It All Started With A Beauty Blog
Emily Weiss turned the beauty industry upside down with the invention of Glossier. The former Vogue assistant created what Forbes describes as a “unicorn brand” that isn’t just e-commerce, it’s emotional commerce. Here’s how Glossier’s journey started with a small blog and grew into a holy grail top shelf product.
Glossier all started with a fashion and beauty blog ran by Weiss, Into the Gloss. Sound familiar, because the brand still updates it weekly on the Glossier site. Weiss began gaining traction after interviewing celebs the likes of Kim Kardashian West and Karlie Kloss about their beauty routines.
Emily Weiss, founder and CEO of Into The Gloss and Glossier, in New York, January 2017.
In 2013, Weiss began forming the idea of having a beauty brand around the blog. She noticed that the beauty industry, particularly skincare lines, didn’t serve women well, and wanted to create a product that connected with them on a more relatable level, thus Glossier was born.
The brand initially launched with just four products, a facial mist, skin tint, moisturizer, and balm which were intended to create a no makeup makeup look.
Glossier was also the first beauty brand to use direct-to-consumer marketing techniques through Instagram allowing them to build a more intimate connection with their followers. The brand’s Instagram as since grown to 1.9 million followers who showcase their Glossier #shelfies on social media.
In a 2016 Buzzfeed interview, Weiss contributes the success of Glossier to making women feel good about the way they look, rather than preying on their insecurities like other beauty brands.
