Twenty-five-year-old makeup brand Too Faced aims to send the message that it’s still a cool brand with the launch of its new product vertical, Fantasy Factory.
Fantasy Factory, which officially launches on February 14, is a limited-edition drop program that will roll out ultra-timely products available exclusively on Too Faced’s e-commerce site. The drop program will feature three to four products in limited quantities each year. Too Faced did not share how long the program will last.
According to Too Faced, the new program is an opportunity for the brand to return to its roots of not taking itself too seriously while also prioritizing trend-forward and innovative products. The brand’s bestselling Better Than Sex Mascara and the Born This Way collection have made it a makeup category standout.
“You can’t launch everything on a shelf at Sephora and Ulta. There’s [not enough] room,” Tara Simon, Too Faced’s global president, told Glossy. “And we couldn’t let go of some of [our] sparkly fabulous [products]. So we had to decide, ‘How can we [keep these products] and make things available and still be able to test and learn?’ We thought [Fantasy Factory] would be a fun way to give more to the beauty enthusiasts and everybody who loves this brand.”
In addition to creating room for the brand to experiment with products, this opportunity will also allow Too Faced the ability to deliver on-trend makeup products with an expedited timeline. And while the brand will be using its in-house marketers and developers as its focus group for Fantasy Factory’s products, real-time customer feedback and data will help inform future products, Simon said.
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“We say we’re on trend, we’re not trendy — so we’re using our own crystal ball [to create what’s ‘cool’],” said Simon. “[With each drop], what consumers think will be apparent fast. [These products] could sell out in a day, or maybe it takes a week. We don’t care how long it takes. We’re just curious to see and get the reaction [from consumers] and have a flurry of activity around it.”
The brand’s products dropped via Fantasy Factory will be unique in the marketplace in that they’ll have “broad appeal, be easy to use and [leverage] not-so-shaded pigments [that will] work on all skin tones,” Simon said. The first launch is a glittery, multiuse eye shadow called Disco Crush in the shade Heart Eyes, which retails for $30.
Partners, influencers and consumers who are most engaged with the brand will be seeded with the products ahead of the surprise drops, Simon said. In addition, for its TikTok community of 1.3 million followers, Too Faced will be sharing posts about the products ahead of the drops. Consumers will be able to purchase products from the Fantasy Factory drops through the brand’s TikTok Shop storefront.
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More so than a consumer acquisition or sales-driving strategy, the drop program is meant to increase the brand’s earned media value and share of voice, Simon said. Also this year, Too Faced will be betting big on product innovation and fine-tuning its social media and TikTok strategies, she said.
“If you’re not growing and growing your market share, you’re going to lose your rank and look less important in a store, and it goes downhill from there,” said Simon. “[Top] priority is continuing to grow profitable sales. We’d love double-digit growth [this year].”
