Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
NAPA, California — At The Business of Beauty Global Forum 2026, the fourth edition of the annual event held at Stanly Ranch in Napa Valley, California, industry leaders gathered to explore the strategic shifts reshaping the beauty industry.
During the first content session, entitled "Our Place in Culture," speakers like Byunghoon Kim, co-founder and CEO of beauty device maker APR and writer and broadcaster Emma Dabiri set the scene, unpacking the challenges and opportunities the sector faces.
That same afternoon, Wendy Franks, general manager of health and beauty of Amazon US Stores joined Annabel Bolton, content strategy and features manager at The Business of Fashion (BoF), onstage for a fireside conversation. Together, they explored the retail giant’s evolution from a lower-funnel destination centred on reviews, replenishment and convenience, to an upper-funnel discovery engine.
Beauty is a uniquely personal category, making the product discovery journey both individual and complex. This is especially true online, where customers cannot physically test products and must instead rely on a brand’s ability to communicate its value through compelling storytelling, clear product education and an authentic point of view.
Historically, Amazon has excelled in specific parts of this journey — as a trusted destination for reviews, replenishment and repeat purchases. But while the shopping destination has been a powerful proof point that reinforces confidence at key moments in the path to purchase, it is now expanding its role earlier in the journey.
Amazon has reimagined its shopping experience for discovery — investing in AI-powered technology and personalisation while continuing to provide brands with dedicated support and tools designed to increase visibility and drive engagement.
Real user reviews are the most trusted source of beauty discovery for 51 percent of consumers, ahead of influencers and branded content, according to The State of Fashion: Beauty 2025 report, reinforcing Amazon’s unique role and ability to transform its review-led credibility into a meaningful discovery advantage.
With online beauty sales projected to account for more than 30 percent of global beauty sales by 2030, according to the same report, Amazon’s strategic move as a player further up the customer funnel is a timely move.
Having joined the beauty vertical of the business in January, Franks is overseeing Amazon’s expanding focus to higher-consideration areas such as cosmetics, fragrance and K-beauty — categories where storytelling, community and discovery are critical to conversion.
Below, BoF shares key insights from the conversation on what this evolution means for emerging brands, how premium beauty founders should think about their Amazon strategy and what separates the brands that are successfully building long-term equity on Amazon.
Rethinking the Path to Purchase
Franks opened the session by setting the scene, looking at Amazon’s established role in the discovery journey: “If you have intent, you can click, you can find it, and we’ll get it to you really quickly,” she said. “That continues to be the case.”
She went on to examine the complex mix of platforms and touchpoints which influence how consumers now shop beauty.
“What has really evolved [...] is that the whole journey between discovering something and purchasing something is no longer sequential. It is part of an ongoing experience,” Franks said. “As the customer journey has evolved, we need to evolve with it.”
Explaining this new strategy in action, Franks cited an example from suncare specialist Supergoop.
During Skin Cancer Awareness Month in May, Supergoop made the decision to sell directly on the Amazon Premium Beauty store.
“We were able to work collaboratively with the brand and introduce it to the different ways it could engage customers through immersive storefronts and detailed pages that tell the full brand story,” shared Franks, stressing that this process is how Amazon will “continue to evolve and learn.”
The whole journey between discovering something and purchasing something is no longer sequential.
Franks also shared that the broader goal is to help both established and emerging brands become discoverable on Amazon. “We want to go beyond being a place where established brands with great awareness can scale.”
For Amazon, that means continuing to invest in immersive experiences and new points of discovery to help smaller beauty brands build awareness earlier in the customer journey — rather than simply capturing demand once it already exists.
Using Amazon Data to Inform Brand Strategy
“Brands have come to us as a place where you need to bring operational rigour, think about distribution, inventory and lower-funnel advertising,” said Franks, reflecting on the retail giant’s historical relationship with brands. “It has become much more than that at this stage [and] we are encouraging our partners to think of us as a place where you can build your brand.”
As Amazon moves further up the funnel, it is increasingly leveraging its customer data as a strategic asset for beauty brands.
“We have insights throughout the customer journey, observing how customers discover on the site, browse and think about routines. We see that customers often start with one hero product, and in the next month or two, they might build it into a routine with three or four more products,” she added.
These behavioural patterns are informing how Amazon supports brands in their marketing and product strategies.
“Customers are not staying in one lane — we all know about the convergence of beauty and wellness,” said Franks. “Somebody could come onto Amazon, get a GLP-1 prescription through Amazon pharmacy and then [we offer] other products they might need along that journey. It could be collagen, protein supplements, hair care products, or skin firming [solutions]. Those are the types of unique insights that will continue to evolve the customer experience.”
Driving Omnichannel Growth For Brand Partners
For Franks, Amazon’s customer insights are integral for driving sales — and growth across channels.
“We are also able to help brands build their business not only on Amazon but also from an omnichannel perspective,” said Franks.
She shared how Charlotte Tilbury has harnessed these insights. When the makeup brand launched on Amazon last year, it focused on building its business on the e-tailer and increasing demand across the broader retail ecosystem.
Comparing five control markets with five test markets, Amazon reported that its launch campaign drove a 70 percent increase in Charlotte Tilbury searches in the first two months, brick-and-mortar sales that ran two times stronger than the category average and delivered a nearly three times return across the full retail landscape.
“Thinking about what the entire ecosystem looks like online, not just at Amazon, is the right way to redefine the way we work together,” said Franks.
How Inspiration Will Evolve Across People and Platforms
“[The beauty industry] is innovative, dynamic, interesting and there’s so much to learn.” Franks reflected on the future of beauty discovery, where personalisation and AI-driven solutions are expected to play an increasingly important role.
We see that customers often start with one hero product, and in the next month or two, they might build it into a routine with three or four more products.
“However, [AI] is not going to be everything for customers. It’s going to be combined with learning from creators, influencers and friends. The process will become increasingly iterative, providing more opportunities to learn and be inspired by others like you,” said Franks.
While technology will continue to shape how consumers discover and shop for beauty products, she argued that human influence will remain a critical part of the journey.
Franks closed by pointing to Amazon’s aspiration to deliver the most relevant products to customers.
“One of my big aspirations is making sure we are surfacing the right products to the right customer at the right time. It is not simple for any category, and it might be the most challenging for beauty, but it’s a really exciting opportunity ahead.”
This is a sponsored feature paid for by Amazon Beauty as part of a BoF partnership.
