Brands Briefing: Brands capitalize on ‘recession beauty’ routines as shoppers spend more on at-home treatments
As consumer sentiment continues to hover near record lows, shoppers are making adjustments in their purchasing patterns to make their paychecks go further — and brands are trying to adapt accordingly.
In the beauty industry, for example, there’s an acknowledgement that consumers view beauty as “a comfort and escape from the stress of macro uncertainty,” as Ulta CEO Kecia Steelman put it during the company’s recent earnings call. But, they are still looking for ways to cut back spending. According to a recent Wall Street Journal story, young women are “recession-proofing” their routines by pulling back on professional nice-to-have services. That includes skipping salon manicures and going from blonde to brown hair color, among other changes.
With a renewed interest in money-saving DIY routines, beauty brands that offer at-home hair and nail-care products have taken notice. These beauty companies are tailoring their offerings and marketing strategies to capture further market share during an economically challenging time. From offering tips for DIY “recession blonde” to selling manicure kits, beauty brands are looking to stay nimble and find unique ways to cater to evolving beauty and wellness routines.
This year, the hair-care brand Schwarzkopf is heavily promoting its Keratin Blonde line, which rolled out in 2024, as a way to achieve “recession blonde” hair color. The trend refers to dying hair in a darker hue to more closely match the person’s natural color, which makes for lower maintenance root touchups.
Jonathan Colombini, celebrity hairstylist and global color expert at Schwarzkopf, is working with the brand to educate customers on how to DIY their recession blonde look. Colombini told Modern Retail the trend is “the perfect transition to keep living your blonde chapter without breaking the bank.”
“Typically, I see clients who grow out [roots] every three to five weeks, but can only come to touch up their hair in the salon every six to eight weeks,” he explained. The idea is for Schwarzkopf’s Keratin Blonde line to give clients flexibility in maintaining the color between salon visits, at their own convenience.
To support customers with their DIY coloring sessions, Schwarzkopf offers consultations with professional stylists via phone call or text. And through promotional content on Schwarzkopf’s social feeds, Colombini gives tips and tricks for getting the most out of their recession blonde coloring cycles.
Nail salon visits are another service that some price-conscious customers are cutting back on. Instead, they are looking for at-home manicure and pedicure kits. According to Google data cited by the Wall Street Journal, searches in the U.S. for “press on nails” were up more than 10% between February and April. Dazzle Dry, a nail care brand that sells quick-dry color kits, is tailoring its messaging for budget-conscious customers who still want salon-quality results.
“More than just a cost-saving alternative, doing nails at home has become a form of self-care and ritualized relaxation,” said Azlin Farre, head of marketing at the nail-care brand Dazzle Dry. “This makes it ideal for the ‘recession-proof’ beauty mindset.”
Farre said the key for Dazzle Dry’s messaging is to primarily highlight how the product fits into a lifestyle centered on wellness and long-term nail health. The brand is currently focused heavily on TikTok affiliate outreach to tap into a multi-generational audience, she said. This includes Gen-Z college students, time-strapped working moms, and those looking for a non-toxic and cruelty-free nail routine. Through its influencer content, Dazzle Dry emphasizes the product’s quick drying time, which allows for last-minute use by active and on-the-go people. Examples include content by creators in fitness and wellness, who highlight Dazzle Dry’s low-maintenance, natural manicures without the salon visits. Many creators reiterate the brand’s message of “the best thing for my nail health and my wallet.”
“With this, we have seen a 30% increase in our baseline sales attributed to TikTok affiliate programming over the past three months,” Farre said.
Dazzle Dry’s strategy also includes introducing more products for price-conscious customers. The brand recently introduced Mini System Kits — travel-friendly sets that consist of mini versions of Dazzle Dry’s four-step nail system, along with one of the brand’s most popular polish shades. The mini kits start at $39, half the price of the standard size that starts at $80 for a build-your-own kit.
Sarah Gibson Tuttle, the founder and CEO of the nail-care brand Olive & June, which also specializes in a four-step nail prep and color system, said, “What we’re seeing now is more people skipping the salon to save time and money.” It’s a trend that has been ongoing even before the most recent round of tariff-induced economic anxiety. “Last year alone, one in four of our customers came over from the salon,” she said.
Olive & June was acquired by Helen of Troy for $240 million in late 2024 and launched on Amazon last month to reach a wider audience. Thanks to renewed interest in at-home nail care, the past year, in particular, has been a major growth period for the company, Tuttle said. By the end of 2024, the brand’s annual sales revenue had surpassed $92 million. Olive & June says it is the top-selling nail brand in Target, per data from the last 52 weeks.
Dazzle Dry’s Farre said as beauty enthusiasts rapidly switch up their spending habits, it’s incumbent upon the brands to find new ways to cater to shoppers’ routines. “Whether driven by economic caution or a desire for more conscious beauty choices, we’re uniquely positioned to meet this moment,” she said. –Gabriela Barkho
By the numbers: Men’s personal care
Unilever announced last week that it would acquire Dr. Squatch for a reported $1.5 billion, a big win for the men’s personal care category. In turn, expect more brands to creep into the category in a variety of ways. The category is expanding, thanks in part to startups like Harry’s, which started out in razors and has since expanded into body wash, shampoo, conditioner and lotions. Then there are telehealth platforms like Ro and Hims, which started off focusing on helping patients get treatments for issues like erectile dysfunction and have since expanded to focus on other conditions like skin. Here’s a bigger breakdown, by the numbers, of how the category is growing:
$5.29 billion: Global sales of men’s grooming products expected by 2027, an 18.4% increase over 2022, according to Euromonitor International.
$11 million: The Series A round raised in 2024 by W, Jake Paul’s personal care brand geared at Gen-Z men. The startup, now valued at $150 million, has ambitions to become the Old Spice for the next generation.
46,500: Number of current TikTok posts with the #mensskincare hashtag. The tag is considered part of “SkinTok” and has drawn millions of views, thanks to prominent male skin-care influencers like Edward Zo and David Kim. –Gabriela Barkho
How kids apparel brand Motette used Instagram Close Friends at launch
Before Samantha Gold launched Motette, a line of bamboo baby clothes, she had a few hundred moms weighing in on her prints and designs. This “Inner Circle” is now over 2,200 customers strong — and Gold said it has been critical to helping her make key decisions in the brand’s early days. Motette just launched its first collection in March of this year.
While many brands may run focus groups or utilize a loyalty program to solicit customer feedback, Motette’s Inner Circle relies on the Instagram Close Friends feature. As soon as someone follows Motette on Instagram, they get a message asking if they want to join the Inner Circle. Those who opt in will be added to the brand’s Close Friends list.
The biggest draws for customers are seeing sneak peeks, participating in polls about future colors and designs, and accessing occasional rewards and giveaways. When Motette launched its summer line in mid-June, 50 moms from the Inner Circle each received $25 gift cards for their participation. Motette also asked the Inner Circle for leads on boutiques that may want to carry the line. Gold received 150 leads and has already placed Motette in about 28 of those stores.
“It’s a community of moms who help us by truly co-creating new collections with us,” Gold said. “And in return, we offer some perks for being part of the group.”
Gold credits much of the brand’s rapid growth to this highly engaged group of customers. The Inner Circle drove about 80% of sales the day the summer line launched, for instance. “They’re more willing to go to bat for you and share this with their friends, because they feel really bought in and a part of the brand.” –Melissa Daniels
The state of DTC merchants
SMS and email marketing platform Postscript recently surveyed 190 of its merchants to see how they are feeling six months into a year that’s been dominated by wild swings in tariff policy. Postscript gave Modern Retail an exclusive first look at the report — here are some of the highlights:
First, some data on who these merchants are:
- 25.3% do between $1 million and $5 million in sales
- 23.7% do $1 million or less
- 17.4% do between $5 million and $10 million
- 15.8% do more than $50 million
- 34.7% have been in operation for more than 10 years
- 44.7% have an average order value between $50 and $150
How tariffs have been impacting their business:
- Over half of merchants said tariffs were impacting their business either “significantly” or “somewhat significantly.”
- Still, just over 30% of respondents said they hadn’t raised prices.
- More than 54% of respondents, however, reported making changes to their free shipping threshold this year.
Where they are seeing growth:
- 37.4% of respondents said their business is growing and profitable this year.
- 32.1% said their business is stable or flat.
- 14.2% said their business is experiencing a decline.
- Email is the marketing channel where the surveyed brands are seeing the most ROI.
- Most of the brands surveyed don’t offer subscriptions, and 34.7% said less than 10% of their revenue comes from subscriptions. –Anna Hensel
What we’re reading
- DTC bedding brand Parachute admits it “overreached” on physical retail as it closes 19 stores.
- Glossier CEO Kyle Leahy is stepping down at the end of 2025, after three years at the helm of the beauty brand.
- Shein is reportedly taking another crack at the IPO process, and plans to confidentially file for a Hong Kong listing after failing to go public in the U.S. and London, according to Reuters.
What we’ve covered
- Levi’s and Wildfang remained vocal about their Pride campaigns, in a year when many brands ran more muted marketing or skipped out on the month altogether.
- E-commerce will make up half of True Religion’s business by year’s end.
- Executives from Prose, Fashionphile and The Clear Cut on how they evaluate different AI tools.