Maesa Pushes Back On Excessive Wellness Culture With Party Of You Launch At Target And Ulta Beauty

Maesa’s retail march is picking up speed, with its newest brand, Party of You, rolling out nationwide at Target and Ulta Beauty.

The launch of Party of You, which the incubator describes as a “counter-wellness” brand responding to the militant and restrictive aspects of wellness culture, follows another Maesa debut this week: Ontu, a body care line positioned as bringing science and luxury to Target.

Backed by Bain Capital and also behind the Ashley Tisdale-connected brand Being Frenshe, Fine’ry and Kristin Ess, Maesa declined to discuss sales projections for Party of You. Previously, industry sources told Women’s Wear Daily that Fine’ry and Being Frenshe were expected to generate $20 million in first-year sales, although Party of You is expected to launch at a more modest sales scale.

Party of You is kicking off with a 12-product skincare and lip collection priced from $13.99 to $25.99, including the $19.99 Cryo When I Want To Face & Eye Depuff Roll-On Serum and the $13.99 Security Blanket Plush Hug Lip Balm. Maesa explains the concept was born out of rising consumer fatigue with highly prescriptive wellness lifestyles. Brands like 4AM and Educated Mess have tapped into a similar shift, developing products for consumers who want flexibility rather than rigid “clean” or aspirational health rules. Party of You could be a hedge at Target and Ulta against the retailers’ heightened emphasis on wellness, allowing them to capture wellness obsessives and detractors.

“While as a brand we support wellness and believe in it, Party of You offers an evolved definition and a new perspective,” says Dana Steinfeld, SVP of blue sky and product development at Maesa. “Our version is about recognizing that wellness is not a one-size-fits-all thing. The Party of You girl is both gen Z and type B. Sometimes she’s up early for Pilates with friends, other times she’s bed-rotting all day.” Molly Kennedy, VP of brand marketing at Maesa, chimes in, “Sometimes she drinks Diet Coke instead of water all day and that’s her hydration.”

Party of You’s functional products have snappy names and tactile design cues. The Cryo When I Want To Face & Eye Depuff Roll-On Serum pairs a squalene- and caffeine-infused formula with a metal sculpting applicator to revive tired-looking skin. Furthering lip balm mania, Security Blanket Plush Hug Lip Balm is anticipated to be Party of You’s hero product. It comes in four flavors such as Strawberry Milkshake and features a sculpted cap structured to sit in the palm akin to a fidget tool. “It has really delicious, addictive flavors, efficacious formulas and packaging you want to carry everywhere,” says Steinfeld.

Party of You and Ontu are part of what Kennedy characterizes as Maesa’s “big bet on skincare.” While Party of You is aimed at gen Z consumers, Ontu is focused on women 35 and older looking for a differentiated body care experience. Maesa previously launched gen Z skincare brand ITK with twinfluencers Brooklyn and Bailey McKnight, which takes a more clinical, solutions-oriented approach. Last year, Maesa exited the color cosmetics category and closed Drew Barrymore-affiliated makeup brand Flower Beauty.

Rather than taking cues directly from retailer requests, Maesa typically begins erecting a brand with a specific consumer profile and its unmet needs in mind. Even so, the process is symbiotic, with concepts often evolving to fill white spaces on retail shelves.

“Building and nurturing these collaborative relationships with our retailers is really important to Maesa and part of what we call Maesa magic,” says Kennedy. “We work really closely with them to understand where they see their white spaces and what’s happening with their consumers. That helps us to set our brands up to be successful from day one.” 

While Maesa typically launches a brand exclusively with a single retailer, Party of You’s wide appeal meant the brand could start chainwide at two of beauty’s most sought-after retailers. “We’re really energized by the support we’re seeing from both of the retailers,” says Kennedy. “For Maesa, it’s a great opportunity for a launch that’s a little bit further reaching, being able to be at both retailers.”