Every beauty brand wants to be desirable, but none of them wants to admit how desperately they’re chasing cool.

What I’m most curious about is how brands can pull off desirability without trying too hard, while still making consumers feel cool to use their products. The conundrum has been circling the drain that is my mind for a few weeks now, mostly because I’ve been so consumed by understanding how and why beauty brands optimize for cultural relevancy in a very online world. 

Most of these thoughts were sparked by Glossier relaunching its Balm Dotcom in an “I Love New York” wrapper, turning its SoHo flagship into a fake bodega. It is, by the company’s own admission, a look backward before it moves forward, trying to regain the same virality and brand trust it once had.