How to Build a Beauty Brand That Stands Out in a Crowded Market – Latest Fashion Trends & Style Tips 2026-02-24T13:00:00Z
📰 How to Build a Beauty Brand That Stands Out in a Crowded Market
✨ Fashion Insights & Trends:
For aspiring beauty entrepreneurs, breaking into an already overflowing market may feel like an uphill battle, but building a memorable brand that stands out from the crowd is far from impossible. Before ever hitting the shelves, beauty brands need to develop a clear (and authentic!) perspective through their core product offerings, positioning and packaging that actually resonates with their target audience. However, that's easier said than done.
"The beauty space is crowded and moving faster than ever, and even having a great product doesn't guarantee success," Autumne West, Nordstrom's national beauty director, tells Fashionista. "A brand's trajectory often comes down to strong execution, timing and maybe even a bit of luck."
Of course, there's no foolproof formula for cutting through the noise, so we consulted beauty industry experts spanning top retailers and cult-favorite founders on what sets emerging brands apart and how entrepreneurs should approach differentiating themselves from their competitors.
What Qualities Make a Beauty Brand Stand Out
First and foremost, what snags a beauty consumer's attention as they're perusing the shelves or scrolling on social media? Is it splashy packaging? Or perhaps impressive before-and-after results? For LYS Beauty Founder and CEO Tisha Thompson, standing out isn't about doing the most, "it's about doing less, better."
"The brands that cut through are the ones that stop trying to be everything to everyone and instead get extremely clear on what they're best at, then own that lane unapologetically and consistently," she continues.
Carving your niche — rather than diluting your brand's identity — offers the space needed to build a dedicated cult following. A clear identity can also help with brand recognition, thus avoiding the fate of fading into the background of the beauty industry.
"For lack of a better term, a brand needs to have a 'vibe,'" Shamin Walsh, managing director at BAM Ventures, notes. "You should be able to simply explain to a friend the type of person who would embody it." Walsh points to Merit Beauty as a brand successfully identifying and catering to its demographic: Merit's five-minute philosophy and minimalist sensibility capture on-the-go women who equally value convenience and style.
Standout beauty brands also solve real-life problems. "The product should truly fill a void in someone's life — I'm not talking about the typical, 'I couldn't find this out there in the world, so I made it,'" Nikita Charuza, founder and CEO of Ayurvedic hair-care brand Squigs, says. "I'm talking about a real need where, as soon as someone comes across it, they instantly realize that there's been a huge hole in their beauty routine, and once they try it, they can't believe how they've gone on so long without it."
Tower 28 Beauty Founder and CEO Amy Liu concurs: "To stand out today goes far beyond having a viral product or a trendy aesthetic — you have to be a true problem solver." Liu founded Tower 28 to put sensitive skin in the limelight, rather than treat it as a mere marketing claim. Today, Tower 28 is the first and only beauty brand to receive three seals (National Eczema Association, National Rosacea Society and National Psoriasis Foundation) across its skin-care products. "Brands that lead with empathy and inclusivity and joy are, in my opinion, the ones that last," Liu adds.
What Beauty Retailers Are Looking For
Beauty retailers are at the forefront of introducing innovation to the masses, meaning they're particularly tapped into what resonates with consumers. "From a retail perspective, the strongest brands pair real product performance — often reinforced by expert or clinical validation — with emotional resonance through mission, innovation or storytelling," Credo Beauty Senior Merchant Megan Lim says. Put simply, a brand's formulas have to deliver on their promises to move units on the shelf.
But even the strongest formulas need to first give consumers a reason to add them to their cart. "Founders have to think beyond formulation and invest in compelling packaging, strategic positioning and a strong marketing plan that clearly communicates why their brand matters," she shares.
Retailers also stress the importance of clear authenticity: "When entrepreneurs build from their core truth, why the brand exists and who it serves, I believe the brand naturally becomes more distinctive — including the packaging, which should feel intentional," West notes. "Consistency across product, message and visual identity builds trust."
"Distribution is also a powerful tool — being intentional about where and how you launch, rather than trying to be everywhere at once, can set a brand apart," Lim says. Retailers have their own identities and established customer bases, so aligning your brand with the right distributor ensures you're reaching the right audience from the jump. For example, Credo Beauty only stocks brands who meet its "Credo Clean Standard;" Thirteen Lune spotlights BIPOC-owned brands; Ulta Beauty balances drugstore favorites with high-end labels; and Nordstrom Beauty predominantly taps into prestige offerings.
How to Differentiate Your Beauty Brand
We can talk about the importance of setting your brand apart from the crowd all day long, but how do you actually achieve differentiation? It may sound like tough love, but as Charuza says: "You need to figure out your North Star. If you don't know what that is, there's no chance of success."
"Differentiation doesn't come from copying what's already working, but from identifying what's missing and being uniquely capable of bringing it to life," Liu notes. "What is your unfair advantage? And what is your reason to believe?" Consumers want receipts, she says, so provide them upfront via clinical testing, expert partnerships or third-party certifications.
Thompson suggests pressure-testing your idea for proof of concept by asking: "Why does this need to exist right now?" "If the answer sounds generic, keep digging and iterating," she notes. Once that answer is clear, Thompson advises to build in public as much as possible.
"Everything has to ladder back to your bigger idea and why," Thompson adds. "Your formulas, visuals, copy, even how the product feels in someone's hand should all reinforce the same message." LYS Beauty is intentional about each product detail: Its delta symbol, signature pink packaging and stick format all serve as defining (and cohesive) markers for the brand.
Walsh singles out Shani Darden Skincare as a founder-led brand standing apart from the crowd. Yes, the clinical skin-care brand has churned out high-performance treatments characteristic of expert studios, but the Shani Darden Skincare difference, as Walsh points out, is Shani Darden herself.
"She spends real time speaking directly to her consumer, doing in-store events with Sephora, sharing her knowledge about facial techniques and why the sequencing of products matters," Walsh explains. "It goes back to connection. Whether good or bad, a product is just a product. Products don't sell themselves. The more you can bring life to what you're offering so it's no longer just a transactional purchase, the better."
What to Keep in Mind While Positioning Your Brand
For beauty entrepreneurs gearing up for launch (or even those working through a rebrand), feedback is everything — especially the "uncomfortable kind from your day-ones," Thompson says. Liu recommends leaning into curiosity and being "a sponge" to absorb everything about the problem you're aiming to solve.
It's also not a race to scale, Thompson cautions. "Nail one hero product, one message, one core audience before forcing yourself to expand," she continues. "Differentiation doesn't come from how many SKUs you have; it actually comes from how clearly people understand you after the first interaction."
Connecting with your community from the jump can set your brand up for success, as it fosters a dedicated base to bounce ideas off of. "Brands that invest early in building a loyal and authentic audience, and use that relationship to educate, listen and evolve, tend to differentiate themselves more meaningfully," Lim says.
Though it comes with its fair share of trial and error, striking the right balance between brand authenticity and product efficacy will help your line rise above the pack.
"You can't market your way out of a weak product or an unclear mission," Liu notes. "If you focus on building something that genuinely works, earns trust and serves a real need, the brand will grow from there."
📌 Love fashion? Follow us for daily updates on our fashion blog! 🌟
🔹 #FashionTrends #StyleTips #OOTD #How to Build a Beauty Brand That Stands Out in a Crowded Market
Comments
Post a Comment