Why Quince is bringing on more third-party brands

The outside brand partnerships follow the company’s investment in launching its own beauty and wellness products. After years of strictly operating as an online DTC brand, Quince is also experimenting with new retail formats, such as physical pop-ups and sample sales. 

Dakota Kate Isaacs, head of brand strategy and narrative at Quince, said the idea of partnering with other brands came from a desire to bring more value to customers.  

“Our mission has always been to bring customers exceptional quality at the best possible value,” Isaacs said. In many categories, from cashmere to bedding, Quince achieves this by working directly with manufacturers. “But we’ve never believed there should be only one way to deliver on that promise,” she said. 

As Quince’s customers increasingly looked to the site for more of their everyday needs, Isaacs said, “We saw an opportunity to extend that same value proposition into categories where established brands have spent years, and sometimes decades, perfecting their products.”

Customers benefit from exclusive deals when they purchase these brands through Quince. Currently, customers get 25% back in Quince credit on eligible beauty purchases. “We’re delivering on the same promise that has always defined our business,” Isaacs said.

Isaacs pointed to beauty as a good example of where Quince can offer more sought-after products with the help of brand partners. “Developing exceptional formulas requires extensive research, clinical testing and specialized expertise,” she said. “Rather than replicate what these brands have already perfected, we saw an opportunity to partner with the best.”

Last year, Therabody was the first beauty and wellness brand partnership Quince struck. Isaacs said the customer response “was immediate.” “We introduced the launch through email and saw strong early interest in bringing a trusted, category-leading brand into the Quince shopping experience,” she said.

The reaction reinforced the theory that customers come to Quince for exceptional value, said Isaacs, but they also care about product quality and trust. 

“That early response validated our approach and helped shape how we’re continuing to build the program,” she added. 

Now, the opportunity “is about making Quince a destination for exceptional products,” Isaacs said. That could be by developing them with manufacturing partners or bringing them to customers through trusted brands.

“We’re building a highly curated destination for category-leading brands,” Isaacs said. “Our approach is intentionally selective.” She explained that Quince looks for brands that have earned their reputation through product performance, innovation, strong customer loyalty and consistently outstanding reviews. “The goal isn’t to offer customers endless choice. It’s to do the work of identifying the very best, so they can shop with confidence,” said Isaacs.

One of the latest brands to join Quince is Cadence, known for its travel and storage containers. This fall’s launch on Quince marked the brand’s latest wholesale expansion.   

2026 has already been a significant year for Cadence, as it also recently launched at The Paper Store, Grove Collaborative, Clean Market and Happier Grocery. At the same time, Cadence introduced its latest design, The Pump, as an addition to its modular system designed to store lotions, body oils and sunscreen. 

Cadence founder Steph Hon told Modern Retail that, unlike a marketplace model, Quince purchases the products directly from Cadence, making it a true wholesale partnership. “We launched not too long ago and have already seen very fast growth [on Quince],” Hon said.

Hon said the Quince team reached out to Cadence to bring the brand on as part of its curated third-party brands selection. “We’re trying to do retail in a thoughtful way where we can make sure we’re working with the right people and still have control over the experience,” she said. 

Hon went on to say that, after learning more about Quince’s approach to sell non-Quince-produced products, she agreed to join the slew of beauty and wellness brands under the Brands We Love section, a curated section on the website featuring a rotation of brand partners. For the launch, Quince chose some of Cadence’s core and most tried-and-true colors and SKUs. The Quince website carries a few of Cadence’s starter sets in eucalyptus, sand and peta pink shades.

Just weeks after the October launch, Hon said, “We’ve had multiple orders already, so I feel they will probably slowly become one of our largest partners.”

“I would say it has far surpassed any other retailer that we’ve worked with, just in size and velocity,” Hon said. She credits this to the volume of customers who visit Quince daily and the amount of marketing Quince invests in. “The way they’ve also promoted us and supported us has been really great,” Hon said.

Quince’s initial third-party brand partnership focus is on beauty and wellness. “But we see significant opportunities to expand this model into other categories,” said Isaacs. Ultimately, Isaacs said, Quince’s customers care about getting exceptional products at a great value, whether those products carry a Quince label or not. 

“We’re not simply looking to fill gaps in our assortment,” Isaacs said. “We’re focused on identifying products and brands that genuinely deserve a place in our customers’ lives, and finding ways to make them more rewarding to shop through Quince.”