Preview: Beauty Mavericks

Preview: Beauty Mavericks

Global – Beauty Mavericks have gone their own way, creating their own products and services to cater for their specific beauty needs.

LS:N Global case study Eleanor Barkes. Film and photography by James Maiki

Global – As an industry, beauty has taken small steps towards inclusivity in the past couple of years, but there are those who remain on the periphery of the mainstream.

  • In 2015, Marc Jacobs launched Re(marc)able, a new range of foundation with 22 shades, only three of which were for darker-skinned women
  • ‘It’s not a black and white issue,’ says Jihan Forbes, associate editor at Yahoo! Style. ‘Women of various races and ethnicities come in deep skin tones. They exist, have money and want to spend it on a proper foundation’

Introducing our latest tribe, the Beauty Mavericks, who have gone their own way, creating products and services to cater for when they have been ignored by the sector.

The Beauty Mavericks don't let the tunnel vision of the industry stop them from defining their own version of beauty. When Ofunne Amaka, 26, couldn't find the right shade of foundation at the drugstore, she created an app, Cocoa Swatches, for make-up colour swatches. Fashion student Patrick McDowell, 20, uses art supplies to create his graphic make-up looks because he feels uncomfortable with the feminine vision of beauty at most make-up counters. And Eleanor Barkes, 34, had to create her own products to cater for her natural hair texture in a landscape in which relaxers are still the norm.

The Big Picture

For more on why the industry needs to stop ignoring these Beauty Mavericks and others like them, see our latest tribe report.

Discover More Daily Signals
SXSW 2026: Why boring brands are borrowing from entertainment to break the internet

Daily Signals

SXSW 2026: Why boring brands are borrowing from entertainment to break the internet

On day two of SXSW 2026 speakers challenged a long-held assumption in marketing: that so-called ‘boring’ categories must produce dull advertising.
Global Events : SXSW : Advertising & Branding
Why WhatsApp is launching pre-teen accounts

Daily Signals

Why WhatsApp is launching pre-teen accounts

Instant messaging service WhatsApp is expanding its user base by introducing pre-teen accounts, lowering access to include users aged under 13 for ...
Social Media : Parental Control : Online Safety
Stat: How to appeal to each generation through visual design

Daily Signals

Stat: How to appeal to each generation through visual design

New research from Adobe reveals a widening generational divide in how UK consumers perceive design, with younger audiences placing significantly gr...
Design : Branding : Marketing
Creators, community and culture take centre stage at SXSW Austin 2026

Daily Signals

Creators, community and culture take centre stage at SXSW Austin 2026

A central question echoed across discussions on the first day of SXSW 2026: how can brands tap into culture in a way that feels genuinely relevant?
Global Events : SXSW : Marketing
How Tipping Point East is redefining circular construction in London

Daily Signals

How Tipping Point East is redefining circular construction in London

A new hub in east London aims to rethink how cities build by embedding material re-use directly into the construction supply chain.
Construction : Sustainability : Future Spaces
Stat: The enshittification of TikTok is creating a widening trust gap with Gen Z

Daily Signals

Stat: The enshittification of TikTok is creating a widening trust gap with Gen Z

Global – Growing scepticism is beginning to reshape how Gen Z engage with the social media platform TikTok.
Social Media : Advertising : Statistic
Pinterest reveals how parents are designing tech-free childhoods

Daily Signals

Pinterest reveals how parents are designing tech-free childhoods

Parents are increasingly seeking ways to raise children away from screens, according to a new parenting trends report from Pinterest.
Parenting : Technology : Childhood
M&S turns compliments into a marketing strategy

Daily Signals

M&S turns compliments into a marketing strategy

Retailer Marks & Spencer is building its positioning around positivity and everyday affirmation with a new campaign encouraging shoppers to sha...
Marketing : Celebrity Endorsements : Retail
Stat: China’s record travel surge signals opportunity for outdoor brands

Daily Signals

Stat: China’s record travel surge signals opportunity for outdoor brands

China’s 2026 Spring Festival generated record-breaking travel and spending, underscoring the scale of domestic mobility and the country’s growing a...
China : Travel : Statistic
Iga Węglińska explores the power of sensory restraint

Daily Signals

Iga Węglińska explores the power of sensory restraint

Designer Iga Węglińska’s Perfect Sense explores how design can recalibrate human perception. The project comprises a series of six masks that inves...
Design : Transhumanism : Senses
You have 1 free Daily Signals remaining. Sign up to LS:N Global to get unlimited access to all articles.
BECOME A MEMBER
SIGN IN