What the arrival of Glossier at Sephora means

In July 2022 Glossier has just signed its first major wholesale deal. It announced this from its Instragram profile: from 2023 its products will be sold by Sephora, both in physical stores, on Sephora.com, and on the Sephora App. It has not yet been determined which products will be available, but the news has created much buzz in the beauty industry and among its fans who have long wondered how the company will recover from the crisis it has been going through for some time. The new partnership is the result of a strategy devised by Kyle Leahy, who replaced founder Emily Weiss in the role of Glossier CEO, to overcome declining sales and popularity, but also allegations of internal racism and mistreatment of workers that led to the layoff of about a third of the workforce last January. For now, the agreement covers only U.S. Statu and Canada, but should the experiment prove beneficial, it could extend to other states as well.

"Sephora is an iconic, international retailer with an extremely loyal community, and we know our customers want to find us there. We share the same customer-centric values, and we are both deeply rooted in the notion of evolving beauty discovery. This marks a new chapter in our omnichannel strategy and we look forward to all that lies ahead in 2023."

Leahy said, revealing that Glossier is one of the most sought-after brands on Sephora.com, despite not currently being part of her portfolio. Interest in it is so high that inquiries about where customers can buy the beauty brand and whether it is available at Sephora increased by nearly 200 percent between July 2021 and July 2022.

In recent years, the company has struggled to stay relevant and keep up with its many competitors, experiencing a decline in sales after the pandemic and its first real failure with the closure of the Glossier Play glitter make-up line such that both a new strategy and leadership were needed. Despite the period of decline, the Glossier name still has prestige among beauty addicts, but it needs to keep up with increasingly fierce competitors and adapt to the needs of contemporary consumers who want to be able to buy their favorite brands anywhere, anytime. The arrival of Glossier at Sephora is, therefore, good news for shoppers who can now buy their favorite products in one place and, at the same time, aims to make the brand more accessible not only to its fans but also to those who did not know it before, thus increasing its sales potential. This does not mean, however, that the golden age of direct-to-consumer is officially over, because despite the important partnership with Sephora, Glossier is not abandoning its DTC approach altogether and plans to continue opening its own stores across the country. In the past year alone, it has opened stores in Seattle, Los Angeles, London, and Miami, and announced the opening of new flagship stores in Washington, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn by the end of the year and in 2023 of the New York flagship store. In addition, Glossier plans to expand its beauty offerings with the introduction of new products such as The Glossier Deodorant available starting January 17. It is a "glide-on, odor-free deodorant stick" with a vegan, cruelty-free and non-comedogenic formula free of aluminum, baking soda, acids and water that is based on elderberry extract, coconut oil and potato starch. We will see if the new strategies will bring Glossier back among the hottest beauty brands of the moment.