Conclusion

Glossier has been able to garner a primarily young (Gen Z and Millennial) and loyal audience through its
aesthetic and brand values. Glossier’s minimalistic and feminine branding has
Captivated its audience by communicating principles of embracing natural beauty and promoting self-
love. Our research has proven that a majority of Glossier’s audience does care about their aesthetically
appealing packaging, making it nearly a top priority for those aged 18-35 years old according to our
survey (Page 23, Figure 7). Although many brands cater to their packaging and aesthetic, Glossier has
made its minimalism and femininity a trademark for itself with its use of Millennial Pink, baby blue,
other pastel colors, and simple lines. Glossier has also always been public with its values as a brand,
including sustainability and social issues.

Despite facing backlash for labor issues involving the treatment of its retail employees in 2020, Glossier
has made genuine efforts to mend its mistakes. For example, Glossier was able to respond adequately to
its former employees after the aforementioned Outta the Gloss controversy in a second attempt. In its
second response, it agreed to the former employees’ terms and renovated its diversity training for all
employees, emphasizing the importance on its management, and allocated time for one-on-one Zoom
meetings with former CEO Emily Weiss for the former employees to communicate grievances
(@Glossier, 2022, para. 2-4). In addition to its direct attempt to mend relations with its former
employees, Glossier created the Glossier Grant Program which supports black-owned beauty businesses
and has allocated $10 million to the program toward a list of businesses in 2020 and 2021 (Glossier,
“Our Commitment”, 2022). Our focus group found that its audience was not entirely satisfied with
Glossier’s efforts and said that it needs to get to the “root of the issue” (Page 16, Line 8). However, the
Outta the Gloss Instagram profile ended its boycott and became inactive by the end of 2020.

Overall, Glossier has created a loyal following out of Millennials and is slowly developing that
relationship with its Gen Z audience as well. After analyzing our research, we recommend that Glossier
leans into the edginess that celebrity ambassador Olivia Rodrigo has been able to provide the brand
with. Not only will this appeal to the multitude of subcultures and aesthetics that Gen Z embraces, but
will refresh the aesthetic that has stayed static since Glossier’s launch. It should also continue its efforts
to embrace diversity within its corporate and retail team, as well as continue to create initiatives that
support the ideal like its grant program to show its consumer base that it cares for the causes it
promotes.