Emily Weiss Talks Glossier

Glossier’s Skin Tint.

Five weeks ago, Glossier posted its first Instagram: “Remember why you started.” Since then, they’ve teased their nearly 20,000 followers with a barrage of tattoo-like calligraphy, nostalgia-inducing photographs from the ‘90s greats, lots of pale pink, and an astonishing amount of buzz considering no one really knew what was coming. This week, Emily Weiss, the founder of (arguably) the world’s most beloved beauty blog, Into the Gloss, and now Glossier, launched four products to kick off the “first digital beauty brand, born out of and informed by content and feedback.”

From Glossier’s Instagram account.

First things first, it’s pronounced Gloss-ee-ay, like dossier, and there was no “aha” moment. Weiss says the idea was always there, and she started thinking in earnest about launching products two years ago. “I wanted to get a step closer to the source,” she says. “It was like a thesis of all the incredible information we’ve been getting from the people we’ve interviewed and from our readers; it will continue to reflect where beauty is over time.” So where is beauty right now? It’s fresh-faced and dewy, an ethos reflected in nearly all of the women Into the Gloss profiles, from Selena Gomez to Linda Evangelista. It’s why Phase One means skincare.

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The homepage of Glossier.com.

“It’s very much inspired by a real-life routine, which I think begins the moment you get out of the shower,” says Weiss. “What do you start with and reach for?” If she has her way, legions of fans will choose the Soothing Face Mist and Priming Moisturizer (it leaves your skin feeling plumped, in a good way). The Perfecting Skin Tint delivers the radiant complexion and the Balm Dot Com is more skin salve than lip balm—rub it on your lips, yes, but also your cuticles, and even your cheekbones and eyelids for that off-the-runway no-makeup look. “I always thought about it as a group, because there’s not like a silver bullet in terms of beauty,” Weiss says, though she does admit to keeping a tube of Balm Dot Com in every bag, drawer, and pocket. “Isn’t that everyone’s biggest fear? Dry, cracked lips and nothing within reach?”

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Weiss in front of her moodboard.

Before the products, however, came the branding. The first pictures Weiss pinned to the 50 pound corkboard still sitting in her living room were “'90s references: “Kate Moss, Juergen [Teller], and Mark Borthwick moments of girls in off-moments, not posing or posturing, but those in-between shots where you don’t always look your prettiest but there’s a window to your soul, and you’re more vulnerable.” The latter part may as well be the brand’s mission statement. Weiss says Glossier’s not about a certain look, but a spirit. “I wanted the branding to be cool, but not too cool for school. And cool means happy and fun and lighthearted. You can be free and happy and a little silly and still be taken seriously, that’s very much what Glossier’s about.” As for the evolution of the “G” logo, Glossier’s first Instagram’s reveal the graphic tattoo art and calligraphy that led to the ambiguously shaped letter.

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Glossier’s Phase One. From left to right: Skin Tint, Balm Dot Com, Soothing Face Mist, and Priming Moisturizer.

So what’s next? Weiss mentions “something really fun for holiday that’s super decorative,” as well as a “revolutionary” foray into sunscreen next year. They’re taking it slow, but look for something new every few months. “There’s so much that goes in to each product,” Weiss says. “It has to work and be safe and these are all things that I know better than anybody from the last three years, so it was important to us that if we’re going to do it, we’re going to do it right.”

Lucky for Weiss, the products live up to the hype. Glossier’s already garnered a bevy of famous fans. “I want it to be playful and fun,” says Weiss. Mission accomplished.