Beauty M&A has dominated industry headlines lately, with endless speculation about which indie brand will get snapped up next after L'Oréal's recent acquisition of Medik8 to e.l.f. Beauty's US$1bn purchase of Rhode.
But here is the challenge that is rarely discussed: how does a big corporation maintain these indie brands' cultural relevance and the fresh, authentic storytelling that made them worth acquiring in the first place?
Some companies keep original figureheads on board, as e.l.f. Beauty did with Hailey Bieber remaining as Chief Creative Officer of her beauty brand Rhode.
But when that is not possible, or sustainable in the long-term – many founders famously struggle in their brand's new corporate environment – there is a solution that often gets overlooked.
When acquiring these buzzy indie beauty brands, corporations should bring equally buzzy indie creative agencies along for the ride.
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