does it cost $10M to run a beauty brand?
or are we just not resourceful?
Slutty Founder is a weekly-ish newsletter about the business of beauty.
Truly the best profile on Substack for founders - Priscilla Jiminian (subscriber)
Hello and welcome back to our show :) What a gorgeous, sunny day to be writing in from the East Coast!!
Quick thing before we get into this week’s newsletter:
ICYMI—Sephora has shocked us all and opened up their Accelerator program this month. You have just 21 days left (March 31 deadline) to apply.
I’ve been in the weeds of this application and have even helped a client land a spot. The hardest part isn’t just filling it out. It’s making every answer weave together to tell one cohesive brand story. I am happy to handle it for you.
I only have a few spots left. If you’d like to work together let me know here.
Does it cost $10M to run a beauty brand?
In a recent episode of the Gloss Angeles Podcast, David Yi — founder of the now-shuttered Korean beauty brand Good Light Cosmetics — made a claim that quickly spread across our feeds.
When asked what he thinks it “realistically costs to run a beauty brand in 2026,” he said it takes $10M to truly be competitive and cover things like collaborations, your marketing force in retail and to stay visible amongst the competition.
“Those are just table stakes right now,” he says.
As tough as that figure is to stomach, a surprising number of founders I know didn't flinch at it. With the Rhodes and Rares of the world, $10 million starts to feel like the bare minimum just to be taken seriously.
So does it take $10M to build a beauty brand?
Dare I say….I highly disagree! Here’s why.
What does a successful beauty brand even look like?
