This week, I checked in with industry insiders spearheading grassroots movements to help California wildfire victims through donations from beauty and wellness brands. Additionally, Bryan Johnson’s multi-city longevity summit kicks off in L.A. this weekend, and store closures continue as Macy’s and Kohl’s announce plans to shutter dozens of locations. The Beauty & Wellness Briefing is typically reserved for Glossy+ members. This edition is open to guide brands wishing to support L.A. fire victims.
Brands, artists and industry leaders respond to Southern California’s unprecedented wildfires through grassroots product collection drives
As of Monday, the Southern California wildfires that began on January 7 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles continue to burn. The blazes have killed at least 24 people and displaced hundreds of thousands more.
As of Monday, around 130,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders and more than 450,000 people are without power. Approximately 12,000 structures have been lost, as reported Monday by AP News. Economic losses are expected to surpass $275 billion.
The seasonal Santa Ana winds, which fueled much of the fires as they reached 100 miles per hour last week, are expected to increase again mid-week. The two main fires are still raging: The Palisades fire was at 33% containment, while the Palisades fire was at 14% containment on Monday.
Fueled by grassroots organizations started through industry circles and across social media last week, L.A.-based beauty and wellness industry leaders are actively helping to collect new, unopened beauty, wellness and personal care products to distribute to those in need by the end of the week.
“You forget the thing that makes you feel human is your routine,” said Lily Berg, a brand builder and celebrity talent consultant whose CV includes Ipsy, Rose Inc and Digital Brand Architects. Berg was born and raised in the Pacific Palisades. Her family’s home for more than three decades was spared in the fire.
Berg took to social media mid-week to rally support and has since formed a collective of nine L.A.-based women, most of whom are currently displaced. They are organizing the collection of prestige and luxury products to distribute to displaced Palisades residents on Friday. Like many organizers Glossy spoke to this weekend, the response from brands has been overwhelming, Berg told Glossy. Brands are currently pledging products via email with Berg’s group of volunteers. They’re then shipping them to several locations to be distributed from a storefront on the Westside of Los Angeles on Friday. Like everyone Glossy spoke to, these plans are developing now.
The team will be widely marketing the drive to reach impacted individuals starting Tuesday. The aim is to grow its list of displaced women, which has grown through organic text chains and social media messages.
“I said [last week on social media] that I won’t sleep until every woman from P Town has a serum back in her medicine cabinet, and now [it looks like we are going to] make that a reality,” Berg told Glossy. Brands looking to partner, or those assisting impacted individuals, can reach out to Berg through the email address Moms4LARelief@gmail.com.
Meanwhile, celebrity makeup artist Jamie Greenberg began a similar conversation online last week. Thanks to an overwhelming response from brands, her team outgrew their makeshift collection center by Sunday.
So far, she’s taken on donations from Honeydew Intimates, PerriconeMD, Charlotte Tilbury, Physician’s Formula, Future Society, Mario Badescu, Huda Beauty, Solawave, Hairitage and more. On Tuesday, the group will announce its plans to open a free pop-up shop for victims starting Friday in Westlake Village. Brands looking to partner can reach out to Greenberg via Instagram. Their wishlist is evolving hour by hour.
“[Brands looking to get involved] can DM me to get the list of products we are looking for now,” Greenberg told Glossy. “It’s heartwarming that so many people want to help.”
As of Monday, Greenberg partnered with Good Carma Studio PR to expand the operation to include beauty services like hair washing and blowouts at the pop-up event for victims being planned for Friday.
Heading east to the Eaton fire, Rosie Jane Johnston, founder of By/Rosie Jane fragrance and body care, is leading a drive based out of the brand’s Glendale factory, located just miles from Altadena.
“We’re trying to get good things that people can replace their lost items with, not just stuff to hold them over,” Johnston told Glossy. So far, they’ve received donations from more than 30 brands including Alypn Beauty, Oak Essentials, Oribe, Soft Services, Bubble, California Naturals, Fable & Mane, Fablerune, Fur, Hanky Panky, Huron, Love Wellness, Tower 28, True Botanicals and T3, including more than 300 hairdryers.
Her team is kitting products now and providing them directly to impacted individuals, or those advocating for displaced individuals, through a survey form available on By/Rosie Jane’s Instagram page.
“We’ll have enough to do 300 to 400 complete bags,” Johnston told Glossy. Johnston’s team is looking for personal care donations like shampoo, body wash, lotion, deodorant and tech/electronics. “It’s all good brands and new items.”
Kits will be available for pickup in person on Friday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Credo Beauty, which operates four Los Angeles stores, is also kitting products for displaced individuals this week. Those displaced, or those advocating for those who are, can sign up for a free kit through the link in the retailer’s Instagram bio. A company representative told Glossy that they’ve had tremendous response from brands and are looking to distribute products by next week.
“Many of our brand partners are shipping from all over the country so it takes some time. Our goal is to distribute the kits among the four stores and give them out until our inventory is exhausted,” the rep told Glossy.
The same goes for Thirteen Lune, which is accepting new, unopened donations at its Larchmont retail store through Sunday — they’ll be kitted with its donation of products. As reported by Glossy last week, Tower28 is also leading a donation drive after founder Amy Liu almost lost her Pacific Palisades home, details of which are available on the brand’s social pages. Facile Skin is also hosting a drive from its Melrose Place spa.
For brands looking to reach displaced girls, teens and young women, a group called Altadena Girls sprung up last week to help. The grassroots movement was launched by a 14-year-old Altadena local named Avery Colvert with the help of parent Matt Chait.
As reported by Time over the weekend, the group is collecting new personal care, beauty and wellness products, as well as new clothing and accessories. It’s operated out of Small Green Door creative studios, where Chait works. The team has been inundated with donations and requested brands get in touch to help fill holes in its offerings. Displaced girls are already shopping at the group’s free pop-up.
In addition, there are many artist-led groups helping to provide support for makeup artists and other beauty pros who lost their kits in a fire or have been damaged due to smoke. Celebrity makeup artist Grishan Roof is organizing the collection of color cosmetics under a group called “project kit Rescue’. Brands can donate to the effort after getting in touch via social media. Color cosmetics brand Huda Beauty is spearheading a similar drive, while Smashbox is collecting and distributing products out of its L.A. offices.
Meanwhile, the hair-care brand Rōz is partnering with T3 to replenish the kits of hairstylists with T3 tools and Rōz products, which can be picked up at Rōz founder Mara Roszak’s West Hollywood salon, Mare. More details can be found on social media.
This is just a fraction of the grassroots organizing happening in Los Angeles now. Glossy will continue coverage through the week for brands looking to get involved.
Executive moves:
- Ronald S. Lauder has stepped down from the Estée Lauder Companies board of directors. One of his seats will go to son-in-law Eric Zinterhofer, husband to daughter Aerin Lauder, who also has a seat on the board. Ronald S. Lauder is 80. His mother, Estée, started the company in 1946.
News to know:
- Beauty and fragrance incubator Tru Fragrance & Beauty has taken on majority ownership of Lake & Skye fragrance company, which sells at Nordstrom and Ulta Beauty. The company has been a minority investor in Lake & Skye since 2018. The details of the deal were not released.
- Bryan Johnson, the Silicon Valley entrepreneur turned longevity founder famous for his YouTube content series and recent Netflix special, is kicking off a multi-city wellness and longevity summit in Los Angeles on January 18. The Don’t Die Summit is a ticketed event open to consumers and will feature brand booths, expert talks and more. New York and Miami dates are planned for February and March, respectively, with seven additional cities planned for later this year. Tickets start at $249. Brands like Nucleus, Acorn, Eight Sleep, FlexBeam and Biohm are set to have booths.
- Store closures have continued into 2025. Kohl’s is set to close 27 underperforming stores by April, and Macy’s set to close 66 stores in 2025. Store closures surged 69% in 2024, according to data from Coresight market research company. The 7,100 store closures included 586 CVS drugstore locations and 580 Big Lots discount stores.
- Target has launched 2,000 new wellness products this year as part of its initiative to grow its wellness offering. This includes personal care products, supplements, activewear, beverages, tech and more.
- British vitamin beverage, gummy and supplement company Trip has taken on an undisclosed investment from The Equity Studio . Trip was founded in 2019 and has distribution in the U.K. and U.S.
- Beauty and wellness brands continue to prepare new social marketing strategies as it becomes increasingly more likely that TikTok will cease operations in the U.S. in the coming weeks. The Supreme Court heard arguments from ByteDance lawyers representing TikTok on Friday over its January 19 deadline and is set to deliver a ruling in the coming days. Analysts say that the court is likely to uphold the looming ban.
Stat of the week:
New data released on Thursday shows the impact GLP-1s like Ozempic and Wegovy have had on the medical industry. According to Guidepoint Qsight, a medical data company, practices offering GLP-1 treatments saw a 9% revenue increase in 2024, compared to a 2% decline at non-participating practices. What’s more, the study found that GLP-1s drive 15% of monthly revenue at participating practices, with 40% of these patients being new to the practice.
In the headlines:
Charlotte Tilbury comes for her copycats. Charli XCX says fillers are out, polynucleotides are in — what do the experts say? Skincare trends soaring — and sinking — in 2025. Revenge of the cheap shampoo. Can you dupe your way to the top? L’Oréal’s newest skin-care device wants to measure the concerns you can’t see yet. Sex workers are the new — and OG — beauty influencers.
Listen in:
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Need a Glossy recap?
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