Hi, I’m Nithya Sudhir. I collect words, chase patterns, and write about whatever makes me curious.
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Lessons From Beauty’s Boldest Moves
How Beauty Brands Keep Curiosity Alive (and Customers Hooked)
When Estée Lauder launched her first four skincare products in 1946, she didn’t have a multimillion-dollar campaign or influencers to push them.
She “accidentally” spilled a sample of Youth Dew bath oil on the counter at Saks Fifth Avenue, letting the fragrance drift through the store.
Customers stopped in their tracks.
What was that smell? They needed to know!
In a $677 billion dollar global industry where more than 120 new brands launch each year, does survival depend on sparking curiosity?
This week, one beauty brand took an unconventional — some might argue bold — swing. And others in the industry are making their customers look inside the box.
If consumers aren’t wondering about you, are they forgetting you?
Let’s get into it and realize some interesting science behind why we buy!
🤝 Supported by Tracksuit
Put your hand up if you’ve ever had to fight tooth and nail to get a slightly unhinged campaign signed off 🙋
And then defend it because, yes, the polar bear breaks up with their human girlfriend because she’s using an aerosol deodorant, not the natural, eco-friendly stuff, but it’s growing brand awareness, okay?!? (this is a legitimate campaign, thanks Wild).
Marketers are under the pump to go big or go home. They need to perform, entertain, grow and prove the ROI of brand spend.
If you’re trying to take a big bet instead of creating the same cookie cutter campaigns each quarter, you need evidence it improved awareness or shifted perception in your key audience segments — not just reached a million people.
Tracksuit’s always-on brand tracking that helps you prove the impact of your boldest campaign work over time…so you’ll get the budget for the next moderately chaotic idea.
Looking inside the box
K-beauty-inspired skin-care brand Peach & Lily sent its newest anti-aging serum, the MiniProtein Exosome Bioactive Ampoule, to creators.
That’s not surprising? Yeah but they sent it without any brand name, product name, or even instructions to post.
The aim was — as you guessed — to garner honest product views while encouraging their creator set to educate viewers with actual information.
RESULT: Within two hours, impressions topped 1 million, and engagement ran 5× higher than past campaigns.
This year, blind boxes — mystery packages exploded in the U.S., fueled by the craze for collectible keychain Labubu dolls and Sonny Angel figurines.
In 2024, adults bought more toys for themselves than for preschoolers for the very first time and in the first half of 2025, the number of toys bought for grownups increased 18%.
Blind boxes also give premium brands a way to reach shoppers with tighter budgets.
Labels like Set Active, Madhappy, and even Le Creuset have even used them to clear inventory at lower price points.
#blindbox has accumulated 21.76 billion views on Tiktok in the U.S. over the past year.
Unboxing, once a long-form YouTube genre, now thrives in snappy TikTok clips where the reveal is everything.
The Psychology of Mystery
Curiosity, such a powerful emotion.
In his classic paper The Psychology of Curiosity: A Review and Reinterpretation, (an amazing read on curiosity btw) researcher George Loewenstein argues that curiosity arises when attention becomes focused on a gap in one's knowledge.
In simple terms, curiosity sparks the moment we become aware that we don’t know something — we feel deprived.
It creates this itch in our brains that we want to scratch.
We chase the missing piece of information not because someone told us to, but because not knowing feels uncomfortable.
It’s called the curiosity gap.
Source: Anik Beauchemin
This is why many scientists describe curiosity as an intrinsic drive — something baked into human behavior at its core.
Just like hunger pushes us to eat, curiosity pushes us to learn, explore, and discover.
What happens when Curiosity Meets Price?
When it comes to purchasing, according to research,
Being aware of fashion brands;
store atmosphere;
perceived novelty; and
surprise, positively influences curiosity in the context of blind boxes.
But curiosity isn’t invincible. Price sensitivity changes the equation.
According to research, price-sensitive customers are likely to compare the prices of blind box products more thoroughly, thereby reducing their impulse to purchase.
For Gen Z, though, “personalized yet communal” experiences — like finding a rare figurine — are a way to express themselves and belong to culture.
How can you keep your customers hooked?
Design for intrigue, withhold just enough.
Turn discovery into reward.
Unfold your narrative gradually, curiosity thrives on anticipation.
Mystery boxes are becoming more than purchases; they’re identity tools.
In beauty, curiosity is currency. The brands that master it don’t just sell products—they sell the thrill of finding out.
How's the depth of today's edition?
As always, hit reply if something in here hits home.
See you next week,
Nithya
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