Need to Know
09 : 08 : 19

New York – The direct-to-consumer supplements start-up has created a range of CBD vitamins designed to increase productivity.

Kaleidoscope's set of five vitamins use a spectrum of organically grown plants combined with 30mg of CBD. Its supplements are formulated to target and optimise different aspects of consumers’ daily wellbeing, from Glow, which contains biocell collagen and silica for skin, hair and nails, to Soothe, which includes hyaluronic acid to support joint health. Its pure CBD offering, Boost, contains 'no frills, no extra ingredients', and is designed to support busy working lives.

Founder Ana Rosenstein says her target audience are customers that have been forgotten, ‘Type A career-driven people, the people who want to be more productive versions of themselves’. She adds on the brand’s website: ‘I wanted my CBD to be functional, not recreational. To be taken every single day, combined with the benefits of a host of other ingredients.’

Positioned in this way, Kaleidoscope taps into the growing appeal of CBD among aspirational urban consumers. For more, read our Luxury CBD Market.

US – The newly launched app enables women to host group discussions in their own homes.

Quilt’s mission is to transform online and offline spaces in order to spark connections. With an online portal, members can access thought-provoking conversations and content that inspires them to log off and gather for purposeful debates, interviews, co-working sessions and workshops.

The app gives women access to a trustworthy local community in order to build their professional and personal connections. They can also use it to chat via small, intimate groups. Users who wish to bolster their network can host their own gathering at home, exploring topics such as moving to a new city, contemplating motherhood and changing careers, charging a small fee for attendance.

As a new type of female-first members’ club, Quilt is reviving the art of conversation and providing a platform for women to make more meaningful connections.

New York – The four-storey space curates a genre-defying shopping experience that is part retail, part immersive theatre.

Dubbed ‘the most interesting store in the world’, Showfields invites consumers to discover, shop and engage with a rotating selection of up-and-coming digital-first brands. Its flagship location in New York’s NoHo neighbourhood hosts a selection of popular wellness, home and design-focused brands alongside dedicated food, drink and event programming.

The retailer’s House of Showfields experience, which runs across the entire second floor of the store, is a first-of-its-kind immersive theatre performance that allows consumers to touch, smell, eat and test various products. Here, actors tell the stories of direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands, such as Boodles Gin, Book of the Month and Skura, with various installations throughout adding to what Showfields calls the environment’s ‘magic realism’.

With its entertainment-driven approach to experience, Showfields demonstrates how Department Store Disruptors are further elevating their dynamic showcases of DTC brands.

Female consumers in the UK are moving away from multi-step beauty routines, according to research from Mintel, which finds that three in 10 (28%) of UK women have reduced the number of products in their facial skincare routine over the past year.

Millennials aged 20–29 are the most likely to have simplified their routines, according to the report, with many looking for simpler yet equally effective solutions. ‘A growing number of UK women are turning away from the multi-step K-Beauty routine, hoping to reach the same glowing result without having to put the time in,’ explains Alex Fisher, global skincare analyst at Mintel. ‘This need for simplicity has pushed them towards minimalist skincare products with more intense active ingredients, such as serums and oils.’

In our Beauty Backlashers tribe, we spotlight a subset of beauty consumers embracing minimalist regimes.