There’s a new breed of beauty consumer emerging, one who values trust and authenticity from brands just as much as their products. Trend forecasters have coined this group, The Institutionless Consumer, and have noted that the disconnect between brands and big business has created a new marketing model, one that brands need to employ if they want to reach this values-first beauty customer.

“In 2018, new manufacturing and distribution techniques, funding methods and routes to market will supercharge innovative forms of disintermediation. And, smart brands will jump at this chance to cut out traditional middlemen. Yes, to reduce prices. But also to serve rising expectations for price transparency, on-demand product variation, and total consumer empowerment,” according to TrendWatching.

One brand, Beauty Pie, developed by beauty industry fixture, Marcia Kilgore, offers premium-quality cosmetics at factory prices, appealing to consumers disenchanted with big brands. Each product includes a cost transparency outline so the amount of money spent on formulation, ingredients and packaging is crystal clear. In doing so, Beauty Pie is hoping to demystify beauty industry pricing and educate customers on the markups they pay when buying luxury brands. In short, cutting out the middleman means more transparent prices.

“We are at the height of transition in the beauty industry now – women are buying cosmetics online more and more as opposed to going into a department store and going for the name brand they are most familiar with,” said Marcia. “I think that trend will continue to rule and the focus will be much more on ingredients and results and much less on brand name. I wouldn’t call it a backlash to brand-dominant beauty, but I do see consumers solely focused on the quality of the product more so than the name on the tube.”

With the new institutionless consumers’ growing interest in ingredients, Unilever launched personal care brand Love Beauty and Planet, formulated with sustainably sourced ingredients that are packaged in bottles made from recycled plastic. The brand has also pledged to reduce its carbon footprint by 20 percent by 2020. Another Unilever brand, ApotheCARE Essentials, utilizes natural ingredients with technology to appeal to a consumer who wants the transparency of ingredients with the efficacy of science.

Because of the rise of the institutionless beauty consumer, trust-building has become synonymous with brand-building for beauty marketers. Carefully curated products offered via membership, direct-from-factory prices, straightforward (even minimalist) products and packaging, are just some of the strategies business and retail models will need to adapt in order to succeed.

Learn more about the strategies that appeal to this growing trend at CEW’s upcoming event,

The Institutionless Consumer, to be held Wednesday, May 9, at Meredith Corp. headquarters in Lower Manhattan. Lisa Feierstein, Trend Strategist, TrendWatching, will provide more insight on this trend and define exactly who the institutionless beauty consumer is and their importance for brands’ business models.

On the panel is Beauty Pie’s Founder, Marcia; and Molly Landman,Global Brand Director, Love Beauty & Planet and ApotheCARE Essentials, Unilever. The panel will discuss how their brands have captured the trust and value of the emerging consumer demographic.

To register for attend this event,

click here.