How a Beauty Brand Regained Glow in an Age of Influencer Shine

CASE STUDY: PRODUCT BRAND OF A WELLNESS DRINK STARTUP

FOCUS: Brand Drift | AUDIENCE: Stewards of Plateaued Brands

I helped an established beauty brand rediscover relevance when influencer-led startups began stealing its spotlight.

The Brand Challenge

This wasn’t a product problem. It was a perception eclipse. A respected Indian beauty brand—trusted by dermatologists, known for gentle formulations and a loyal customer base—had started fading into the background. Despite decades of goodwill, the brand was losing its prime shelf space to agile, influencer-fuelled labels that had no real track record, just radiant online buzz.

While it still stood for quality and care, it had become invisible. On social media, it was barely present. Its packaging felt subdued. And to younger buyers raised on reels, it simply didn’t feel like part of the conversation. The market had moved from merit to magnetism—and this brand hadn’t kept pace.

The Brand Insight

Modern beauty buyers aren’t just looking for what works—they’re looking for what winks. They want relevance that radiates. Trust is important, but visibility builds it now. Brands are chosen not by research, but by rhythm—how often they show up, who’s seen with them, and what stories they trigger.

This brand had the history and the heart. But it had stopped expressing it. The glow had dimmed, not in essence—but in expression. It needed to reframe its credibility in the format today’s consumers actually absorb.

The Big Brand Idea

I recrafted the brand not as a fading expert trying to mimic influencers—but as a trusted companion rediscovered through real voices. Instead of trying to compete with curated influencer aesthetics, the brand would lean into its most powerful asset: authentic users who had always believed in it.

These weren’t trend-chasers—they were women with routines, values, and skin stories worth spotlighting. By building its glow not through borrowed shine, but through reflected trust, the brand could show that it was never outdated—just unheard in a noisier world.

The Brand New Strategy

I positioned real users as the new brand storytellers. Not ambassadors. Not affiliates. But witnesses—sharing how the brand quietly worked for them, across years and skin phases.

I built a system of co-creation: where customers could share stories, co-design rituals, vote on launches, and see themselves—not just models—on screen. The result: not artificial glow, but earned radiance.

10 New Content Directions

Here are 10 strategic ideas developed (and several executed) to support the new brand direction:

#MyGlowStory Series: User-submitted reels narrating how the product supported a moment—recovery, return, or reinvention.
Skincare Journals: Monthly blog-style diary entries from real women showing how the product worked across seasons.
Your Rituals, Our Routine: Crowd-sourced rituals turned into visual campaigns—e.g., how users layer or combine products.
Her First Glow: Campaign celebrating first-time buyers with handwritten reviews and unboxing visuals.
Legacy Users Spotlight: Stories from users who’ve used the brand since youth—now sharing it with their daughters.
Packaging Feedback Polls: Design tweaks co-created with customers (new caps, labels, or textures).
Behind My Bathroom Mirror: Invite users to show their actual shelf with your product in the mix—raw and real.
Community Q&A Highlights: Real questions answered with brand’s clinical and empathetic voice.
Before & Beyond: Real-life before/after posts with emotional, not just visual, transformations.
GlowBack Kits: Curated bundles with user-favourite items voted back into limited production.

Results Within 6 Months

42% increase in web traffic, driven by UGC and influencer routine videos
Average engagement per post tripled, with the highest traction on “Glow Diaries” stories
Repeat purchase rate rose by 27%, supported by bundle packs matched to quiz results
Media features in 5 beauty and wellness publications, highlighting brand evolution

CONFIDENTIALITY CAVEAT: This case study represents a confidential engagement. For privacy, specific brand identifiers, campaign names, and project phases have been withheld. It has been shared with permission while preserving client discretion.

Extra Tip for Broader Perspective

If you’re an investor seeking momentum for your portfolio brands, here is one of my case studies that could interest you: “When a Health Drink Brand Finally Listened to Stir Back to Life.“

And if you’re a solo expert looking to sharpen traction, this case study I worked on may resonate: “How a Burnout Coach Turned Her Own Stillness into a Clear Signal.“

Take your brand from stuck to full throttle − with one bold strategic shift

"One BIG IDEA can turn brand stagnation into unstoppable movement. Spots are limited each week—book your breakthrough session now."

Shobha Ponnappa

More Case Studies (and Breakthroughs) from the Brand Drift Category

Subscribe For Strategy

I Bring You:

Smart insights, real-world frameworks, and idea-driven clarity – designed to help brands move.

Get my fortnightly Brand Reframe newsletter. Smart insights, distilled thinking, and focused momentum to help your brand lead.

Get my free case studies guide. Practical ideas, bold shifts, and clever transformations to propel your brand forward.

Just fill in the form to join. Get my newsletter and the guide shown alongside, all with several game-changing tips.

(No clutter. No spam, No fluff!
Your privacy is safe!)