Brands put their spin on beauty’s packaging déjà vu

Two brands launching similar products is a coincidence. Three, in the same week, in packaging that looks almost identical? That’s eyebrow-raising.

The pattern emerged on 17 September, when Fenty Skin teased its Dew N Plump Fresh-Sliced Hydrogel Eye Patches, packaged in a grinder-style dispenser designed to release a fresh slice of hydrogel with each twist.

Days later, Glow Recipe unveiled its own eye patches in what appeared to be near-identical packaging, followed shortly after by Huda Beauty with a strikingly similar format.

Don't miss: Niu Lai! Malaysian brands put their own spin to the Chinese film’s virality

Rather than turn the overlap into a public spat, the brands appeared to take it in good humour. Fenty Skin poked fun at the situation with a meme showing the products side by side, while Huda Beauty joined the conversation in the comments with, “great minds think alike”.

Huda Beauty founder Huda Kattan later said the brands had been “lied to on the exclusivity” by the same packaging supplier, with each told it was the only brand using the design. Glow Recipe’s founders, meanwhile, confirmed that the formulas inside are different. The packaging format itself is also not new, with Korean beauty brand Wonder Bath launching a slicing serum using the same mechanism in July.

Malaysian brand Dododots also jumped into the conversation, joking that “Finance says 10,000 likes and we will do it” if the post hits the engagement target. At the time of writing, it was still only 4,000-plus likes in.

While the packaging mix-up may be a headache for the brands and their supplier, marketers have found plenty to enjoy in the situation, turning the unexpected overlap into a wave of timely trendjacking.

Here are some of the best brand reactions so far:

1. Beauty of Joseon

Other beauty brands are also jumping onto the bandwagon. Beauty of Joseon said it was "showing what's inside". This is a subtle wink at the point brands in the saga have been making: the packaging may look alike, but the formulas differ. 

2. Burger King

The fast-food giant swapped skincare for condiments with a spoof of honey mustard patches. It's a reminder that no aisle is safe from a viral moment. The tongue-in-cheek post also keeps the joke on brand, turning a beauty gag into a nudge about its sauces.

3. Gillette 

Gillette went for the closest shave to the source material, with fake fresh-sliced shave patches that mimic the twist-and-slice format. The execution is simple, making sense of a beauty-world trend for its grooming audience.

4. Innisfree

Innisfree took the popcorn-in-hand approach, saying it was just watching the drama unfold. It also subtly promoted its own variation of the eye patch. 

5. Laneige

Laneige leaned into the mystery, saying it was "trying to piece together the under eye patch lore". The playful detective energy invites followers to join the guessing game, while highlighting its own eye patches.

6. Poppi

Straying from the beauty and personal care brands, beverage brand Poppi joined the fun with a simple "iykyk" in its caption, which is low effort but high signal for those following the drama.

7. Quickflick

Australian beauty brand Quick Flick joined the fray with a caption joking that "someone's getting fired" with a picture of a fake hydrogel eye patch dispenser. The brand then switched things up to highlight its very real pimple patch dispenser instead. 

Related articles:  
Beauty, luxury and wellness are playing a new game of trust
Beauty is winning at creator commerce. So what's everyone else missing?
Trendjacking or trouble? Brands navigate the fine line amid the 'AI doll' craze