Launched in 2012 by beauty entrepreneur and YouTuber Marina Curry, entrepreneur Moj Mahdara and Creative Director Jonathon Buford, Beautycon originally began as an influencer meeting hub; prior to setting up the company, Curry founded the Beauty​​ and Fashion Vloggers Alliance. That premise soon blossomed into a burgeoning event empire open to the wider public—the Coachella of beauty industry events. It built momentum and hype among its visitors with Instagrammable moments and immersive brand setups; real-time countdown to launch included.

A festival for the largely Gen Z and millennial beauty connoisseur, it was a place to simultaneously worship cult brands and discover the next overnight sensation—all while joined in community with fellow, digitally savvy and hyperconnected cosmetic aficionados. Beautycon combined both digital marketing efforts via social media-driven posting frenzies, as well as in-person connection, for the best of both worlds.

Built as a global community connecting the worlds of celebrity, content creation, and everyday consumers, Beautycon Media integrated beauty into a wider net of aspiration surrounding fashion, style, and lifestyle through its flagship Beautycon Festival, a Beautycon Box subscription model, and online community/content platform Beautycon Digital. To date, the company has raised a total of $11 million in funding, comprised of a $2 million seed round and $9 million Series A round.

However, that momentum couldn’t stay at breakneck speed forever. After rumors of financial trouble in 2019, with layoffs and a $300,000 civil suit filed by 3G Productions for breach of contract, Beautycon Media, Inc.’s assets were acquired out of foreclosure by an Essence Ventures affiliate in September 2021. That same year, Beautycon’s Chief Executive Officer, Moj Mahdara, attributed across industry as the early mover and disrupter bringing increased diversity and representation across the enterprise, resigned. Essence Ventures aimed to continue the company as an experience-led business, but the pandemic put a clear halt on those ambitions temporarily.

After a four-year hiatus, and with a new visual identity and brand expression, the event returns. The tides of beauty have shifted since Beautycon’s early beginnings—hype and influencer backing alone won’t suffice—consumers want to see brands they can believe in, not just buy into; excessive consumption culture and non-sustainability-minded practices are being questioned, and brand founder and influencer scrutiny is at an all-time high.

With that new landscape in mind, Beautycon has pivoted the course of its eyeshadow palette-carrying ship. With the slogan “Beauty breaks free when we all leave our mark” and a call to the “beauty rebels,” the company is pushing for an inclusive narrative and building a connected rapport with its 667,000 followers on Instagram—whether through humorous memes or social activism—and speaking to the wider potential and power of beauty.

“Much like the beauty landscape, the beauty consumer has also rapidly evolved over the last decade. Gone are the days where brands alone set trends and dictate the beauty standards. Now more than ever, niche communities set the agenda for what's new, next, and what’ll turn mainstream in beauty,” notes Erika Bennett, Chief Marketing Officer, Essence Ventures. “That's why Beautycon’s new position in the market is that of a catalyst—helping creators and communities continue to push beauty boundaries, giving center stage to change agents in the beauty industry, and amplifying voices through our various channels. We’re excited to build upon our new brand vision—a future liberated from beauty standards—as our brand evolves.”

Its online and offline events will continue to exist, with an increased focus on supporting and celebrating all identities, gender expressions, and backgrounds. With 40% of Gen Z and 31% of millennials seeing diversity and inclusion as the most important brand values, it’s sure to add to the enterprise’s appeal across the board. As Caroline Wanga, President and Chief Executive Officer of Essence Ventures, comments, “As we reactivate Beautycon, we fully intend to not only democratize beauty, but to also reverse the sequence of importance by returning the definition back into the hands of individuals and holding brands and the beauty ecosystem accountable to following the lead of the individual instead of perpetuating an aesthetic of attraction as the standard on how to exist."

Its return will begin with an appearance at the 2023 ESSENCE Festival of Culture in New Orleans, followed by a standalone event with Walmart as its premiere sponsor, in Los Angeles, this September. Walmart will also curate a bespoke collection of products featuring the retailer’s most popular beauty brands at the event, in addition to presenting creator-led conversations around what defines beauty today.

“At Walmart, we aspire to be the most inclusive beauty retailer, from our store shelves to our digital aisles,” comments Jill Toscano, Vice President, Media at Walmart. “By teaming up with Beautycon, we hope to create a celebratory space where everyone feels like they can fully embrace and express their whole self.”

Furthermore, Beautycon will be launching a virtual commerce experience this fall. While the finer details are still under wraps, Essence Venture’s Senior Vice President of Creative, Corey Stokes, describes the company’s new visual identity as zeroing in “on refreshing the look and feel [of Beautycon], including the iconic logo, as a visual expression of that sentiment. The heart is intentionally made as a beauty mark, so that it’s really showing up in fun ways throughout the campaign.”

While the past few years have seen a wide restructuring of Beautycon, its rebirth amid a more socially and culturally minded landscape, and the voracious return of consumer appetites for experiential beauty experiences, offers exciting potential on the horizon.