Brands today do not live in isolation. They have to be active participants in the world around them, which makes collaboration a natural extension of the marketing conversation and a vehicle for reaching new like-minded audiences.
Deeply committed to building a beauty business based on the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit, skincare brand Hear Me Raw is grounded in the premise of conscience without compromise and with the mandate of being the voice and face of responsibility.
The brand's interchangeable, refillable, and recyclable packaging creates the perfect canvas for collaborations and limited editions. This summer, the brand partnered with iconic LA-based retailer Fred Segal on a co-designed, limited-edition collection. The retailer is known for its innovative collaborations, but this was the first co-branded exclusive beauty partnership.
Doubling down on collaboration and driven by a mission to clean up the beauty industry, founder Mike Indursky targeted his latest marketing initiative squarely on Gen Z. With the knowledge that this generation is the most concerned about climate issues, he was interested in finding someone who was deep into the issue, loved skincare, and had a loyal following of similarly concerned people.
Reaching out to a close friend who is President of Ventures at global leading gaming agency Loaded, Indursky was told, "You HAVE to speak to QuarterJade."
Jodi Lee, aka QuarterJade, is an American Twitch streamer with 1.1 million followers on the gaming platform and a dedicated fan base of around 600,000 on Instagram and YouTube. After trying the Hear Me Raw range of five products, she fell in love with The Brightener.
"Skincare has always been a very important and sensitive issue for me since my teens," she tells BeautyMatter. "So, when I find something that works for me, I get excited, [and] The Brightener from Hear Me Raw is one of those findings."
Jodi is no stranger to the world of digital influence. This collaboration was an opportunity to transcend the boundaries of gaming and beauty, sharing the importance of refillable packaging within the beauty industry.
"When I was introduced to Mike and understood how Hear Me Raw as a brand is natural, vegan, cruelty-free and sustainable with reusable glass jars and refill pods, I felt the need to share this with everyone," Lee says, explaining her commitment. The brand's design results in approximately 86% less packaging compared to traditional jars, significantly reducing the carbon footprint.
As a dedicated fantasy reader, Lee has always been drawn to the enchanting and imaginative worlds that books offer. She wanted to infuse this fantasy aesthetic into the jar's design for The Brightener, creating a product that not only delivers remarkable skincare benefits but also transports users to a magical realm with its appearance. "She loved the formula of The Brightener, and created the design and the packaging from her love for the digital world and creative space," Indursky says.
This collaboration serves as a reminder that interests and passions can intersect in surprising and meaningful ways, creating a brighter, more sustainable future. According to Indursky, it's not just about the product—it's about the impact it can make on the planet, and this partnership between QuarterJade and Hear Me Raw is a testament to the power of community, creativity, and commitment to a greener world.
Indursky said of QuarterJade, "As it turns out, she is deeply interested in skincare as it's been a deep concern and interest since she was young, and we've been discussing how to do even more. And, I can tell you firsthand, if she didn't like The Brightener, she wouldn't be doing this. That's who she is."
He continued, "Gamers, like musical artists, have powerful followings, perhaps more than other celebrities. However, whereas musicians live in a high-celebrity world, gamers and livestreamers are raw, more radical, more themselves. They share who exactly they are every day and not as glammed up versions of themselves. So, with a brand like Hear Me Raw, raw is best."
While Fred Segal and QuarterJade have wildly different audiences, Indursky said, "To me, it's about reaching audiences who would be very receptive to our story, who I'd otherwise not have the ability to reach directly, and speak to them passionately and honestly, through someone they love and respect and who shares the same viewpoints.”
