A message to all founders and fellow beauty industry professionals:
Influencer gifting has gotten completely out of control.
Let’s be honest: it has morphed into a spectacle, extreme sport—with brands upping each other to send the biggest, flashiest, most outrageous package. But at what cost? A few more likes on social media? A fleeting moment of attention? All while we bury the planet under mounds of plastic.
As a co-founder and CEO of a plastic-free beauty brand, I can tell you that you don’t need to ship hundreds of influencers an entire mini fridge or advent box full of product to capture attention and inspire sales. Where is the line? At what point will we say “this is enough”?
Durning the holidays
Plastic waste surges by 25% in the US alone (UNEP). And we’re not just talking about a little extra trash—this is a tidal wave of glittery packaging and useless freebies that inevitably end up in a landfill, incinerator, or shipped off to the global south, where mostly women sift through our cast-offs for next to no pay and under hazardous conditions. That is the hidden cost of these “PR moments.”
After 17 years in the beauty industry, I speak from the heart when I say: what truly captures lasting attention is a product of desire. A beautiful, high-performing formula, presented thoughtfully, will shine on its own. We owe it to our consumers—and to the planet—to step up our game without piling up more waste.
My plea is simple: stop gifting excessive, unnecessary stuff. Let’s show the world we can be thoughtful curators rather than reckless polluters. Send something that doesn’t turn into trash the minute the unboxing video ends.
We don’t need to drown the earth in plastic to feel festive or to go viral. So let’s change this tired script.
