February 1, 2024:

This week in tabs: Here's what's new in commerce and culture

Do you remember KKW Beauty and KKW Fragrance? Kim Kardashian shuttered these lines in 2021, despite their initial popularity, with plans to innovate and consolidate the products under one brand. Her plans were realized in 2022, when she announced SKKN by Kim, a skin-care line created in collaboration with renowned esthetician Joanna Czech. This week Kim dove back into the world of beauty, launching SKKN by Kim Makeup. The line contains lip liners, lipsticks, and an eyeshadow palette and is her attempt to harness the insights she gained from getting her makeup done for years and create innovative makeup that benefits the skin.

Ana Luisa, a DTC affordable jewelry brand that you likely have seen on Instagram, or on the necks and wrists of influencers, is opening their first ever brick and mortar store in NYC. Co-founder Adam Bohbot said that, “Over the last five years, we’ve [gifted product to] over 70,000 influencers in over 150 countries”. This marketing approach was clearly effective, as the brand plans to open ten additional stores across the East and West coast over the next few years.

Target is betting on wellness. Not only did they open a wellness E-comm destination, they also have added 1,000 new wellness-related products to their stores. Two brands that made it into this new cohort are Clevr and Blume. Clevr, a plant based instant latte brand (a Meghan Markle investment) will now be carried at 500 Target locations. Blume, a similar better-for-you coffee brand can now be found in 90 Targets across the US.

TikTok was a-buzz this week with videos of Michael Cera handing out CeraVe products to random passerbyers in New York. Cera’s practical joke had many confused that he was attached to the brand in some way. The actor caused such a stir that a CeraVe spokesperson finally had to set the record straight, stating, “CeraVe is developed with dermatologists, not Michael Cera.” This was a fun practical joke and, even if not on purpose, was good PR for the brand.

Mezcla, a plant-based protein bar brand just closed a $4 million Series A round of funding. The bars are created using a base of pea protein (trademarked as “puff-crispy”), vegan chocolate, and various other flavorful and intentionally sourced ingredients. This new funding likely means the bars are only going to become easier to find in the wild!

Have a fab rest of the week Thingtesters!