For a long time, the "power" of a beauty brand was measured by the number of points of sale, shelf space in selective retailers, or presence in department stores. However, the latest report from Launchmetrics, published on March 10, 2026, and authored by Anaïs Clavell, highlights a more radical shift: international visibility is no longer automatically correlated with physical distribution. Brands born and nurtured on social media, like Rare Beauty and Rhode, now dominate global media impact, to the point of redefining the rules of the game for established players, from premium to luxury.
The Launchmetrics signal: global visibility is changing its engine – when attention becomes the new distribution: the Rare Beauty and Rhode model
The observation is simple and, for many, unsettling: the most visible brands are not necessarily the most widely distributed. In today's ecosystem, attention travels faster than products and crosses borders without waiting for a store to open. Social media platforms, creators, communities, and media coverage amplify a brand in a matter of hours, whereas retail expansion requires months of negotiations, merchandising, and logistics. Rare Beauty and Rhode embody this new geography of desirability: global brand awareness built "social-first," then consolidated by more selective distribution choices, often conceived as credibility accelerators rather than as a prerequisite for existence.
It's not just about generating buzz. Launchmetrics observes recurring patterns of media impact, driven by very concrete mechanisms: founders at the heart of the narrative, an immediately recognizable aesthetic, a launch schedule adapted to digital norms, and the meticulous orchestration of earned media. In other words, visibility is not a side effect; it becomes a strategic asset, managed like a product line.
MIV: Understanding the indicator that structures the conversation – the Rare Beauty and Rhode model
To understand these rankings, it's essential to grasp the concept of MIV, or Media Impact Value. In Launchmetrics terminology, this refers to an estimate of the value generated by a brand's media exposure across various channels: online press, social media, influencers, traditional media, and proprietary content. MIV doesn't measure the intrinsic quality of a formula or customer satisfaction; it quantifies attention, and more importantly, the ability to convert that attention into media value.
Why is this metric so important? Because it provides a common language between professions that sometimes struggle to communicate: PR teams, social media managers, influencer marketing managers, e-commerce, retail, and senior management. MIV allows for the comparison of very different dynamics, the tracking of campaign effectiveness, and the identification of brands that are performing well in the attention economy. However, it should be interpreted as a barometer, not a verdict: a brand can generate significant media impact without building lasting brand preference, and vice versa.
Rare Beauty and Rhode – the end of the “more stores = more visibility” reflex
Physical distribution remains a powerful lever, particularly in the beauty sector where sensory experience, shade, texture, and advice are paramount. However, it is no longer the sole gateway to international markets. TikTok content , an Instagram review from a recognized creator, or a before-and-after transformation driven by user-generated content (UGC) can trigger global demand even before a retail buyer has approved a product placement. Visibility now precedes in-store presence and can even dictate it: some retailers find themselves chasing after brands already "proven" through social media.
This shift alters the investment hierarchy. Where physical deployment was once the primary focus, funding now goes towards content production, community engagement, creator relations, and the ability to launch quickly. Roles are evolving: alongside the content writer and product manager, the brand content lead, community manager, and social media analyst become central. In this model, distribution is no longer the cause of visibility; it becomes a consequence, sometimes carefully orchestrated.
Rare Beauty: a founder-led brand that transforms empathy into brand equity
Rare Beauty exemplifies a key principle of social-first brands : embodiment. Founder-led marketing isn't just about a face on a poster; it relies on a continuous, coherent narrative, expressed through public statements, short videos, moments of transparency, and signs of connection. This founder's presence acts as a trust accelerator: it humanizes the brand, facilitates virality, and provides an emotional anchor for launches.
From a product perspective, social-first effectiveness also hinges on "readability." A recognizable aesthetic, demonstrable uses, and benefits easily showcased in videos allow communities to embrace the brand. In the beauty industry, demonstration is key: texture, glow, wear, and how it looks on different skin tones. Rare Beauty understood that image, application, and visible results are just as compelling as the INCI list. The product becomes a medium: its story unfolds in the hand, on the skin, in the bathroom, and then spreads through creators and user-generated content.
Rhode: minimalism, desirability, and "drop culture" in the service of impact
Rhode operates within a different, more minimalist aesthetic, often aligned with the codes of contemporary luxury: visual purity, a focus on the essential, and the ability to transform simplicity into an object of desire. In the attention economy, clarity is a weapon: a clean graphic identity, photogenic packaging, wearable colors, and promises that are easily understood without instructions. This minimalism is particularly well-suited to social media formats, where the eye makes a decision in an instant.
The brand also leverages the logic of scarcity and timing. Far from the traditional launch schedule, the "drop culture" creates peaks of attention: an anticipated product, precise timing, a collective conversation. This strategy can rely on highly recognizable materials and techniques in skincare and makeup—balm texture, glossy finish, active ingredients like peptides, hyaluronic acid, or squalane presented in an accessible way—not to over-technicize, but to provide immediate credibility and a narrative angle that creators can replicate.
Social-first levers: creators, micro-influencers, and UGC as a value chain
In brands born from social media, influence isn't a supplementary channel; it's an infrastructure. Rare Beauty, like Rhode, relies on a constellation of creators, often beyond mega-stars, with micro-influencers playing a crucial role. The micro-creator brings more than just an audience; they bring a relationship, repetition, and a shared language. In beauty, repetition is crucial: seeing a product in ten different routines, under ten different lighting conditions, on ten different skin types, creates a more powerful sense of certainty than a single campaign.
User-generated content (UGC) plays a complementary role: it converts the act of purchasing into content, and content into social proof. To achieve this, brands optimize details that traditional players sometimes underestimated: packaging that looks good on video, an applicator that's easy to demonstrate, immediate results, a flattering shade, a signature application gesture. Formulation and industrial design then interact with algorithms. We're no longer designing just for the bathroom, but for the camera.
PR and earned media: the invisible orchestration behind MIV peaks
Another key takeaway from the Launchmetrics report is the power of earned media. Social-first brands know that the most credible conversations often appear to be unpaid. This doesn't mean they're spontaneous; it means they're carefully orchestrated. Press relations, targeted mailings, exclusives, interviews, and cultural moments (red carpets, events, collaborations) can be synchronized with social activations to create a cohesive impact.
This orchestration plays out at the tempo level. A launch becomes a multi-act narrative: teaser, preview, reveal, proof of use, user feedback, media coverage. The role of press officers, influence managers, and content teams becomes similar to that of a newsroom: it's about generating angles, developing a story, and maintaining a level of conversation without exhausting the community. In this context, MIV (Meaning of Value) isn't just measured; it's "composed.".
Converting attention into brand power: from visibility to preference
The business question is central: how does global visibility translate into sustainable growth? First, by building preference—that is, a clear reason to buy beyond mere curiosity. Social-first brands cultivate consistency: the same visual codes, the same values, the same tone, the same ease of use. Second, through retention: routines, daily rituals, and staple products that reappear in the shopping cart. In skincare as in makeup, repeated use creates a customer lifetime value (LTV) that secures growth.
Finally, through a hybrid distribution strategy. Direct-to-consumer provides the data, the margin, and the relationship; wholesale and selective retail bring the trial, the volume, and the legitimacy. In a world where visibility no longer waits for the store, the point of sale becomes a stage: it must extend the experience seen online. Merchandisers, beauty trainers, advisors, and e-commerce teams must speak the same language. The powerful brand today is the one that maintains a stable identity while moving between platforms, media, and sales channels.
What this means for luxury and premium beauty: budgets, timelines, distribution
For established brands and global groups, the rise of Rare Beauty and Rhode acts as a mirror. It forces a reassessment of the balance between brand and performance, between image and conversion. Luxury players, from Chanel to Dior and Guerlain, and beauty giants like Estée Lauder Companies, L'Oréal, and Shiseido, know how to produce iconic campaigns. But the social-first economy also demands a daily presence, responsiveness, and the ability to let creators make the product their own without losing control of the narrative.
The launch calendar is also changing. Annual cycles, structured by key retail events, now coexist with micro-moments dictated by trends: a shade goes viral, a skin finish becomes essential, a makeup routine makes a comeback. Distribution, meanwhile, is being rethought in terms of scarcity and friction. Too much availability can dilute desire; too little can frustrate and fuel parallel markets. Premium brands must learn to manage scarcity as a tool, without compromising the accessibility expected in beauty products.
The limitations of MIV and the risks of a model too dependent on platforms
MIV is useful, but it shouldn't become an obsession. First, because it measures exposure value, not profitability. A campaign can perform well in the media while simultaneously reducing profit margins, overspending on inventory, or attracting opportunistic customers. Second, because visibility can be volatile: a brand with a strong presence on TikTok can be affected by an algorithm change, format saturation, or a shift in audience to a new platform.
The reputational risk is just as real. In the beauty industry, amplification is instantaneous: a PR disaster over a formulation, a shade deemed exclusionary, an ill-advised statement, a controversial collaboration, and the media impact backfires. Transparency becomes imperative, as does operational quality: supply chain, customer service, returns management, compliance, and product safety. When global attention takes precedence over organizational structure, the slightest weakness is exposed. The challenge is to grow the company at the same pace as its visibility.
Towards a winning strategy: reallocate without abandoning the existing framework, modernize without spreading ourselves too thin
The findings of the Launchmetrics report suggest a pragmatic approach. For established brands, it's not about simply copying Rare Beauty or Rhode, but about adopting their strategies: creating content designed for practical use, investing in creator relationships, embracing a more direct aesthetic, and connecting PR, social media, and commerce. Content must become a sustainable, reusable, and adaptable asset, rather than a one-off burst of activity. Performance, in turn, benefits from being fueled by a strong brand: without brand preference, acquisition costs rise and loyalty erodes.
For social-first brands, the next step is to solidify their promise. This involves high-quality formulas, rigorous testing, consistent product ranges, and the ability to endure beyond fleeting trends.
