How Distribution, Discovery, and Disruption Are Rewriting Big Beauty’s Playbook
This is the second in a three-part series where I examine the holistic state of beauty — indie and legacy — in response to a new report from Beauty Independent and Nielsen IQ.
In my first post, Indie Beauty Is Outpacing the Majors, I dissected how indie brands are gaining momentum — and broke down key takeaways from new data presented in the report. From sales trends to consumer behavior shifts, the numbers showed that indie isn’t just growing fast — it's getting smarter in how it scales and shows up. Indie now accounts for $31.8B in U.S. sales — nearly 29% of the total beauty market.
Now, I’m turning the lens toward big beauty.
Because while indie is accelerating, legacy brands are navigating a very different landscape than they were just a few years ago. Discovery is happening through TikTok. Distribution is shifting toward Amazon. And consumer loyalty is increasingly fluid.
“The growth of indies is going to outpace conglomerates,” says Anna Mayo, VP at NIQ.
Why is this happening now? Where is the momentum coming from? And what should legacy brands be paying attention to before they fall further behind?
I unpack what’s driving the shift — and why now is a critical moment for big beauty to re-calibrate.
📝 Read more on Substack: Big Beauty Isn’t Broken — But It Might Need a Tune-Up
