Six years since Rachel Reid launched Subtl with stackable products she could squeeze into a tiny cross-body bag for refreshing her makeup in the morning after she spent the night at her boyfriend’s house, a lot has changed for her and the brand. She married the boyfriend, raised $5.5 million in series A funding and put the funding toward focus groups, which informed her that Subtl could stand an update to resonate with women that, like her, are in a new phase of their lives.
“Our branding didn’t really speak to our core consumer from a messaging and visual perspective,” says Reid. “They didn’t really see themselves in our brand colors and didn’t quite understand who this was for. If they’re not seeing themselves in the brand, we have a communication issue. So, that was a huge learning.”
With the help of CMO Jessica Zeller, former SVP at Vegamour and Ilia, and freelance creative director Ariella Gogol, Subtl spent the better part of 2024 digging into that learning to reimagine the look and feel of the brand for core older millennial consumers desiring convenient makeup that doesn’t require countless tutorials to get right. The result is a rebrand unveiled Tuesday that presents a grown-up Subtl ready for its next stage of going into retail.
The rebrand solidifies Subtl’s single-word name—it was previously Subtl Beauty or Subtl Staks—refurbishes its logo (sans serif has been traded for serif font on it and the website), shifts colors on the site and secondary packaging (maroon, lilac and creams are prominent instead of pastels), and pins down a portability message. A big tagline for Subtl is, “Makeup, made easy.”
“We had an opportunity to story-tell to build more of a connection with our consumer and give them real-life use cases for how our product is really for that multilayered woman on the go, whether that’s a professional, traveler or mom in the drop-off line touching up,” says Zeller. “And, with our color scheme and language, we had an opportunity to evolve to become a little bit more modern.”
With the modernization and a pipeline of forthcoming product releases, including $18 Lip Glaze and $15 Lip Brush Keychain due out in less than a week, Subtl’s sales are projected to increase 50% to 70% this year. The rebrand is happening as the Cult Capital-backed brand is sparking conversations with retailers. It envisions entering beauty specialty chains the likes of Sephora or Ulta Beauty, department stores and clean beauty retailers like Credo. On shelves, the revised packaging is intended to catch shoppers’ eyes.
Outside of the visual appeal, Reid and Zeller emphasize that Subtl’s positioning and audience can be accretive to a retailer. As customers assemble their stacks or, in the brand’s parlance, Staks of products online, Reid notes the brand’s average cart size on its site is six to seven products in the first order, completing a full makeup routine. Concealer and Shine Control Powder are the most common products in the Staks. On repeat purchases, customers tend to order three to four products.
“We’re literally bringing net new people into the industry.”
For a beauty specialty chain, Zeller says, “We could be the brand that brings something fresh when it comes to innovation and packaging, and our AOV for how many products people are buying out the gate is pretty impressive. People are buying $104 worth of products when they purchase the Stak. We also know she’s an older consumer. There’s so much focus on younger consumers. We could appeal to someone who’s looking to simplify their makeup routine.”
Reid adds, “It’s not that we’re taking market share from the other brands. We’re literally bringing net new people into the industry. We’re an entry point for the persona of the newbie into beauty. We’re getting them comfortable, confident, where they will continue to use Subtl and then maybe expand out into other brands as well.”
Along with Zeller, last year Subtl hired Ashley Deleon, former VP of product development at Lime Crime and senior product development manager at NYX, to spearhead product development. Immediately, she went to work on improving Subtl’s formulas. This month, the brand is rolling out upgrades of its bestsellers Shine Control Powder, Powder Bronzer and Eyeshadow Duos with skin-friendly ingredients such as squalane, niacinamide, green tea and grape seed.
Deleon will continue to iterate on Subtl’s stackable products, but also push the brand into products that aren’t part of its stacks, a move that aligns with the brand’s decision to not to stick to the Subtl Staks name. In 2024, Subtl made its debut in non-stackable products with 3-In-1 Brow BFFs. Currently at 10 items, the brand has products slated for May and August premieres.
Timed with the introduction of Lip Glaze, Subtl will be hosting intimate “Girl’s Night Out” influencer dinners. Instagram, where the brand has 177,000 followers, and Reels are strong vehicles for it. In social media content, Subtl shows women applying its products while walking, in the car and at their desk.
Acknowledging that she burnt out on TikTok in 2022 subsequent to concentrating on posting frequently on the short-form video platform, Reid says Subtl has been amplifying its TikTok content again in the past four months. She explains, “I’m reviving it and seeing what content does well without me as the face because I want the brand to be able to expand beyond the founder.”
