The Barefaced Podcast

<p>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...

<p>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...

<p>Another person talking about tariffs… I know! But this episode is different. </p><p>Trump’s tariff announcement sent shockwaves through the markets—the S&P 500 dropped 4.9%, the second-biggest daily point loss in...

<p>It seems like almost every day there’s a new beauty brand announcing they've secured funding. Why has there been such a surge?</p><p>Venture capital (VC) first took off in the tech industry in the 90s, and expanded...

<p>Luxury brands spend years developing products—MCo Beauty swoops in and replicates them in weeks. And the results speak for themselves.</p><p>Originally known as ModelCo, an Aussie drugstore brand focused on tanning...

<p>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...

<p>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?</p><p>This episode...

<p>Thanks to social media, beauty trends often go global—but not in the UK.</p><p>While interest in makeup in Canada, Australia, and the US has slowed down since the pandemic, the "baddie makeup" continues to trend in...

<p>Beauty shopping in the UK is anything but intuitive. You can find luxury brands at Boots, a pharmacy, or Harrods, a luxury department store, or shop them online at Look Fantastic, an e-commerce retailer. But why is...

<p>The rise of Glossier wasn’t just a success story; it became the blueprint for modern beauty branding. While much of the conversation surrounding Glossier today focuses on the brand’s current state, this episode dives...

<p>It has been well established that consumers are fed up with celebrity beauty brands. So, why do some of these brands still go on to achieve huge success?</p><p>In this week’s episode, we first dive into the business...

<p>From the $800 Dyson Airwrap to the $700 Dr. Dennis Gross LED Face Mask and $400 NuFace, luxury beauty devices aren’t just getting attention—they’re flying off shelves.</p><p>The rise of high-tech beauty gadgets...

<p>To many, the undeniable presence of Korean skincare seems to have come out of nowhere, but in reality, its rise has been anything but random. In this episode, we explore how Korean skincare stands apart from Western...

<p>Australia's beauty market flew under the radar until Jo Horgan changed everything by launching Mecca in 1997. By the time Sephora arrived in 2014 to claim its share, it was far too late. But how did Mecca build such...

<p>In the past decade, shifts in advertising laws have continuously reshaped the beauty business. What did the industry look like before #ad was enforced? How did brands dodge disclosure rules, and when did we stop...