Why Beauty and Wellness Changed Since 2019 — and Why Brokers Matter for Wholesale Growth

info@angelawallace.ca (Angela Wallace) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 15:43:19 GMT

Introduction

Since 2019, the beauty and wellness industry has changed in ways that fundamentally affect how brands grow. The old playbook — launch DTC, build viral buzz, and wait for niche retail — has given way to a more complex omnichannel reality where brands need to win across e-commerce, specialty retail, marketplaces, mass, and social commerce, all at the same time.

Concurrently, beauty has become more closely tied to wellness, longevity, and solution-based consumer behavior. BeautyMatter’s coverage shows that consumers now expect brands to address physical and emotional well-being, not just appearance, while NIQ reports that beauty shoppers are fluidly moving across channels and interacting with an average of 5.3 retailers in the U.S. over 12 months.

For beauty and wellness founders, that shift creates a huge opportunity — but also a bigger execution burden. That is exactly where a broker can make the difference.

Beauty and wellness after 2019

1. DTC is no longer the full strategy

In 2019, many indie beauty brands were still trying to prove themselves online first. Today, DTC remains important, but it is no longer the only growth engine, and it is rarely enough on its own. Beauty Independent has documented the industry’s move away from a DTC-dominant mindset toward a new channel architecture that can include retail, Amazon, and social commerce as meaningful parts of the growth mix.

This matters because channel strategy now affects everything from margin and inventory planning to storytelling and retail positioning. Brands that treat wholesale as a segregated project often lose momentum when they need to scale most.

2. Wellness became part of beauty’s core value proposition

Beauty is no longer just about cosmetic improvement. Reporting in 2024 and 2025 shows the category increasingly shaped by wellness, longevity, emotional health, and “hero ingredient” storytelling tied to functional benefits. Consumers want products that feel supportive, preventive, and meaningful, not just attractive.

That shift has changed how brands need to present themselves to buyers. Retailers are looking for clearer claims, stronger product logic, and a more compelling reason to believe. In practice, that means a brand must sell both the product and the problem it solves.

3. Omnichannel became the baseline

Beauty shoppers do not think in silos anymore. They might discover a product on social, research it online, buy it in store, and reorder through a marketplace or brand site. NIQ’s data shows just how omnichannel the category has become, with online continuing to drive a large share of beauty and personal care sales (upwards of 50% or more)..

That has major implications for wholesale. A retailer no longer wants a brand that only looks good on a shelf. Buyers want proof that the brand can drive demand across channels and support sell-through after the initial order. The brands that win are the ones that treat wholesale as part of a connected brand development system.

Why a broker helps wholesale grow faster

1. A broker shortens the learning curve

Wholesale is operationally demanding. It involves account targeting, buyer outreach, line sheets, pricing structure, pitch refinement, launch support, and ongoing follow-up. A broker helps a brand avoid years of trial and error by bringing channel knowledge and buyer context into the process.

That matters especially in beauty and wellness, where retailer expectations can vary widely by channel. A broker can help a brand understand which doors make sense now, which ones are premature, and how to shape the story for each one. That saves time and improves the odds of meaningful growth.

2. A broker improves channel fit

Not every retailer is the right retailer. We always emphasize that choosing the right retail partners is essential, because the wrong door can create margin pressure, operational strain, and weak sell-through deterring other doors from listing the brand. A broker helps brands prioritize accounts that match their price point, shopper profile, and category role.

In an omnichannel market, fit matters more than volume. The best broker relationships help brands enter accounts that build credibility, not just distribution. That is especially important for emerging beauty and wellness brands trying to establish a strong foundation.

3. A broker connects strategy to execution

Many founders have a strong brand story but weak wholesale execution. A broker can turn strategy into action by refining sales assets, preparing for buyer meetings, supporting launch planning, and helping the brand become and remain organized after the first order. That kind of experience can be the difference between a one-time placement and sustainable retail accounts.

This is where wholesale growth accelerates. When a broker helps align positioning, outreach, and follow-through, brands can move faster and present more professionally to retailers. In a crowded market, that execution advantage is often what gets a brand noticed.

What brands need now

The beauty and wellness industry rewards brands that can combine product relevance, retail readiness, and cross-channel consistency. Trends through the last five years makes it clear that consumers are more wellness-oriented, more information-driven, and more selective than they were in 2019 when Angela became a broker for hire. At the same time, NIQ and Beauty Independent show that the path to growth is increasingly omnichannel and can no longer be centered on DTC.

That means brands need more than influencer inspiration. They need systems, priorities, and experienced support that help them move from interest to placement to reorder. A broker like Angela can provide that bridge.

How Broker Buffer fits

Broker Buffer was built for beauty and wellness founders who want a more structured path to wholesale growth. It combines curated broker support, strategic coaching, practical resources, and real-world retail guidance so brands can move with more clarity and less guesswork. With opt-in buyer meetings, calendar reviews, and pitches, brands in Broker Buffer receive tailored retail placement opportunities in a community of care.

For founders entering the omnichannel era, that kind of support is not a luxury. It is increasingly part of what it takes to compete.

Closing

Since 2019, when Angela struck out on her own as a fractional executive driving wholesale success in-store, on shelf, beauty and personal care have become more complex and connected to wellness, more dependent on omnichannel execution. Brands that want to grow wholesale need more than a list of retail targets — they need a partner who can help them convert opportunity into actual retail momentum, for the long run.

Angela Wallace Impact Agency blog