Ariana Grande‘s R.e.m. Beauty has launched a new suite of products timed to the unveiling of “Wicked: For Good,” which debuts in November.
And it’s already making waves.
“We exceeded our results from last year by 100 percent on rembeauty.com,” said André Branch, the brand’s chief executive officer, of the collection’s launch on R.e.m.’s website on Oct. 1, when it sold $1 million of product in three hours. It then rolled out to Ulta Beauty on Oct. 5, and will debut at Sephora this coming Sunday. “It was more than double what we did in 2024, and we more than doubled 2024 [sales] on ulta.com,” Branch said of the launch.
The assortment entails undereye masks and palettes, sets and stand-alone products across lip, eye and complexion, themed across characters Glinda and Elphaba, played by Grande and Cynthia Erivo respectively. Prices range from $20 to $65.
Branch, who started five months ago, said it comes at a good time for the brand, with DTC sales more than doubling year-over-year and sales with retail partner Ulta Beauty up double digits. “We’re always looking at ways to accelerate our growth and enhance our affinity with the prestige beauty consumer,” he said.
That consumer is often a fan of Grande, but not always. Branch said about 70 percent of its shoppers are Gen Z, “and they run the gamut from folks who just love Ariana, folks who are fans of R.e.m. Beauty, and people are looking at us beyond just being a founder-led brand but as a real credible player within prestige beauty.
“We’re getting this overlap from fans of her world and her music, but now we’re also getting the prestige beauty consumer,” Branch continued. “We continue to recruit and bring people in to raise the awareness of the brand, which is really paying off.”
Branch noted the appetite for the Wicked collection last year gave R.e.m. the confidence to launch another one for the film’s second part, which has been in the works for the last year. “We have products that we know are outstanding, people are wanting them and looking for them. We added to the offerings from last year,” Branch said. “That’s part of being a consumer-driven brand, and you can’t deny being in the places that matter for these consumers. If consumers are getting information from TikTok, you have to be on TikTok. If they want to shop at Sephora or Ulta, you have to be on Sephora or Ulta or even Amazon. We’re making sure we’re meeting consumers where they are as well.”
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