
Retail Refined · 2026-03-25 · 34 min
Walk into any beauty aisle - or scroll through your feed for five minutes - and it’s clear the industry is obsessed with what’s new. New formulas, new trends, new “rules.” But for many women, especially those who’ve been using makeup for decades, the question isn’t what’s new - it’s what actually works. And increasingly, the answer isn’t coming from the brands shouting the loudest. It’s coming from those that are listening more closely - and building with real life, not aspiration, in mind. That shift is backed by data: according to consumer research by MG2, more than half of beauty consumers say they want to be both educated and inspired when they shop, not just sold to. So what does it take to build a beauty brand that doesn’t just chase trends, but earns a place in women’s everyday routines? That’s the question at the heart of the latest episode of Retail Refined. In this episode, host Melissa Gonzalez sits down with Laura Geller, Founder of Laura Geller Beauty, to unpack how decades of hands-on experience with everyday consumers shaped a brand rooted in education, problem-solving, and purpose.