Amazon just got a whole lot more beautiful, courtesy of Lady Gaga. The much-anticipated beauty line of the megastar will be available exclusively on Amazon, according to media reports, in what will be the first major beauty line ever to be launched exclusively on Amazon. The line, branded as Haus Laboratories, is different from other celebrity beauty lines that have gone before her. The line is a shout out to the singer’s earlier days--prior to her fame--when she created her well-known look using what was available to her at the time--drugstore makeup.
Initially, Gaga’s makeup line will be released in September as kits--for $49--and will market itself as an authentic, unfiltered, and inclusive beauty line that promotes Gaga’s happy-to-be-me message. Raw, unfiltered, inclusive, authentic, and self-accepting. The full line of beauty products will follow later, which will also be made available for sale on the Haus Labs website. The line will not, however, be sold in stores.
Critics have questioned Gaga’s logic of launching the line only on Amazon, but for her, the decision was a “no brainer” according to a Business of Fashion (BOF) interview with Lady Gaga. Only Amazon, according to Gaga, would give her complete control over her brand, which promotes both self-acceptance and confidence.
The risk of an Amazon-only sales platform is noteworthy; Gen Zers, as the first digitally native generation, buy practically everything online--except for beauty products--according to a study from Piper Jaffray, which found that even in today’s technologically advanced age, 90% of beauty products are still bought in stores because let’s face it--people want to see it and try it before they buy. Finding just the right foundation, for example, is a monumental undertaking that requires much trial and error.
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Gen Xers are not lining up to buy beauty products online either, but it’s the Gen Zers that remain a difficult target market. Gen Zers hold a lot of purchasing power, at $44 billion, and according to the Jaffray study, Gen Zers spend more on beauty products than they do on clothing--an average of $368 per year, according to the study. That’s an increase of almost 20% year on year.
But the most popular recipients of this massive beauty purchasing power are brick and mortar retailers such as Sephora, Ulta, Target, and CVS--and in that order. Among that same group of women, Amazon was the top go-to retailer for shopping in general--but we’re talking for handbags and clothes and even tech--not for beauty items.
If Amazon’s latest push into the online beauty foray is successful, however, it may change the face of the cosmetics industry forever, giving Ulta and Sephora a run for their money in the $56 billion a year cosmetics market. Its 101 million Prime members--who typically spend $1,400 each on an annual basis--may just be ready to take a chance on the new face of beauty, Lady Gaga style.
Amazon will have Gaga’s Haus Laboratories line ready for pre-buy by Amazon Prime Days, on July 15 and 16. Amazon Prime Day 2018 saw 100 million items sold, raking in $3.5 billion for the online retailer.
By Julianne Geiger for Safehaven.com
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