Beauty Pie Is The Brand Creating Affordable Dupes Of Luxury Cosmetics

Since the Covid 19 Pandemic, the sale and prices of beauty products have skyrocketed. It's not only luxury products that are pricier. Regrettably, some drugstore items are no longer a cost-friendly alternative to high-end products. Inflation and global supply shortages from the pandemic are primarily to blame for high costs. Despite the price spikes, experts note consumers will continue to buy the products they want. Given the financial circumstances, everyone wants more bang for their buck. If you want to shop for high-end products without an astronomical price tag, Beauty Pie is for you. Beauty Pie is the brainchild of Marcia Kilgore.

Kilgore is best known for creating the skincare brands Bliss and Soap & Glory. In 2017, the entrepreneur launched Beauty Pie, an online retailer that sells dupes of luxury products for half the price. Kilgore told The New York Times that she came up with the concept of Beauty Pie while at a train station in Milan, Italy. Kilgore was by then well-versed in skincare and running successful businesses.

She noted that she wanted everyone to be able to purchase high-end products without worrying about the price. Kilgore explained her mission with Beauty Pie to The New York Times. She said, "This is about democratizing luxury beauty. It is about respecting the intelligence and needs of a customer I know I understand."

Beauty Pie sells an assortment of products centered on beauty and wellness. This includes makeup, skincare, and even candles. Prices vary but can be as low as $10 to $128. However, there is one thing to be aware of when it comes to Beauty Pie. To get these low prices, you must pay a membership fee of $10 per month or $59 a year if you decide to pay upfront. You don't have to pay the membership fee to shop at Beauty Pie, but you will pay a higher price for a product. For example, one of their best sellers is their Youthbomb Double-retinol Action Skin Overhaul Serum.

You'll pay $49 for this product if you're a member. If you're not, the price is $170. But how does Beauty Pie get to offer their customers these incredible prices? Beauty Pie does away with intricate packaging and marketing. In other words, they get rid of the middleman. As Marcia Kilgore put it to Harper's Bazaar UK, "we get the best possible product to the customer, for the price we pay for it." Kilgore told the publication that Beauty Pie's products originate from Europe and Asia. Essentially, their products are the same as those sold by a luxury retailer without the brand name label, making you and your wallet happy. All you need to do is order them online and wait for them to arrive at your door.

Despite the monthly membership fee, reviewers at Well + Good, Harper's Bazaar UK, and Good Housekeeping UK said they believed Beauty Pie was worth the hype and the money. Even with the membership fee, you can expect to save up to 70% on certain products. In a blog post for Beauty Pie, Marcia Kilgore explained that her experience in the beauty industry made her aware of all the ridiculous markups involved in the market. She said that her career is centered on the livelihood of women and noted, "But negotiating margins with retailers, pretending that luxury products are worth up to 10X more than they actually cost to manufacture, that has always made me really uncomfortable."

Beauty Pie has hundreds of products on its website. If you're unsure where to start, some of its best sellers include the YouthBomb 360° Radiance Concentrate, which promises brighter skin, and the Triple Beauty Luminizing Wand. The latter is an alternative to try if you can't afford the Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Liquid Highlighting Wand. In a TikTok, user @thirtywaves said that she loves how the YouthBomb 360° Radiance Concentrate makes her skin feel, especially while she travels. Another popular product is Superdrops Brightening Niacinamide. If you're unfamiliar with Niacinamide, this is a skincare product that is best for radiant skin.

As for Kilgore, she told The New York Times that Beauty Pie is her favorite business idea. She said, "I'm proud of them all. But Beauty Pie? Beauty Pie eclipses the rest."