The Business of Beauty Haul of Fame: Can You Dupe Your Way to the Top?

Welcome back to Haul of Fame, your must-read beauty roundup for new products, new ideas, and an exclusive piece of Target beauty news.

Included in today’s issue: Amouage, Atwater, Beekman 1802, The Center, Credo Beauty, Dazzle Dry, Dolce & Gabbana, D.S. & Durga, Elemis, Eva NYC, Face Haus, Hourglass, Ilia Beauty, Kylie Cosmetics, L’Oréal, Literie, MAC, Makeup By Mario, Makeup Eraser, Mother Science, Naturium, Ole Henriksen, Phlur, Proper, RŌZ, Solawave, Sulwhasoo, Urban Decay, and those girls on TikTok who chant about their hairstyle.

But first…

Stories about makeup “dupes” are copies, too. In the 1990s, Seventeen told us how to use Wet ‘n’ Wild’s $5 nude lip liner instead of MAC’s cult Spice shade; by 2005, E.l.f. gloss had an unofficial MySpace fan page comparing it to Lancôme’s Juicy Tubes. This is not a new thing.

What’s fresh is brands embracing their status as a dupe machine, instead of coyly denying it. Enter MCoBeauty. The Australian brand officially launched in 2020, but its retail ancestor, ModelCo, has been around since 2002. (Remember their aerosol spray tan?) Last March, it entered 1300 Kroger supermarkets and quickly gained a reputation for its fast sell-throughs. Today, the brand expands into 1200 Target stores.

MCoBeauty also has a new team member: former Real Housewife and current TikTok streamer Bethenny Frankel. The entrepreneur and influencer is the brand’s first-ever Chief Value Officer, where her duties include internal pricing audits along with public-facing social media posts. Frankel went live on TikTok to slam Walmart’s “Wirkin” dupe as “not elite” and “sloppy.” So why is she joining a brand known for copycat practices?

Frankel says it’s simple: “Because brands that create affordable products with similar quality to the luxury ones make us realize how much we are being ripped off,” she told me. She calls MCoBeauty’s makeup “prestige dupes” that “give you the excitement and feeling of a luxury good” but cost less than a Sweetgreen protein bowl.

For her first order of business, Frankel guided MCoBeauty through a “price restructuring” to ensure their Target offerings stayed under $15. Her partner in the project was MCoBeauty’s CMO Meridith Rojas, who founded the influencer event network Digitour in 2019. (Viacom acquired a stake of that company in 2019; she moved onto the cosmetics world in July of last year.) To secure the Target deal, Rojas showed up for her meeting with half her face in “$500 worth of makeup” and the other half in MCoBeauty dupes. She challenged Target’s beauty buyer to tell the difference. They could not. “There’s no longer any shame in buying a copy,” Rojas insists, “as long as the quality is there.”

Of course, copycats can sometimes inflame copyrights. MCoBeauty was sued twice in 2021, first by Tarte for allegedly duping its Shape Tape concealer, and then by Aussie brand Chemcorp for a lash and brow dye set. Both times, the suits were settled out of court.

Today, MCoBeauty shows no signs of slowing down its mirror-mirror strategy. The brand’s most popular products include Hydrate & Glow drops — packaged in the same silhouette as Glow Recipe’s Watermelon Glow drops — and Flawless Glow, a near-clone of Charlotte Tilbury’s Flawless Filter illuminator. Three months ago, a Reddit thread asked for “a definitive list” of MCoBeauty dupes, which also elicited comparisons to Dior Beauty, Drunk Elephant, and Laneige. Here’s a visual.

Rojas says MCoBeauty is in the top three cosmetics brands at Kroger right now, edging out other affordable phenoms like Nyx and Covergirl. They also boast “some of the highest repeat purchase rates” on Amazon Beauty. Why are they winning? Rojas said, “People don’t just want a cheaper version of a luxury product. They want the applicator to feel like the ‘real’ thing. They want the heaviness of a glass bottle. And they want women like Bethenny who know what they’re talking about, and can buy whatever they want, but choose this because it’s the best value.”

In that way, MCoBeauty is gunning for an equity of experience — the feel of the bottle, the swipe of the sponge tip, even the baby pink glimmer of the label — that might give them an edge as new and existing affordable brands double down on making dupes.

It’s early January, which means brands are super-excited to drop the super-thick, “barrier-protecting” moisturising creams that you likely already own. In case you’d like more options, voila:

• Ilia Beauty launched its Barrier Build moisturiser on Jan. 7. It’s $64 and “clinically proven to reduce the look of redness, strengthen the skin barrier, and hydrate all day.”

• Mother Science introduced its Molecular Genesis Barrier Repair Moisturiser on Jan. 7 with malassezin, synthetic “growth factors,” copper peptides, and a $68 price tag.

• Ole Henriksen debuted its Après Skin Multi-Use Rich Rescue Crème on Jan. 7. Besides boasting two accent graves in its name, the moisturiser has “Scandinavian superberry oils” to treat distressed, dry skin. It’s $48.

On Jan. 7, Credo Beauty made its bodycare debut with a wash, a serum, and a cream. All are infused with fermented sugar kelp extract harvested from Atlantic Sea Farms in Maine, along with sea water and spirulina. The products are $34 to $52 and took a decade to develop, thanks to the retailer’s stringent environmental guidelines.

Elemis’s Pro Element Green Fig Cleansing Balm hit Sephora on Jan. 7. It’s $69 and claims to boost collagen while melting away makeup.

Makeup Eraser launched its Silver-Infused Collection on Jan. 7. The tiny makeup scrubbers have pure silver threads for “advanced exfoliation” and “antibacterial properties” for $22.

Fitness entrepreneur Amanda Kloots debuted a supplement brand called Proper on Jan. 7 with five color-coded categories (for example, immunity is orange and stress relief is lilac) that retail for $28 each. The brand is backed by The Center, the incubator fund that also counts Make Beauty, Prequel, and Saltair as members.

Sulwhasoo has made its First Care serum available in a jumbo bottle for Lunar New Year; the package is stamped with a python-embossed pattern. It’s $170 at Sephora and Bloomingdale’s, and represents Year of the Snake’s ethos of renewal.

Yes, you still need sunscreen in the winter. Atwater has a new one, called Skin Armor, with SPF 50, zinc oxide, and green tea extract. It’s $42.

Solawave debuted its Red Light Special facial at Face Haus. It uses the gizmo brand’s infrared Skincare Wand to enhance results.

Liz Flora called it: Milky body products are taking off. The latest is Naturium’s first-ever body serum, which launched as a D2C exclusive on Jan. 10. The bottle costs $22, boasts “plumper, firmer-looking” results, and uses Urea extract, which can help lock in moisture. I’ve tried it; it’s super-smoothing.

Also in lactose land, Beekman 1802 has a new Milk Froth micellar water-gel that debuted on Jan. 6 for $29… but that brand is literally based out of a goat dairy in upstate New York, so it tracks a little more naturally.

On Jan. 4, Kylie Cosmetics debuted Natural Blur, a powder foundation that comes in 30 shades and claims 30-hour endurance. (But again, please wash your face before you go to bed!) The formulation is great. It’s creamy, not cakey, and easy to blend.

Naked dressing moves to the makeup bag? On Jan. 6, MAC texted its followers to “send nudes,” then dropped its Nude Collection, a cute range of lip shades in every colour of bare skin.

Makeup By Mario rolled out its SuperShine lip gloss on Jan. 7. It comes in 11 shades and promises “glass-like shine” for $26.

Hourglass is seeing red — but definitely not blood. The Venice, California company debuted its Phantom glossy balm in Red 0, a vegan scarlet shade that doesn’t contain any carmine, a popular cosmetic dye that comes from little cactus bugs. It’s $38, which seems expensive but apparently doesn’t deter fans: The brand says a Phantom gloss is sold every 30 seconds.

Yes, it is time to start thinking about Valentine’s Day beauty launches. Dazzle Dry dropped its Lovestruck trio on Jan. 10 with $22 shades of metallic ruby, bubblegum pink, and shimmery silver.

RŌZ debuted Evergreen Style Cream on Jan. 6, though both Emma Stone and Zoe Saldaña wore it to the Jan. 5 Golden Globes. It retails for $32 and claims the hold of a gel with the flexible and soft feel of a cream.

The “slicked-back bun” chant of 2024 is now a product pipeline for 2025. L’Oréal Elnett’s Slick Back Cream arrived on Jan. 3; it’s the first new product from the Elnett franchise in over 10 years. The cream costs $16, and reinforces both the “slick-back” TikTok trend and the power of proper grammar. Without the hyphen, “slick back”sounds a bit like a lotion to make your lats and traps slippery. That could be really sexy, but perhaps not germane to a tight chignon.

Nous dropped a dry shampoo on Jan. 7 with SPF 30 for scalp and strand protection. It’s $28 and comes with a powder-puff applicator that seems de rigueur for the category now. But can you recycle it?

Like a college freshman right before sorority rush, Eva NYC decided to completely reinvent itself for 2025. The affordable haircare brand dropped seven new products on Jan. 8, including shampoos, conditioners, a split-end serum, and a dry shampoo. Everything is under $20 and can be found at Target and CVS.

Phlur got a fragrance credit at the Golden Globes red carpet on Jan. 5. Rachel Brosnahan wore the brand’s new Golden Rule eau de parfum, which has mandarin orange, coconut milk, and jasmine notes. Back in the indie sleaze era, Paper magazine used to give every celebrity cover a fragrance credit along with fashion credits, ostensibly to keep advertisers happy. I believe this practice was the brainchild of editorial director Mickey Boardman and marketer Drew Elliott, who now helms lots of important stuff at MAC.

Literie’s latest home fragrance candle, Sleeping in Yoga Class, launched Jan. 6. It’s $45 and smells like lavender.

PR agency The Lede Company, whose portfolio includes celebrities, consumer goods and celebrities who sell consumer goods, announced its representation of D.S. & Durga on Jan. 6. This seems smart for a fragrance brand so buzzy, it’s practically a breakout Sundance actor. Demi Moore gave Lede a shoutout in her Golden Globes acceptance speech; they also represent Clinique and Glow Recipe.

On Jan. 8, Dolce & Gabbana launched Devotion For Men. The fragrance is $121, with notes of coffee, lemon, and patchouli that is “inspired by the Sicilian tradition of adding a twist of lemon to a cup of espresso.” It’s easy to rag on D&G for their truly over-the-top messaging, and reasonable to shun them for their past behaviour. Still, this is a very nice way to describe a scent!

Just in case you didn’t get your nativity scene fill over Christmas, Amouage has amped up its frankincense content. On Jan. 7, they introduced Purpose 50 Exceptional Extrait, a super-concentrated formula that contains 50% fragrance concentration. If the Little Drummer Boy can’t wait you up, try this $520 aroma.

Did you see Urban Decay’s cameo in Doechii’s brilliant “Denial is a River” video? The Sabrina Carpenter school of sponcon reigns supreme!