The Tamesis
Its retail strategy follows a similar pattern. The brand is now widely distributed in private stores, department stores, Sephora, Boots and Amazon, but the core proposition remains the same – Bi says consistency is intentional so consumers have the same understanding of the product wherever they encounter the brand. Even on TikTok, where discovery is increasingly driven by novelty, the brand has favored explanatory content over trend engagement, reinforcing the same positioning it established at launch.
“We don’t follow trends,” Bi said. “What we choose not to do is as important as what we choose to do.”
What 10 years actually looks like
These brands do not illustrate a single path forward, but rather the shifts required to sustain one. The scripts of the past have not disappeared. It just doesn’t work alone anymore.
Today, brands operate in a more decentralized system. Distribution now spans Amazon, TikTok Shop, physical retail and DTC, with each channel playing a different role in how customers discover, evaluate and repurchase products. This makes growth less linear and more difficult to control.
At the same time, the economy changed. “Ten years ago, all investors cared about was your revenue numbers and revenue growth,” said NielsenIQ’s Mayo. Profitability and consistency are now more important, she said – a shift reflected in deal structuring with more minority investments and phased acquisitions rather than going all-out.
Nowhere is this shift more evident than in the way brands operate day-to-day. If the first phase of digitally native beauty was defined by expansion—more SKUs, more channels, more marketing—then the second phase is editorial.
At a product level, this means moving away from constantly introducing new products to focusing more on what already works. RMS has shifted to what Chief Strategy Officer Sack describes as “fewer, better product launches,” rebuilding around products like its primer and Hydro Powder blush, which have been consistent bestsellers at retail.
