Your Dream Isn't Dead: Why Indie Beauty Still Needs You

You’re Not Too Late. You Just Need to Build Smarter.

I know it’s a devastatingly tough market for indie beauty, but there’s still room for you.

If you’re in pre-launch mode right now, first of all: hi. I see you. WTF, right?

Second of all, I know it’s scary out here. Every week it feels like another beloved indie brand shutters. Founders who did everything right (launched stunning products, built communities, told beautiful stories) still had to close their doors.

It's easy to spiral. If they couldn’t make it, how will I? Is there even room for another brand? Should I just quit now before I even start?

Pause. Breathe. Stay with me. Like at least 50% of my job is talking deeply worthy founders down from the ledge. I’m serious. I’ll happily remind you why we’re here.

While it is hard, hard doesn’t mean impossible. The indie beauty market is shifting, yes. But there’s still a genuine hunger for the right brands from consumers. And we’re seeing new players not only survive, but thrive.

Proof of Life: Brands Breaking Through Right Now
Look at LILIS, who secured placements at both Moda Operandi and Violet Grey, two of the industry's most selective beauty curators.

Or Amoureux, elevating sensitive skin care into an art form that’s clinically serious, emotionally tender, and wrapped in a soft and cozy point-of-view that feels as good as it looks. And Habelo, Future Beauty, Sleep or Die, Lenox & Sixteenth.

I could happily go on and on. Each of these brands has entered the beauty space with fresh energy, deep consumer insight, and a brand story that feels.

Through my work at The Beauty Brief, we discover incredible new brands every week. Brands that are proving there's still room for newness when that newness is sharp, specific, and intentional.

There is hope. There is need. But the market is asking for more than just another "clean," "inclusive," or "mindful" tagline. It’s asking for true innovation, serious operational discipline, and a real relationship with your customer.

Why It’s Harder Now (& Why That’s Not Necessarily Bad)
If you’ve been studying indie beauty brands from 2014–2019, you’re seeing a very different playbook than what 2025 demands. Alarmingly so. Let’s discuss what exactly has gone down and what’s changed.

Customers are more selective. They’ve seen hundreds of "minimalist luxury" serums. They don’t just want efficacy. They want a brand that feels like it was made for them.

Retail is tighter. Retailers aren’t taking chances the way they used to. Shelf space is more competitive. Launches need to feel inevitable, not experimental.

Paid media is brutal. CACs have totally ballooned. Facebook ads alone won’t build your business anymore.

Virality is a sugar high. Going viral is fab, but it doesn’t guarantee longevity. Sustainable growth happens when your brand becomes part of someone’s identity, not just a trend they tried for a week.

Financial discipline is survival. You can’t just vibe your way through. Margins, cash flow, inventory planning. Boring? Maybe. Non-negotiable? Absolutely.

Future Beauty

The State of D2C in 2025
A lot of founders grew up watching the D2C craze. Glossier, Drunk Elephant, Summer Fridays? All direct-to-consumer, all magnetic. Today? It’s tragically a totally different story. The golden age of organic growth is over. We can grieve, but we can also adapt.

In 2025, social media algorithms are no longer your best friend. Actually they’re your expensive, high-maintenance frenemy if we are being real. Platforms prioritize paid content. Organic posts rarely travel unless you're paying, collaborating with creators, or riding a very lucky viral wave.

Even TikTok, once the indie darling, has moved heavily toward monetized models like TikTok Shop and paid boosts. Social media isn’t a free megaphone anymore. It’s a marketplace. And it’s crowded.

So What’s Working Now?

1. Social commerce is exploding. TikTok Shop. Instagram Shopping. Direct checkout is huge. If you're D2C, you need seamless social buying experiences baked into your strategy. Not as a "maybe later," but as a core channel.

2. Influencers (especially micro-influencers) matter more than ever. Authentic, small-but-engaged creators can drive discovery and sales way better than mega-influencers in 2025. Partnerships and whitelisting (boosting creator posts through paid) are key growth levers now.

3. User-generated content is your goldmine. Real customers sharing real experiences builds more credibility (and visibility) than any branded ad could.

4. Hyper-personalization wins hearts. AI and data analytics mean brands can create increasingly personal experiences including tailored messaging, curated drops, segmented campaigns. Customers expect brands to know them.

5. Sustainability and values are non-negotiable. Gen Z and Millennials are holding brands accountable. Sustainable sourcing, transparent pricing, ethical operations. This is not a bonus, it’s the bare minimum.

Succeeding in 2025 & Beyond
Community. Story. Product. Profit. In that order. If you’re serious about bringing your brand to life in today’s market, these are the things that matter. The most. Crucially.

Radical differentiation. Your brand needs a sharp, unmistakable identity. Not "kind of like X but cleaner." Only you could have made this brand. If your brand disappeared tomorrow, what hole would it leave in the market? And in people’s lives?

Community, not just customers. You need ride or dies, not just buyers. Think tight-knit email lists, private groups, IRL experiences, loyalty programs. 10,000 real fans will beat 100,000 shallow (or god forbid, purchased) followers every time.

Emotional storytelling. It’s not about how you started your company. It’s about why it matters to your customer’s life today. Stories move people. Stories create belonging. Stories sell.

Operational excellence. You need good products and good business practices:

• Clean supply chains

• Tight cash flow management

• Realistic COGS

• Margin discipline

• Profitability pathways

Unsexy? Maybe. Essential? 100%.

Patient urgency. Work with urgency daily. Build with patience over years. No one becomes iconic overnight, but every great brand is built through relentless, consistent moves.

If you’re still dreaming about launching your brand, you should be. Not because it’s easy and not because it’s a guaranteed rocketship. But because there’s still so much space for visionary, obsessively specific, deeply human brands.

The world doesn’t need another basic bitch skincare line. The world needs you. Your weirdness, your brilliance, your clarity, your originality. I genuinely encourage you to build it.

Sharpen it. Refine it until it cuts glass. And then bring it to life. Bravely, smartly, beautifully. I’m rooting for you, babe. Always.

P.S. At Brand Baby, I’m just getting started. If you want real talk, smarter strategies, and actual help turning your beauty brand dream into reality, you’ve found the perfect Substack for you.

Brand Baby is a 1-woman passion project written and developed by Bethany Paris Ramsay, a self-employed beauty marketing consultant and writer. If you’re interested in supporting her work, you can subscribe, pledge for future paid subscription options, or buy her a “coffee” here.

To book a free discovery call with Bethany, you can set up time via Calendly here.