This is an episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, which features candid conversations about how today’s trends are shaping the future of the beauty and wellness industries. More from the series →
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When Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson first launched Too Faced back in 1998, the beauty startup world was a whole different game. Over the decades, the co-founders powered through all the big changes in the beauty industry, from the rise of Sephora to the onset of the influencer era.
After Estée Lauder Companies acquired Too Faced in 2016, Blandino and Johnson are at it again with a new company and two brand launches. Their new makeup brand, Polite Society, was unveiled on August 27 with Ulta Beauty as its retail partner. It joins the roster of Blandino and Johnson’s new parent company, Toy Box Brands, which also recently unveiled jewelry-cleaner brand Diamond Drunk. On this week’s episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, the business partners share the history of their careers with Too Faced, as well as all the details on the new beauty brand, including the new products, the clean ingredients focus and the brand positioning.
On going glam with clean beauty
Blandino: “I want to create a brand that we’re going to build from the ground up that is plant-based, that is vegan, that is clean. We’re going to use PCR materials that might not be perfect, but I’m going to call them ‘perfectly imperfect,’ because they’re better for the planet. And we’re going to make it high efficacy, full payoff, glamour, glitz, all the things that, in the clean beauty space, I wasn’t seeing. Clean beauty is fantastic. It tends to be more shared and more natural. It wasn’t my aesthetic, and I thought, ‘Where’s that amazing medium- to full-coverage finished foundation? Where’s that mascara that’s going to blow your mind with lift, length, curl?'”
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On Ulta Beauty
Blandino: “I love their approach to beauty. They have mass and they have Dior, and their customer is so varied. They invite all of us in to explore and have a good time. They’re right next to maybe your favorite grocery store. The way we shop, we’re trying to get a lot done. Who’s got the time? They’re so available and convenient. The leadership at Ulta is so positive; they literally lead with love. They’re excited about innovation, they want to hear what you have to say, and they want you to be different. They really have lifted us up and encouraged us to be even more unique and to express ourselves more fully.”
On launching beauty in the TikTok era
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Blandino: “We took a very TikTok approach. Everything has to have a ‘wow.’ That’s why you’re seeing, on our before and afters, we say, ‘We shot it with a phone.'”
