Frilliance by Fiona Frills has been on the market since 2017, when influencer Fiona Frills launched the makeup and skincare brand at just 13 years old. Now, the brand is experiencing a fresh wave of momentum.
As reported by the publication Women’s Wear Daily, it recently topped search insights firm Spate’s list of 10 beauty brands with the most organic growth on TikTok, where it’s seen a staggering 38,000% year-over-year increase and averages 225,000 weekly views. Much of that traction stems from Frills’ recent partnership with The Glow House.
The Glow House is a content collective similar in concept to Hype House, which started in 2020 and included members like Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae. Unlike Hype House, where creators lived together, The Glow House brings together a group of predominantly teenage girl influencers who collaborate on content for a shared TikTok account that has amassed 2.4 million followers since its debut in February.
Frills first collaborated with The Glow House in April after connecting with member Gianna Harner, who has 13.5 million TikTok followers. What started as a giveaway for tickets to the content house’s launch event evolved into behind-the-scenes videos and one-on-one interviews with its creators. The interviews turned out to be a game changer in terms of performance. Frills’ first, featuring influencer Embreigh Courtlyn, racked up 3.4 million views. The social traction has translated to sales. The brand has seen 137% growth compared to this time last year.
“I think really what I learned from posting those videos and them performing really well was that people need to see more of these influencers’ lives,” says Frills. “Because back in the YouTube days, people would post crazy long-form videos and there was a real connection between the viewer and the creator. And now there’s a lot of short-form content where they don’t feel like they really, really know the person, even though they support and fan girl over them.
@frilliance @??? THE TEAAA omg!!! love her so much! #glowhouseparty
Frilliance has shifted its marketing strategy several times over the years. When the brand first came onto the scene, Frills mostly promoted products on YouTube, where she has over one million followers. Three years in, Frilliance began partnering with influencers. Frills estimates she was working with over 100 influencers a month through organic integrations and sending more than 2,000 PR packages monthly. “We did see growth and success through that, but it was very much 1% of videos would really do well and impact our sales and the other 99% wouldn’t,” says Frills. “I didn’t feel like I had much control over the virality of the videos.” The latest shift to interview-style content allows her to control at least in part the area, subject and questions asked.
Collaborating with influencers isn’t completely off the table. Frills says she’s working on a few partnerships where the creator will get a percentage of sales from products, but the brand doesn’t pay influencers or run paid ads. She says of the latter, “I think there’s a specific type of company that can really run a successful ad, but Frilliance, we’ve tried and oh, it does not convert at all. But we’re also targeting Gen Alpha, an audience that, number one, doesn’t have a credit card and, number two, doesn’t like being sold to. They like to feel like they made the decision, which in many ways they do.”
Along with TikTok, Frilliance has seen traction on YouTube Shorts, where the brand has around 10,000 followers. “There is a large young audience on YouTube Shorts because parents don’t allow them to use TikTok or Instagram, but they do allow YouTube,” says Frills. “It’s a good place to grow and there aren’t a lot of brands on there, so it’s an exciting place to be.”
Frills first started on YouTube at 10 years old, posting videos testing new products and trends. The idea for Frilliance came about two years later after she began dealing with skin flareups and couldn’t find a clean beauty brand made for her age group. Frilliance launched with a highlighter, blush, facial mist and lip gloss. Today, the Cream Blush and Illuminating Cream are its bestsellers, and all of its products retail for under $18.
Frilliance entered 420 Walmart stores in 2020, ballooning to more than 1,000 doors within a year. The brand was on shelf for three years when Frills was informed via email that the retailer would be “deleting” it. She was later told a larger skincare brand bought the space. “You really have no control when it comes to retail, if you don’t have an insane amount of money to back your products and stay on those shelves,” says Frills.
Before being removed, Frilliance was placed in glass protection cases, making sales even more difficult. “It was a rough experience, but also it was amazing. We would not be here today without Walmart, so got to thank them,” she says.
Frilliance is also in 150 CVS stores and turns 1.25 units per week of its cheek products, though Frills says retail isn’t her main focus right now. Instead, she’s working on enhancing the online shopping experience through a forthcoming Frilliance app where customers will be able to purchase products, learn about upcoming events and connect with each other. It’s set to release in December. “When it comes to retail, there’s not a lot of change, it’s not super exciting to walk in those stores. I don’t think it’s really a discovery place as much as it used to be and also I don’t think it’s very curated or as easy to shop. There’s nothing that’s really helping and guiding you,” explains Frills. “I think there are so many better ways to shop, and the newer generation is craving different experiences, something that’s not all the same.”
One experience Frilliance is already exploring is drops. The brand curates monthly boxes in collaboration with other companies and plans to do more. “It feels special because you’re getting something that not very many other people are going to be able to get, so there’s that exclusive factor, and there’s just the excitement, the build,” says Frills. “When the Kylie Lip Kits used to come out, people would be sitting there on their computers like, oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. I think Rhode has killed it and done a really good job with excitement, scarcity and making things exclusive.”
Frills’ goal is also to get people off the apps and into real-life experiences. Frilliance hosted its first event in Los Angeles a couple of weeks ago, where young customers—and their parents—were able to connect, be on camera and receive goodie bags. “Our goal has always been to empower, uplift and give confidence to teen girls and I think we’ve very much stuck true to that,” says Frills. “We’re not nearly as focused on just pushing out new products. We’re more focused on, okay, how do we build a really good connection with our customers and supporters?”
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