skincare brands are selling eggs
what a time to be alive
Hello friends! I am back—and if you didn’t notice my hiatus, that’s totally cool ;) I’ve been in London the past 3 weeks and then in Mexico for a wedding, so admittedly took a long asssss break from writing. Alas, I am back stateside and tuning back into the news cycle here—both on political and cultural fronts. Let’s dive right in.
In non-travel news…
Poppi’s about to be acquired by PepsiCo for a whopping $1.95 billion. I’ve been reading mixed reactions to this acquisition. Some applauding Poppi for its incredible repositioning back in 2020. They used to be known as an apple cider vinegar (ACV) drink called Mother before they changed their name to Poppi, and then dubbed themselves as "modern soda”. On the other hand, some claim that Poppi’s success should be directly attributed to its copying of Olipop. Oof. It’s hard for me to not be bias here because I am an Olipop stan. But at the end of the day, Poppi executed on branding and marketing, turning themselves into a viral sensation, sometimes for the wrong reasons but hey bad publicity is still publicity. And given how saturated the beverage market is, specifically soda, everyone’s
copyingtaking inspiration from other brands anyways.Hot take: we do not need anymore healthy / better-for-you / functional / prebiotic sodas launching. Even though I think the market is really saturated, others don’t seem to think so. Bloom Pop is the latest “modern soda” trying to disrupt the market. Created by Bloom Nutrition, these beverages are hitting shelves around Labor Day this year. In their own words, Bloom Pop is “made with a scientifically backed prebiotic and flavor…[it] is our answer to what our fans feel the modern soda category is missing: a truly tasty and functional drink”. Sounds like every other BFY soda brand imo.
it looks like olipop & poppi had a baby… Enough about soda, we live in a time where skincare brands are selling eggs. The Ordinary is currently selling a dozen eggs for $3.37 at select NYC locations. Why? There’s a lot of attention and conversation around egg prices and not to mention, we’re in the middle of an egg shortage. They’re giving consumers what they need right now, that is access to cheaper eggs. In all seriousness though, this is excellent marketing. New Yorkers are running to buy eggs from the Ordinary, which in turn is generating brand awareness. Selling eggs might feel out of place, but I feel like it actually aligns with the Ordinary’s brand ethos. They are known for their affordable yet effective skincare products, and now they want eggs to be affordable too. I’m sold.
Everyone (in the CPG space) has been talking about Expo West—the largest trade show for food & beverage brands, and I’m loving the trends analysis coming out of it. Two of my favorite round ups are from Nate Rosen and Chloe Gordon. I’ll let you check them out butttt if you’re too lazy. In a nutshell: protein is everywhere & in everything, better-for-you beverages continue to boom, masculine branding is on the rise, the frozen food aisle is getting a glow up, and sustainable packaging is back baby. I’m bummed I wasn’t at Expo West this year since I’m newer to the world of CPG and apparently tickets are $$$. That said, I shall be manifesting a ticket to attend for next year.
I spy with my little eye, a lot of new sauce brands. We’ve already seen a wave of trendy / gentrified olive oils, but I think sauces as a whole are next. Everything from globally-inspired flavors to protein-packed renditions to new age versions of the classics. Some new sauce brands on my radar include:
She’s the Sauce: better-for-you, protein-packed, fiber-filled sauces.
Shuug Sauce: traditional Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavors.
Sunny Fine Foods: an all-natural tahini dip, sauce, and spread.
Ayoh Mayo: ”mayo with a POV” created by recipe-developer Molly Baz.
Bowlcut: asian-inspired sauces including char siu and chili crisp.
You know what product category has really sleek & sexy branding? Non-alcoholic beverages. I don't mind being sober curious if this is what my beverages will look like.
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Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browserAll brands need to leverage color theory! I loved reading ’s newsletter that dives into this. If a brand uses a consistent color palette in all the ways it shows up in the world, consumers will eventually associate those specific colors with that brand. What’s powerful about this is that a given brand will be on the minds of consumers in so many real-life contexts outside of the brand’s marketing materials. For instance, anything ‘Millennial’ pink reminds me of Glossier, minty matcha green with Crown Affair, and vintage blue + yellow with Vacation sunscreen. Being entrenched in consumer psyche is great for the brand, but kinda unnerving for us consumers.
🙋🏼♀️ where else to find me?!
call me gen z but i’m most active on tiktok, then on instagram.
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