A Dive into Beauty Licensing

While the theme for Brand Licensing Europe may be Location-Based Experiences, that doesn’t mean it’s the only topic to be covered during the event. 

During Day 2, Thea Green MBE, founder, Nails.Inc spoke with License Global’s Ben Roberts about all things beauty and licensing. As of 2022, Licensing International valued the global beauty industry at $12.34 billion, up 7% year-on-year.   

Founded in 1999 by Green, Nails.Inc has become a popular collaborator for those in the licensing space, featuring far-out collections including Velveeta cheese-scented polish and stickers, a line for Squishmallows and Froot Loops-scented neon polish.  

For Green, collaborating with other brands can be pretty straightforward.  

“We change the cap and the bottle,” says Green. “We give them a lot of footprint on the packaging.” 

But keeping up with trends while also keeping consumers happy can be challenging. In this day and age of social media, consumers are quick to pick up trends – and drop them just as quickly. Nails.INC has worked with influencers and seen success from having consumers rave about the brand. 

“It’s wherever the customer is, and it’s whatever is relevant,” says Green. “We’re open to anything that’s really popular culture – anything our customers know of or are about to know of.” 

Many brands have learned the power of creating brand recognition early and creating a customer for life (or as long as possible). For Green, that inspiration starts at home with her children.  

“We have wash-off and peel-off formulations,” says Green. “In terms of beauty, I do think that nail polish is one of the more acceptable beauty products for kids. I know from personal experience that I didn’t mind my kids wearing nail polish before makeup.” 

At the end of the day, it’s about staying in tune with consumers while keeping true to the brand, a process that can constantly be tweaked.  

“The beauty customer is so savvy,” says Green. “They read it, they investigate it, and in the end, they get it home in their makeup bag and they either like it or it hits the bin.”