Every year, applications to the Maesa Magic Incubator (MMI) offer a snapshot of where beauty is heading next. Categories blur, new ones emerge, and consumer preferences shift, as macro and micro trends reshape the innovation pipeline.
MMI is Maesa’s flagship incubator program, created in 2022 to support the next generation of beauty founders across underrepresented communities. This year’s applications reflected new challenges, from the growing influence of AI to social commerce. Today's founders are navigating decisions around founder storytelling, building in public, and emerging channels, alongside the realities that have always made launching beauty products complex. Building a beauty brand has never felt more accessible, but building a sustainable business at scale has become even more complex.
Despite a vastly different beauty backdrop, the same themes emerge. For founders building in 2026, here are five lessons that applicants wish they had known earlier.
Entrepreneurship can be a lonely journey. The most resilient founders build scaffolding around them, like hiring flexible resources for specific capabilities and identifying mentors who have done it before. MMI pairs founders with internal experts and an external advisory board of entrepreneurs who have each taken different paths, along with the support of a cohort who are in the same position.
“The relationships I’ve built through my MMI cohort and fellow founders have been invaluable in providing direction, perspective, and confidence as we grow,” said Jeffrey Stewart, founder of Rizo Radiance and an MMI alumnus. “Entrepreneurship is not only about working hard with your head down—some of the most meaningful insights and opportunities can begin with a simple email, a coffee chat, or a question asked at the right time.”
Founders shared they wished they had built their community earlier and thought about it before monetization. Many described the benefits of building a direct relationship with consumers early, creating both a valuable feedback loop and an engaged audience that could become a powerful source of organic customer acquisition.
Ultimately, cash flow is the crux of a sustainable building, and founders told us they underestimated the learning curve here.There is an overwhelming variety of financing options, each with pros and cons. The moment a product goes viral can be the riskiest moment for inventory and working capital, and execution is what earns the trust of consumers and retailers.
Access to AI and other technologies has democratized and lowered the barriers to entry. Founders can access manufacturers, build e-commerce infrastructure, create content, and reach their target audience more easily than ever—but the information overload is real. Founders today are looking for help in cutting through the noise and knowing how best to apply AI to their business.
Social commerce has created entirely new ways to launch and grow. Founders can build communities before a product exists and hear from consumers in real time. The founders who have seen early success have determined a clear role for this channel and stayed open to experimentation.
Maesa evolves MMI each year to adapt to the changing areas where founders are looking for support, underpinned by a core curriculum of key topics. A differentiator of MMI is that each founder chooses a “Major” and “Minor” to work on with their mentors, focused on real-life challenges their business is facing.
“We know each founder is at a different point in their journey, so we meet them where they are and provide tailored, hands-on support to help unlock their brand’s potential,” said Molly Kennedy, Senior Vice President of Brand Marketing at Maesa.
The goal isn't to give every founder the same playbook. It's to give them the perspective and support to build the playbook that works for their business.
Maesa is the Next-Gen Beauty Company, transforming the industry by incubating and growing meaningful, innovative brands and making prestige beauty accessible. The current portfolio includes Kristin Ess Hair, Hairitage by Mindy McKnight, Fine'ry, Being Frenshe, and MIX:BAR, among other brands. To learn more, visit www.maesa.com.