Amazon’s fourth-annual “Holiday Beauty Haul,” which ran from October 31 to November 3, offered discounts of up to 50% on a wide range of beauty products, including big names like BareMinerals, Clinique, and Kiehl’s. However, for many brands, the event’s performance was underwhelming, especially when compared to the company’s larger sales events like Prime Day.
Despite the promotional discounts, several beauty brands expressed disappointment with the results of the event. Some cited the timing—following closely behind Amazon’s October Prime Big Deal Days—while others noted that the event lacked the high-profile marketing efforts Amazon applies to its major sales like Prime Day.
Jess Curdi, VP of digital marketing for hair care brand The Rootist, commented, “We were content with the performance of the promotion, but it didn’t knock our socks off.”
Overlapping Sales Events Led to Fatigue
Amazon’s beauty sale took place just weeks after its larger Prime Day event, leading to concerns about “deal fatigue” among both consumers and brands. Many beauty companies opted out of the Holiday Beauty Haul, preferring to save their efforts for more prominent sales occasions like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Emily Safian-Demers, director of consumer insights at e-commerce accelerator Front Row Group, explained, “Most of our brands felt it was a little bit overkill to be so close to the other sales.” While some brands opted not to participate, others expressed ambivalence, acknowledging the importance of the sales season but also noting the challenge of engaging consumers amid such frequent discounts.
Phil Masiello, CEO of Crunchgrowth, remarked that while there was frustration with the saturation of sales, many brands still chose to participate, given the critical role such events play in driving sales during the peak holiday shopping season.
Brand Visibility and Marketing Concerns
While Amazon’s beauty sale allows the company to solidify its position in the growing beauty market, brands are calling for more targeted advertising to boost awareness and traffic. Ela Rasmussen, VP of partner services at brand accelerator SuperOrdinary, suggested that Amazon should promote its beauty sale with the same intensity it applies to Prime Day in order to attract more consumers and brands.
“We really need additional amplification to make the Holiday Beauty Haul exceptional, especially during such a heavily promotional period,” Rasmussen said.
Despite the lack of extensive marketing, some brands did see modest gains. Kora Organics, managed by SuperOrdinary, saw a 15% increase in conversions compared to last year, although only 25% of customers used the offered coupons. Rasmussen attributed this to the event’s limited visibility among Amazon shoppers.
Looking Ahead to Bigger Sales Events
For many brands, the Holiday Beauty Haul served as a warm-up for larger discounts to come. SuperOrdinary adopted a selective approach, limiting product discounts to protect promotional budgets for later sales, including Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Similarly, The Rootist chose a conservative strategy, offering only select products for discount to preserve brand identity ahead of major sales events.
Despite the mixed results, brands still see value in participating in Amazon’s sales, particularly for raising brand awareness, even if deep discounts are not the primary focus.
Curdi of The Rootist reflected, “At this time of year, consumers aren’t interested in anything else. It’s just about the discount.”
In the competitive beauty market, where Amazon continues to expand its offerings, balancing brand visibility with discount strategy remains a challenge for many emerging labels.
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