Beauty Brands Are Finding Their Next Customers on the Operating Table

Welcome back to Haul of Fame, your must-read beauty roundup for new products, new ideas and robot perfumes.

Included in today’s issue: Anfisa Skin, Burberry, Charlotte Tilbury, Coach, Curie, Cyklar, Foreo, Hanyul, Lancôme, Make Beauty, Nars, Native, Neutrogena, Nostos, Pantene, Polite Society, Rabanne, Rhode, Saltair, Sol de Janeiro, Stripes Beauty, Tarte, Tatcha, Yse Beauty, YSL Beauty, Zocdoc and bondage mascara.

But first…

Much like fairy tales, there is no “happily ever after” when it comes to looking the way you want. There is always newness, or at the very least maintenance, to make you buy more things, embrace more routines, get closer to the “you” in your head instead of the one in your mirror.

This is terrible news for one’s psyche but fantastic for the facial aesthetics industry, which has in recent years become a kind of Atlantis — a magic land, an impossible one — that promises sips of eternal life, at least for your skin. There is Kris Jenner’s stunning facial transformation, which makes it seem like the Calabasas mogul has a Harry Potter time turner instead of a standing appointment with Dr. Steven Levine. There is the “youth creep” of procedures like neck lifts, which used to be reserved for the 70-year-old women who inspired bitterly great Sondheim songs, and now come up on Millennial group chats. And there is the new tourist boom to Asia (South Korea, specifically) where beauty technology is more advanced so procedures like fillers, lasers and lipo are cheaper but still expertly done.

There’s just one problem, at least according to Dr. Lauren Goodman of the Juliana Clinics: “That stuff doesn’t last. It needs maintenance.” Dr. Goodman and her colleagues insist that if you get a facelift once but don’t keep… uh… lifting, you’ll look older and, frankly, a little bit frightening in under a year. “You’ll also be out about $50,000,” said Goodman, who added that the ceiling can go even higher than $100,000. “That’s what a face lift costs right now. The investment is enormous.” And the beauty market is now swarming around “Facial Longevity,” and the idea that you have to protect your aesthetic investment at all costs — or at least at six-figure ones.

Enter Sculptra, a Galderma injectable that’s said to help build “webs” of collagen, elastin and fat. (It’s also built massive profit margins for the Swiss biotechnology brand, which reported a revenue surge in 2025 due to the anti-aging compound.) Often touted as an alternative to Botox, Sculptra is now gaining a second life as a maintenance product that helps maintain skin after a face or neck lift. “The minute you step out of surgery, you start to age again,” says Goodman, who compares the dermis to a pair of Spanx. It doesn’t matter how often you pull up your shaping leggings, she says. If it can’t “snap back,” the sag will continue. Dr. Goodman says her clinic frequently helps face-lift patients “recover from their recovery” by using Sculptra, along with lasers and radiofrequency therapy, to maintain and strengthen their skin.

This is pretty intense, but plenty of low-key solutions — and their requisite shopping trips — are emerging, too. California-based company Nuance Medical has a Biocorneum Bruise Care System of cream and supplements designed to help patients prepare for and recover from cosmetic procedures. Brands like Skinceuticals and Skinmedica have introduced recovery serums and “repair complexes” in the past year designed specifically for facelift and laser procedures. There are supplement bundles specifically for plastic surgery after-care. There are even spas in Manhattan that discretely offer “post-plastic surgery massage” and even “plastic surgery physical therapy” to teach post-op patients how to hit the Pilates reformer or yoga mat without smooshing your amplified cheekbones.

It’s a big brand opportunity. More than 20 percent of Americans report having some type of cosmetic procedure, whether it’s fillers or a facelift. (A number that continues to grow, according to a 2023 survey by Real Self and YouGov.) And the first person who can slap a sticker on their face cream that accurately says “can prolong your Botox” is going to win a lot of customers — especially if it works.

What else is new…

Skincare

Congrats to Yse Beauty, which hauled in a $15 million infusion from Silas Capital on Dec. 16. To understand why Molly Sims’ beauty brand is hitting the mark with shoppers and investors, check out her chat with The Business of Beauty this summer.

This weekend, my friend said Naomi Watts was “the only beauty person who talks honestly about menopause.” Specifically, she admired how the Stripes founder — who is also, of course, a famous actress — talked about the sticky residue from her oestrogen patches, which is apparently impossible to get off. Watts hasn’t yet unveiled any skin-glue remover, but on Dec. 10, she did drop a Rich & Tight Body Butter, along with an ad campaign featuring Watts herself in a black lingerie slip clutching the product. It’s very convincing!

Zocdoc released its “What Patients Want” report on Dec. 12, and the answer was… Botox, especially for men. This year, male patients booked 45 percent more Botox appointments, which is promising news for the skincare industry.

Welcome to the skincare world, Polite Society. On Dec. 15, the makeup brand by Too Faced founders Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson entered the category with French Rose Milk Moisturizing Glaze Mist. It’s a $36 formula that promises calmer, more hydrated skin with a “glass” finish.

Neutrogena is getting behind “Resting Rich Face,” a TikTok phrase that equates healthy bare skin with a Scrooge McDuck vault hidden somewhere in your Dalston apartment. They’ve enlisted June Ambrose, Courtney Kleinebreil and Jenel Armstrong in their influencer campaign, which revolves around Hydro Boost grip primer and Collagen Bank Vitamin C serum.

Is Curie’s “Stinky Girl” campaign a good idea or a “wait, guys, stop?” It launched on Dec. 15 with nationwide billboards blaring “Honk If You’re a Stinky Girl” and photos of its Warm Vanilla deodorant. Discuss.

Native expanded into the shaving space on Dec. 15 with shaving cream and shaving oil in scents like Cocoa Butter & Vanilla, Cashmere & Rain and Espresso & Woody Maple. The bottles are $10 each and launch directly to consumers before hitting Walmart and Target next month.

Anfisa Skin hit FWRD and Revolve on Dec. 16, marking the brand’s continued spread into influencer-approved spaces. (It’s already on shelves at Printemps and Ject, so shoppers and Botox recipients can easily add the lip glosses to their carts and/or their TikTok stories.)

The face gizmo market is going masstige. On Dec. 17, Foreo announced its newest silo, Foreo for Everyone, a collection of four gadgets including a sonic face scrubber and an LED light hairbrush, plus five skincare products (zit stickers, peptide lip gloss, hyaluronic acid serum, etc.) priced between $13 and $70.

A curious amount of dude bros have asked me this week if they should use Tatcha. While we wait for them to include the skincare brand in their fantasy football group chats, let’s turn our attention to the Longevity Memory Cream, which dropped on Dec. 18 for $84. Using “longevity” in the title is great, because — as noted above — the SEO and GEO potential for that term in the skincare market is about to explode…

Hanyul’s pushing some formula boundaries with its Artemisia Soothing Cleanser, which gets applied as a jelly-like mask and then turns into a soft, lathering foam with a bit of water. (You can also add the water before applying, and use it as a straight face wash.) The product debuted on Dec. 18 at Sephora, along with a Soothing Cleansing Oil for more sensitive skin.

Cyklar’s “multi-sensory” body wash and lotion dropped two new travel-size scents on Dec. 18 — Sacred Santal and Vanilla Verve. (They both smell exactly how you imagine them.)

Makeup

Make Beauty unveiled 10 more shades of its Skin Mimetic Concealer on Dec. 12, including extra light and extra deep options. The concealer is $28 and counts Hailey Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter as users, so if you’re aiming to stare like a fawn into various camera lenses, this is definitely your makeup.

Much like Carrie Bradshaw, Nars knows great sex and isn’t afraid to ask… or use it to talk about lip gloss. On Dec. 15, the Shiseido-owned beauty brand introduced Afterglow, a $30 tinted lip balm in nine shades, including Miseducation (a sheer cherry red), Crush (a creamy brown) and, yes, Orgasm, which is a warm pink with gold shimmer.

Tarte dropped a new skin tint called Macaron Blush & Glow on Dec. 15. It’s a two-in-one compact with powder on one side and creme on the other, and it comes in six shades named after desserts because: Tarte. They’re $38 each and the pigment payoff is buildable but immediate.

Is bondage the beauty vibe du jour? Consider this: After Carolina Herrera’s Good Girl perfume embraced a terrifyingly strict high heel as its avatar, YSL Beauty chose black latex as its latest mascara muse. On Dec. 18, the brand unveiled Lash Latex Sculpting and Lengthening Mascara, which claims 24-hour “sweat resistant” endurance, plus length and lift, and a glossy black finish that brings to mind the iconic catsuit worn by Michelle Pfeiffer in “Batman”… or the obsession-worthy black catsuits made by Anthony Vaccarello for the Saint Laurent runway circa 2022.

Hair Care

Saltair released a texturising hair spray and a liquid hair gloss on Dec. 17 that founder Iskra Lawrence describes as “low effort, high reward.” They’re also $13 each, so leaving them at your parents’ house after crashing for a few days over Christmas won’t drive you nuts.

After Alix Earle spiked Pantene’s sales in a single goofy TikTok last year, the brand has finally hired the mega-influencer to officially stock Pantene in her bathroom. A new video series called “As Seen in Alix’s Shower” dropped on Dec. 17 with shampoo staples and styling products.

Fragrance

Longing for those halcyon days of mall loitering and Victoria’s Secret body spray? Newly launched brand Nostos has got you covered. It’s debut trio of nostalgic fragrances — Teen, Calico and Shiver — were crafted by cool girl perfumer Marissa Zappas, and dropped Dec. 19.

Burberry is going gourmand. On Dec. 15, it quietly dropped Burberry Her Vanilla Absolute, a tasty vamp on the classic Burberry Her fragrance that comes in a powder-pink bottle available at Harrods. If you’re stuck stateside, there’s also Burberry EDP Intense with Strawberry and Orange Blossom, which smells… you know… like strawberries and oranges.

If you were wondering, “Where is my millennial pink Sol de Janeiro fragrance?” then sigh no more. Dec. 16 marked the launch of Cheirosa 91 Rosa Charmosa Body & Hair Perfume Mist, a rose and passionfruit fragrance that’s the same shade as a bright new ballet slipper. Also in the rose category: Lancôme Idôle’s holiday extension scent, Peach ‘N Roses, which hit shelves on Dec. 15.

Rabanne’s Fame in Love and Phantom in Red scents hit shelves on Dec. 16 and they’re packaged in chunky chrome robots. Fame in Love is meant to be the “girl” robot — it’s wearing a scarlet Rabanne chain mail dress and sunglasses — while Phantom in Red looks like a Jetsons extra. Fortunately, they smell like strawberries, amber and vanilla instead of unchecked automation.

And finally…

When the online salon booking service Fresha began investigating beauty trends online, they realized the dupe market was obsessed with two female founders: Charlotte Tilbury and Hailey Bieber. According to its 2025 beauty study, which cross-referenced Boots beauty data with Google analytics trends, Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream and Rhode Glazing Milk were the most-wanted items that shoppers tried to mimic through cheaper buys — Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentre and No7 Good Intent Skin Sip Moisture Milk, specifically. But guys, if you have a teenage daughter and she specifically asks for Charlotte or Rhode, don’t get her the dupe and say “it’s exactly the same.” It’s not, and she’ll blurt out her disappointment on a random family road trip in six to eight months after you ask — for the fourth time — if she can put on her headphones if she wants to listen to Clairo on repeat. (Ask me how I know.)

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