The beauty industry is contending with marketing saturation, compounded by an overcrowded content ecosystem in which traditional metrics like follower counts and comments are often distorted by bots. To combat this, brands are turning to “rage bait” — content designed to trigger shock, anger or confusion and meant to drive shares and saves, which are now seen as more authentic indicators of engagement. From Lancôme’s “misdirected” PR mailers to ColourPop’s fake apology squares, the strategy bets that a negative or confused reaction is more valuable than no reaction at all in a world where attention is the ultimate currency.
In this episode of The Debrief Podcast, BoF’s Sheena Butler-Young (@sheena.butler.young ) talks to Business of Beauty executive editor Priya Rao (@priyarao ), and senior editorial associate Rachael Griffiths (@rachaelgriffs ) about whether these high-risk stunts build genuine brand equity or simply erode long-term consumer trust.
🎙️ Listen now #linkinbio #TheDebriefPodcast
📷 Unsplash
I love all my children but this one felt especially fun 🤓
Exploring what the enduring makeup look will be of the 2020s. We love the Clean Girl, but are we ready for something extra?
Enjoy my moodboard including a tweet calling colourful eyeshadow “2016 makeup” that pissed me off so bad it inspired an essay !!! These kids today man
Fragrance is booming, but the way consumers discover and buy scent is changing fast. While scent has traditionally relied on in-person testing, more than half of fragrance purchases in the US now take place online. As department stores decline, brands are leveraging new technologies and creative storytelling to reframe perfume less as a single signature scent and more as an accessory, a collectible and part of a wider personal style.
On the episode of The Debrief, BoF beauty correspondents Daniela Morosini (@danielakmorosini ) and Rachael Griffiths (@rachaelgriffs ) unpack how short-form video, AI tools, layering trends and packaging are reshaping the category.
🎙️ Listen now #linkinbio
📷 Unsplash
