie drugstore brand focused on tanning, MCo Beauty reinvented itself by recreating viral beauty products with eerily similar packaging—at a fraction of the price. By strategically navigating trademark laws, the brand has grown from AU$10M in revenue in FY20 to a staggering $330M in FY25.

In February, founder and CEO Shelley Sullivan cashed out, selling her stake in a deal that valued MCo Beauty at over a billion dollars. But how did they pull it off? How is any of this legal? And what’s next for the ultimate dupe brand?

In this episode of The Barefaced Podcast, we break down the rise of MCo Beauty.

A series of graphs, visual aids, and references have been created to help narrate this story. You can access them at barefaced.substack.com

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In recent years, the global embrace of Japanese culture has been undeniable. From streetwear and homewares to anime and video games, Japan's influence is everywhere. So why is Japanese beauty (J-beauty) still flying under the radar while Korean beauty (K-beauty) has taken the industry by storm?

This episode is a deep dive into the Japanese beauty market. We start by unpacking the geopolitical and economic factors that have shaped the globalisation of K-beauty versus J-beauty, then break down their distinct differences.

With this foundation, we analyse three key areas: consumer trends and behaviours, product, and retail.A series of graphs, visual aids, and references have been created to help narrate this story. You can access them at barefaced.substack.com/

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It’s the start of Fashion Month—the pinnacle of luxury, where fashion houses invest millions into runway shows to reinforce their brand identity. But how does this impact their beauty divisions?

This episode explores the role of beauty within luxury fashion houses. Why do these brands expand into beauty? How does the business model differ from fashion, and how do they compete in an increasingly saturated beauty market? From shifting ownership structures to evolving retail strategies, we break down how luxury fashion brands can compete in beauty in 2025.

This episode is supported by a series of graphs and visual aids to help narrate this story. You can access those resources at barefaced.substack.com/

You can find Barefaced everywhere else here–https://beacons.ai/barefaced

Recommended reading - https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/beauty/luxury-brands-buying-back-their-beauty-lines/

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Thanks to social media, beauty trends often go global—but not in the UK.

While interest in makeup in Canada, Australia, and the US has slowed down since the pandemic, the "baddie makeup" continues to trend in the UK. Why does this trend stand strong, and what does it reveal about Britain’s beauty scene?

In this episode of The Barefaced Podcast, we dive into the cultural, economic, and social factors that set the UK apart, from local beauty brands taking over to the rise of TikTok Shop.

This episode is supported by a series of graphs and visual aids to help narrate this story. You can access those resources at barefaced.substack.com/

You can find Barefaced everywhere else here–https://beacons.ai/barefaced

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