Why Your Beauty Brand’s Growth Strategy Needs a Makeover

The beauty industry is more competitive than ever. Brands once defined by celebrity endorsements and glossy campaigns now face new challenges: shifting consumer values, rising acquisition costs, and audiences demanding authenticity and purpose.

It's time we explore why many established beauty growth strategies are no longer effective and what senior marketers can do to rethink their approach for sustainable growth.

Old tactics no longer work

Many beauty brands are still chasing growth the old way by increasing ad spend, launching more SKUs, or chasing viral moments.

But today’s consumers aren’t buying it.

They’re switching brands faster, spending less often, and questioning everything from ingredients to brand values.

The result? Flatlining growth, higher CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost), and declining loyalty.

Traditional growth strategies simply don’t match today’s reality.

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The old playbook still looks good in the mirror — but it doesn’t move growth anymore

‍‍It's time for a strategic reset

Beauty leaders must move from growth at all costs to growth with clarity.

This means prioritising consumer trust, brand consistency, and smarter marketing investments over quick wins.

The brands that will thrive are those that:

Understand their audience deeply, beyond demographics.
Invest in owned relationships, not just paid reach.
Use data to create relevance, not noise.

Build emotional connection, not just awareness

Beauty marketing has been obsessed with reach. But reach doesn’t equal relevance. The next wave of growth will come from emotional loyalty by making customers feel seen.

Ask yourself:

Does your brand speak to real consumer concerns, or just trends?
Are your campaigns building connection, or just driving impressions?

Brands like Rare Beauty and The Ordinary have shown that authenticity isn’t a tactic, it’s a long-term advantage.

Shift focus from acquisition to retention

For years, beauty marketing has revolved around acquisition. But the economics no longer stack up.

The cost of acquiring a new customer has increased by more than 200% in the last five years, while retention has become the most underused growth lever.

The smarter marketers are now investing in:

Personalised CRM journeys that reward loyalty.
Community-building initiatives such as exclusive drops, early access, and feedback loops.
First-party data strategies that deepen understanding over time.

Retention isn’t glamorous, but it’s the new growth engine.

Modernising Measurement

Traditional metrics such as reach, impressions, and vanity engagement don’t tell the full story.

Senior leaders need a measurement mindset that connects marketing to business outcomes.

This means tracking:

Lifetime value (LTV) over one-off sales.
Advocacy and repeat purchase behaviour.
Cross-channel attribution to identify real ROI.

If you can’t see how your marketing drives long-term brand and revenue growth, you’re measuring the wrong things.

Examples of brands who have done this well:

Paula’s Choice - Known for shifting focus from influencer-heavy campaigns to community-driven skincare education and science-led storytelling. Their Skin Smart community and educational content significantly boosted loyalty and repeat purchase.

Drunk Elephant -Initially influencer-fuelled, but pivoted toward community education and long-form storytelling, leading to higher retention and a more loyal consumer base.

The takeaway: connection beats exposure.
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When brands lead with education and empathy, loyalty follows

The Myth…

Many leaders believe that more marketing equals more growth. In truth, clarity of focus and authentic relationships often drive stronger, more sustainable results.

Growth in beauty no longer comes from spending more or shouting louder. It comes from building brands people trust, value, and want to return to.

Key actions for beauty marketing leaders

It’s time to put your growth strategy under the microscope. Forget about adding more to the plan and instead start refining what already exists.

Here’s how to move from theory to action.

1. Rebuild trust as your primary growth driver

Trust is the new currency in beauty. Customers will not stay loyal if they do not believe you.

Actions to take:

Audit your brand promises. Are you delivering what you say, across every touchpoint?
Simplify your messaging. Speak with clarity and consistency.
Bring your experts and community to the forefront. Real people drive credibility better than polished campaigns.
Review your partnerships and influencers. Do they reflect your values, or just add reach?

Ask yourself: Would I trust my own brand if I were the customer?

2. Treat retention as a growth strategy, not a support function

It costs far less to keep a customer than to win a new one, yet many beauty brands still pour budget into acquisition.

Actions to take:

Map your customer journey. Identify where you lose people after their first purchase.
Build a loyalty strategy that goes beyond discounts. Offer early access, VIP moments, and education.
Personalise communications based on behaviour, not demographics.
Create content that helps, not sells. Tutorials, Q&As, and ingredient stories build trust and interest.

Ask yourself: What would make someone excited to buy from us again?

3. Modernise how you measure success

Marketing success is not about who shouts the loudest. It is about who builds lasting value.

Actions to take:

Redefine your KPIs. Move beyond vanity metrics like reach or impressions.
Focus on long-term indicators such as lifetime value, repeat purchase rate, and advocacy.
Connect marketing data with business results. Track revenue per customer, retention lift, and brand sentiment.
Test fewer things, measure them properly, and scale what genuinely works.

Ask yourself: Are our metrics helping us make better decisions, or just filling dashboards?

4. Refine how you grow, not just how fast

Growth that lasts does not come from doing more. It comes from being intentional.

Actions to take:

Review your channel mix. Identify what drives loyalty and what drains budget.
Challenge the “more” mindset. More posts, spend, or influencers does not always mean more impact.
Get closer to your audience. Talk to customers regularly and act on what you learn.
Align your teams around purpose. Ensure every campaign supports a single, meaningful brand story.

Ask yourself: If we stopped everything for a month, what would truly move the brand forward?

5. Humanise your marketing

Beauty is personal. Your strategy should feel that way too.

Actions to take:

Put faces to your brand. Founders, formulators, and real customers build stronger emotional connection.
Stop chasing trends. Lead conversations that matter to your audience’s lives.
Use data to understand people, not to manipulate them.
Encourage your team to think like humans first and marketers second.

Ask yourself: Are we making people feel something, or just making noise?