Beauty

Glossier’s New Cleanser and Retinol Proves The Brand is Growing Up

As we get older, and our beauty routines change, can these new Glossier launches keep up with its consumers?

By Rhea Cartwright

21 April 2021
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nown for a pink so ubiquitous that it came to represent an entire generation, Glossier stole the hearts and purse strings of millennials in a way that no other brand has been able to do since.

But with the oldest of the millennial cohort turning 40 this year, the so-called snowflake generation who made pink a lifestyle choice are now… well, frankly, we are middle-aged. We get excited over oven-cleaning tips and dedicate time to nurturing our sourdough culture.

When it comes to our skincare, we want high-performance products that deliver, save us time and leave us with a constant, ethereal glow. For a brand synonymous with a skin-first philosophy, Glossier’s Cleansing Concentrate is a timely addition to its much-loved range and feels remarkably different to anything we’ve seen from the brand before.

Emily Weiss, Into The Gloss and Glossier founder, said herself that cleansers are “perhaps the most intimate of beauty products” – and they are undoubtedly the most important.

Our cleansing habits often dictate the overall health of our skin, as well as ‘product optimisation’. In other words, if you’re layering an exuberantly priced serum over a quasi-cleansed face, it is an utter waste of money as the products can’t penetrate the film of dirt, grime, SPF and/or makeup that has embedded itself throughout the day.

Unlike the plastic vessel that contains its younger sibling Milky Jelly, Cleansing Concentrate is housed in an elegant glass bottle. It is weighty, minimal and feels luxe but not flashy. The pump has been designed with precision to disperse just the right amount of the calendula and chamomile-infused golden nectar.

Its silky, almost oily consistency emulsifies into a light lather when wet and is perfect for a 60-second massage, which is the desired cleansing time to reach all the nooks and crannies, and get your blood pumping. Perhaps you can even meditate while you’re at it.

Depending on your skin type, you may experience a faint tingle. A gently exfoliating duo of lactic and malic acid helps to keep dead skin at bay, but tread carefully as your skin will need a few of them for your protective skin barrier to maintain a well-balanced ecosystem.

‘Glossier is ensuring that it focuses on us, its beauty-crazed fans who are now ticking a different age box from the one when the brand first launched.’

At £18, it is a welcome upgrade from the brand. It is Glossier for grown-ups, and the ingredients reflect that the brand is maturing alongside the consumers who helped it grow into the billion-dollar behemoth it is today.

With the confirmation of a retinol also scheduled to launch later in the year, Glossier is ensuring that it focuses on us, its beauty-crazed fans – many of whom are now ticking a different age box from when it first launched.

Lead image courtesy of Glossier

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