April 4, 2025: Beauty News to Know
Celebrity beauty brands are still raking in cash, while new beauty innovations include a skincare-spiked perfume for...babies?!
Hi!
Tomorrow is my bridal shower! I’m excited!
I started beauty prep two weeks ago (because I’m insane) with a third round of Clear + Brilliant—I have one more before the wedding. I went to WTHN for acupuncture this past Sunday (I’m continually impressed with the results), and then, since I’m doing my own hair and makeup for the shower, I did a practice run of both. On Tuesday, I had a facial at Casa Cipriani with lead esthetician Samantha Susca (she’s great) courtesy of Sonage, followed by a lymphatic drainage massage at The Tox. I got a pedicure at Sundays Nail Studio and a manicure at Vanity Projects. Later in the week, I got a spray tan with St. Tropez’s Sophie Evans. It’s a lot of work but I must admit, I’m feeling very pretty. I plan on following a similar regime for the wedding in June.
Given my bridal shower, I’ve held off on Sephora sale recommendations for now—those will be coming sometime next week. I’m flirting with only sending those to paid readers so what better time to upgrade your subscription?
I have a few updates on previously mentioned products:
I have been loving the Versed Skin Solution Multi-Serum Skin Tint, which I originally mentioned on February 21st. It provides the perfect light coverage for everyday use and sinks right into the skin. This week, makeup artist Lauren Stein (who is coincidentally doing my wedding makeup) likened it to the Saie Slip Tint, another personal favorite, which I totally cosign. The glass bottle is incredibly luxe, and it’s exceptionally well-priced at just $20.
I’m still thoroughly enjoying the Ultra Violette Future Screen I shared on March 21st, but felt the need to share a major caveat: This product does not travel well. I kept it in my carry-on to and from Copenhagen, and when I went to re-apply, the product leaked all over itself. I’m including an image below—and this is after I cleaned it up. I’m still a big fan, but I think this one is best kept at home.
There hasn’t been too much beauty noise, so between that, my impending bridal shower (and bachelorette, in two weeks), and the forthcoming Sephora sale newsletter, this is a relatively short issue. Enjoy!
Beauty’s Biggest Headlines
Neutrogena finds a surprising new spokesman in John Cena (Business of Fashion)
TLDR: Wrestler and actor John Cena is partnering with Neutrogena as the face of its latest launch, the Ultra Sheer Mineral Face SPF 70. The strategy here appears to be twofold: Part of the campaign centers around Cena’s oft-memed “you can’t see me” catchphrase, referring to the sunscreen’s lightweight finish. There’s also the more emotional approach, with Cena sharing his own passion for sun protection after having two cancerous spots removed from his skin. In its effort to tap into the cultural zeitgiest, Neutrogena seems to be taking a page (directly) from Cerave’s playbook after its 2024 viral marketing campaign with Michael Cera. Cena’s partnership is part of the brand’s larger plan to regain popularity (and sales) after some years of lackluster appeal.
The Glossed Over Take: I feel like we’re entering the beauty boy Renaissance. I’ve noticed an uptick in men (even straight man, gasp) scoring beauty partnerships on TikTok, as well as invites to prestigious beauty events and influencer trips—Sephora’s been a major culprit in particular. Listen, beauty is for everyone, and we should see that represented in beauty brands’ advertising, partnerships, and community-building. Still, I can’t help but fear these (often white) men are scoring invites and sponsorships that would’ve otherwise gone to women. I don’t know, perhaps I’m being dramatic, it’s just been in the back of my brain for the last few weeks. At the very least, if we’re going to focus on men, why not queer men and/or men of color? This particular case strikes me as a little weird given the two competing narratives Neutrogena is pushing—one playing on a meme, and the other a serious call to action stemming from Cena’s own experiences. It’s not outright bad, just kind of misses the mark for me. I liked the Cera-Cerave partnership better. Also, what happened to Tate McRae?
Retailers identify key takeaways from Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna 2025 (WWD)
TLDR: Back in February, I covered standouts from Cosmoprof Miami. But compared to Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, Miami’s showing was kind of small beans—the Miami event hosted 19,000 attendees, while Bologna’s saw 255,000. Per WWD’s reporting, three key trends seem to be driving beauty innovation and new innovation: K-beauty (which we already knew), AI, and beauty’s youngest consumers, actual children. The new age of K-beauty is pushing the limits beyond skin and bodycare. Korean-owned Probio-6 debuted a shampoo that boosts scalp health and hair loss while also providing UV protection. South Korean brand Hetras offers K-beauty-style home diffusers, hand washes, lotions, and fragrances ranging from $12 to $40. Think highly effective, skin-boosting ingredients and innovative formulas for drugstore prices. Meanwhile, other brands are capitalizing on AI’s newfound capabilities. Polish supplier Passage Cosmetics Laboratory S.A. showed off its Blue Light AI-Activated Hand Cream, which features microalgae and an AI-developed scent. Italian Natural You shared its app, which can give customers a customized plan for both cosmetics and supplements based on imperfections identified from a single selfie. Finally, much like at Cosmoprof Miami, there was no shortage of colorful, vibrant packaging meant to attract younger customers. Spain-based Natu laboratories debuted a range called Seven Kids, which features fragrance, shower gel, shampoo, and a three-in-one meant for consumers ranging from literal babies to Gen Alpha (the oldest of which are a mere 14 years old).
Enjoy! is a perfume for children spiked with prebiotics and vitamin B3. Not sure why. The GO Take: I feel we’ve talked K-beauty a lot here, so I’m going to focus my attention on the latter two trends. Scientific innovation is a real sweet spot for AI right now—it’s far less concerning than ChatGPT and the weird AI-generated images floating around on the internet. AI looks a lot less scary when it’s in the lab, and I’m excited to see the breakthroughs it can make in beauty formulations and products. But I’m most interested in the beauty for children situation. On one hand, I really do love the idea of beauty products made intentionally for children. To me, this isn’t about pressuring children to partake in beauty culture but rather empowering them with appropriate options if they so choose to do so. My one hesitation is that kids want to be seen as older and grown up—so the very idea of a beauty brand meant for children might actually turn them off of the products altogether. Still, I will absolutely be buying my future child their own little baby skincare routine (which they can use or not, no pressure).
Celebrity beauty brands are still huge—but maybe not for long (Beauty Independent)
TLDR: According to market research firm NIQ, 2024 was a big year for celebrity beauty brands, surpassing $1.2 billion in sales. Fourteen new celebrity beauty brands launched versus six the year before. All this points to the fact that we’re still knee-deep in the slop that is the era of celebrity beauty brands (okay, that was mean; they’re not all bad). Here’s the good news for haters: Celeb beauty brands might still be major, they’re not as major as previous years. Sales in the category advanced 7% in 2024, down from 36% the year before. According to NIQ’s vice president of beauty Anna Mayo, the celebrity beauty brand boom is “resting on less than 10 brands that are making this grow. So, if one of those has a hard year, which a few of them have, it impacts the whole category…We just don’t see a lot of longevity with these brands. You’ll see a brand…grow to $20 or $30 million, and the next year it might start declining.” Unfortunately, she doesn’t attribute this to celebrity fatigue but rather a diversion on beauty spending from makeup (the category with the highest concentration of celeb beauty brands) to other categories like skincare and fragrance. In other words, star power still translates to a quick buck.
The GO Take: If we really think about (come on, just try for a second), we kind of already knew this to be true before we saw the data. Yeah, a handful of celebrity beauty brands are really popular, others have a splashy start and then fall short. But nice to see it confirmed, I guess. I’m not anti-celebrity beauty brand. There’s a lot I like, actually. I’m just utterly bored by the same narrative.
Fresh on the Shelves
MAC Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation ($39)
Release Date: Available now at Ulta and MAC’s e-commerce site.
What It Is: Ahead of a likely ban on the ingredient, makeup brands have slowly but surely been updating existing powder formulations to remove talc. Most have also been using this an opportunity to revamp their powders with more modern capabilities—I wrote about this all for Air Mail Look back in February. Now, the very product mentioned in my opener—MAC’s iconic Studio Fix Powder Plus—is getting its own update. The new Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation now features a talc-free formula (duh) in a refillable compact. MAC updated the shade range to match the Studio Fix Fluid SPF 15 offering, making it easier to find your match across formats, and added 10 new shades (for a total of 67) to cater to more undertones. The powder claims to offer 24 hours of oil and shine control, 12 hours of “stay-true color and fade resistance,” and non-streaking, non-caking, non-settling coverage. It features a silky smooth finish and blurs pores.
The GO Take: As is the case with a lot of these reformulated powders, the Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation replaces talc with the more cosmetically elegant mica and silica. The two ingredients give powders an air-y texture and prevent particles from clumping together and sitting heavy on the skin. They also provide a nice blurring effect, which explains why every new powder on the market seems to center its marketing around the claim. This revamped formula is more than just an obvious move for MAC—it’s a necessary one, if we’re to believe the rumors about Europe’s impending talc ban. One particular change I really appreciate is the updated shade range to match the Studio Fix Fluid offering. One of my biggest pet peeves is inconsistent shade ranges across a brand; I don’t want to be a 2.5N in a brand’s concealer, a Cream Beige in the foundation, and a Light-Medium in the powder. Keep it simple! I haven’t personally tried this yet, but I have a real soft spot for it—it was one of the foundational products that introduced me into the world of beauty. I’d be willing to bet it’s pretty damn good.
Makeup by Mario Master Mascara ($28)
Release Date: Available now at Sephora and Makeup by Mario’s e-commerce site.
What It Is: A volumizing mascara with a first-to-market, custom-made conical brush meant to evenly coat lashes sans clumping. The long-wear formula promises to lengthen and lift lashes, without flaking or smudging.
The GO Take: I, like much of the beauty community, worship the legend that is Mario Dedivanovic. He is incredibly thoughtful about the products he puts out, and even the few I haven’t loved have merit—they simply weren’t formulated with my particular preferences in mind. I have this mascara, and although I haven’t tried it yet, I’m sure it’s great. The reviews on Sephora are compelling to say the least.
Saint Crewe Clean Beam Balmy Dream ($32); Goji Glow + Go ($44); Team Gleam ($38); and Water Whip ($42)
Release Date: Available now at Saint Crewe’s e-commerce site.
What It Is: We’ve talked a lot about the incoming surge of youth-oriented beauty brands, and Saint Crewe falls squarely under that category. The brand, founded by mother and therapist Erin Piper, launched this week with a mission of delivering “your best skin to bring out your best self” via gentle products “suitable for Gen Z as well as all skin types.” The four-product lineup is dermatologist-tested and clinically tested (though I had a really hard time trying to find those results), and includes a balm cleanser, hydrating facial mist, balancing serum, and gel-cream, meant to be used in that order. They include ingredients like microalgae, which promote skin health and hydration, and aloe, known for soothing irritated, stressed skin.
The GO Take: I like the general idea here, and I think the products are cute. The packaging is a real standout—the cleansing balm’s twist-to-dispense feature is great; I love a moisturizer with a pump top; and the serum’s vacuum-sealed, twist-up top is both hygienic and travel-friendly. Again, generally, this all seems great, and I like the impetus behind the brand. I have a few nitpick-y thoughts though. First off, the product names are not intuitive. I initially thought Team Gleam was a moisturizer, and Water Whip could easily be the name of a serum. The intended use is clarified on the packaging, but if this is meant to be an adolescent’s first foray into skincare, I think each name should clearly state the product’s intended use. Next, I’m curious what skincare “suitable for Gen Z” means—is it just gentle? I’m not sure elder Gen Z-ers (ages 20-plus) will be very interested here. I wish the brand had instead targeted adolescents and children at large rather than zeroing down on a single generation. It just feels limiting. The brand automatically loses a point in my book for using “clean” rhetoric, though many of my favorite brands do too so it’s kind of a moot point. The serum has lactic acid in it, but the description never mentions any sort of exfoliating properties (to be fair, it also hydrates). Lastly, and this is a little unfair because I know how difficult and expensive it is to launch one, but I wish this initial offering included a sunscreen—specifically, I wish the gel-cream had SPF in it, and the lineup included a second, thicker moisturizer (sans SPF) for nighttime use. I can’t hold this against them, but there’s a lot of talk about how the products protect skin from blue light and not a single mention of sun safety.
Most Valuable Product
Armani Luminous Silk Foundation ($69)
Why It Stood Out: It’s been said a million times before but bears repeating: This foundation is impeccable. There are so many great options out there, but when push comes to shove and I need to look my absolute best, I always return to Armani Luminous Silk. It’s virtually weightless on the skin, with a natural finish that can be manipulated to become as matte or glow-y as you’d like. Plus, it blurs pores and smooths texture without looking cake-y or too makeup-y. Yes, $69 for one ounce of product is a lot of money, which is why the Sephora sale is the perfect time to pick this up. Plain and simple, it really is that good.
Final Thoughts
I’ll be sure to keep you all posted on how my prep work and makeup hold up for the bridal shower. Given the forecast, it looks like we’ll be having a literal shower, thunder and all.
Be sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss my Sephora sale recommendations—perhaps now is the time to try a paid subscription, even just for a month, since I plan to pay-gate some, if not all, of my picks.
Please like this post and let me know your thoughts in the comments. Also, let me know if you’re looking for any specific product recommendations—I’ll be sure to address them!
Next Beauty News to Know will come the Friday of my birth-lorette weekend (birthday and bachelorette). If you think of a better name for that, please let me know.
Xx
Haven’t tried any of the versed color products so need to give the tint a try!