You get what you pay for doesn’t necessarily apply to beauty products, cheaper versions of cosmetics can get you the same results.
Not all apps have a clearly defined mission, but Brandefy does: “By 2025, we will have helped over 30 million people make better choices on beauty products through our community and services.”
The pandemic has been a boon to the app, likely with more people doing research before ordering something online rather than picking things up on impulse at stores. They also would have been more likely to find subscription boxes appealing, and so the app sets up partnerships with beauty brands for just that service.
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The app draws about 30,000 active users on a monthly basis, reports Glossy. In 2020, its growth exploded to the tune of 330% over the last year.
That represents a lot of buyers of beauty boxes. The deal is that the brands give the app the products for free, gaining only the Brandefy promotion. Customers benefit by getting the box of four products (not tiny trial sizes but full-size items) for just $15.
Glossy quoted the app’s founder, Meg Pryde, who observed, “Consumers are no longer one-brand people.”
In the case of cosmetics, that means that they won’t religiously buy one brand and will look to get the same results with cheaper alternatives.
She went on to explain how the app fits today’s cosmetics customers:
“The consumer is so much more educated. They recognize that the margins in beauty and skin care, especially, are just enormous, and that there are certainly companies out there that aren’t trying to capture that insane margin.”
That’s why they look for “dupes” of pricey items made by more affordable brands. This thrifty beauty trend is one that has taken off, largely thanks to YouTube and other social media influencers.
It has a place on Instagram, Reddit, and even TikTok, according to Glossy. It reported that the hashtag #makeupdupes has 63.5 million views and the hashtag #dupes has 154.4 million.
Given the medium as well as the message, this is a great way to reach younger women who have to stick to a budget for beauty expenditures. Accordingly, Glossy reports that the overwhelming majority of Brandefy users are younger than 34, and many are still students in college.