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Show Results For
- All HBS Web
(959)
- People (2)
- News (381)
- Research (351)
- Multimedia (14)
- Faculty Publications (225)
- January 2019 (Revised October 2019)
- Case
Glossier: Co-Creating a Cult Brand with a Digital Community
By: Jill Avery
Glossier’s proclaimed strategy was “born from content; fueled by community.” The digital-first, direct-to-consumer beauty brand had experienced rapid growth, with sales up 600% in 2017 and a customer portfolio that grew by threefold. But, its founder, Emily Weiss, was... View Details
Keywords: Brands; Brand Management; Brand Communication; Retailing; DTC; Influencer; Startup; Internet Marketing; Big Data; Crowdsourcing; Growth and Development Strategy; Social Media; E-commerce; Internet and the Web; Digital Marketing; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States; North America
Avery, Jill. "Glossier: Co-Creating a Cult Brand with a Digital Community." Harvard Business School Case 519-022, January 2019. (Revised October 2019.)
- February 2021 (Revised July 2022)
- Case
Sarah Breedlove: Changing the World
By: Robert Simons and Max Saffer
This case describes the rise of Sarah Breedlove, who later called herself Madam C.J. Walker, from the cotton fields of Louisiana to the head of a successful, nationwide beauty company providing opportunity and hair care products to Black women. The case describes how... View Details
Keywords: Brands; African-american Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurship; Values and Beliefs; Personal Characteristics; Success; Work-Life Balance; Business Startups; Brands and Branding; Marketing; Personal Development and Career; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; United States
Simons, Robert, and Max Saffer. "Sarah Breedlove: Changing the World." Harvard Business School Case 121-060, February 2021. (Revised July 2022.)
- March 2021 (Revised October 2023)
- Case
Mary Kay Ash: Changing the World
By: Robert Simons and Shirley Sun
This case describes the rise of Mary Kay, the founder of the worldwide cosmetics company. As a young single mother, Mary Kay had to overcome many obstacles to start her business and guide it to success. Today, there are more than 3.5 million Mary Kay beauty consultants... View Details
Keywords: Business Start-ups; Entrepreneurship; Values and Beliefs; Business Startups; Work-Life Balance; Success; Religion; Family Business; Personal Development and Career; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry
Simons, Robert, and Shirley Sun. "Mary Kay Ash: Changing the World." Harvard Business School Case 121-046, March 2021. (Revised October 2023.)
- 11 Dec 2023
- Blog Post
Building Iconic Brands and Brighter Futures: Interview with Glossier CEO, Kyle Leahy
Kyle Leahy (MBA 2011) stepped into the CEO role of Glossier in May 2022 ready to take the brand to new heights. Since its founding in 2014, Glossier had disrupted the beauty industry, created a powerful community-driven brand, and was... View Details
Keywords: Consumer Products / Retail
- August 1996
- Case
ThermoLase
By: William A. Sahlman and Andrew S. Janower
John Hansen, CEO of ThermoLase, must develop a plan of action to exploit the company's new development-stage revolutionary hair removal technology with negligible revenues and a $500 million market capitalization. This nascent public Thermo Electron spin out company... View Details
Keywords: Business or Company Management; Corporate Entrepreneurship; Venture Capital; Business Strategy; Growth and Development Strategy; Business Plan; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry
Sahlman, William A., and Andrew S. Janower. "ThermoLase." Harvard Business School Case 897-002, August 1996.
- 20 Jul 2021
- Blog Post
Aisha Fatima Dozie is Igniting Confidence as the Founder of Bossy Cosmetics
From investment banking, to the federal government, to a beauty startup.From North America, to Africa, to Europe, to South America. Aisha Fatima Dozie (MBA 2002), founder of Bossy Cosmetics, has a colorful, vibrant, and inspiring life... View Details
- 28 Aug 2020
- Video
Ian Fuhr
Ian Fuhr, who later founded Sorbet, the largest chain of beauty salons in South Africa, describes how he was sent to a refinery owned by the Murray & Roberts group in the 1990s and encountered appalling racism at the top management. The CEO eventually took steps to... View Details
- May 2025
- Teaching Note
Boutiqaat: Influencing Retail in MENA
By: Juan Alcacer and Noor Al Qadhi
Boutiqaat, a Kuwait-based e-commerce platform, scaled an influencer-driven beauty retail model across MENA and now faces critical strategic choices about offline expansion and globalization. Founded in 2015, Boutiqaat combined social commerce, localized logistics, and... View Details
- December 2020
- Case
Urban Company
Urban Company is an India-based market platform that helps customers book home services and at home beauty services. The company differentiated itself by investing heavily in building customer trust. Rather than merely positioning itself as a lead generating... View Details
Keywords: COVID-19 Pandemic; Entrepreneurship; Digital Platforms; Emerging Markets; Strategy; Service Delivery; Trust; Technology Industry; Service Industry; India
Palepu, Krishna G. "Urban Company." Harvard Business School Case 121-041, December 2020.
- 27 Jan 2016
- News
Please, Take Your Leadership Personally
Geoffrey G. Jones
Geoffrey Jones is the Isidor Straus Professor of Business History, and Faculty Chair of the School's Business History Initiative. He holds degrees of BA, MA and PhD from Cambridge University, UK. He has an honorary Doctorate in Economics and Business Administration... View Details
- 14 Mar 2018
- Blog Post
The 2+2 Program: Finding the Freedom to Take Risks
make sense on that path?” I quickly realized that I didn’t need the answers – in fact, the beauty of 2+2 is the time it gives you to explore, ask questions, and learn. I decided to dive in and, looking back, it was the best decision of my... View Details
- 15 Oct 2013
- First Look
First Look: October 15
a Technology Company or a Beauty Company? Jon Flint came up with the idea of a science-based beauty company while talking with his hairdresser about the problems with typical hair and skin care products.... View Details
Keywords: Sean Silverthorne
- 28 Dec 2020
- Interview
Psychological Safety and Fearless Organisations
By: Amy C. Edmondson and Vesna Lucca
In This Podcast:
• The ugly and beauty in transformational change
• Why don’t all companies create psychological safety
• Her passion to create a better workplace
• Buckminster Fuller
• The importance of system thinking
• The power... View Details
• The ugly and beauty in transformational change
• Why don’t all companies create psychological safety
• Her passion to create a better workplace
• Buckminster Fuller
• The importance of system thinking
• The power... View Details
"Psychological Safety and Fearless Organisations." Episode 112. Corporate Unplugged (podcast), December 28, 2020.
- November 1993 (Revised March 1995)
- Case
Marsh Supermarkets, Inc. (A): The Marsh Super Study
In response to recent trends in grocery retailing, Marsh Supermarkets has completed an intensive 65-week study of the activity at 5 superstores in the midwest United States. The study tracked the sales, profits, space, and promotion dynamics of the entire store: dry... View Details
Burke, Raymond R. "Marsh Supermarkets, Inc. (A): The Marsh Super Study." Harvard Business School Case 594-042, November 1993. (Revised March 1995.)
- June 2024 (Revised August 2024)
- Case
Revlon India's Turnaround: Navigating Online-Offline Decisions Using a Balanced Scorecard
By: Tatiana Sandino and Samuel Grad
Revlon India was founded as a joint venture in 1995, pairing the industrial conglomerate UMG with the global beauty brand Revlon, Inc. to bring international color cosmetics to India. After growing rapidly and pioneering the Beauty Advisor (BA) model in India, the... View Details
Keywords: Balanced Scorecard; Restructuring; Training; Supply Chain Management; Distribution; E-commerce; Business Model; Business Plan; Decision Choices and Conditions; Marketing Strategy; Alignment; Brands and Branding; Negotiation; Joint Ventures; Strategic Planning; Salesforce Management; Competition; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; India
Sandino, Tatiana, and Samuel Grad. "Revlon India's Turnaround: Navigating Online-Offline Decisions Using a Balanced Scorecard." Harvard Business School Case 124-107, June 2024. (Revised August 2024.)
- January 2011
- Case
Clean Edge Razor: Splitting Hairs in Product Positioning
By: John A. Quelch and Heather Beckham
After three years of development, Paramount Health and Beauty Company is preparing to launch a new technologically advanced vibrating razor called Clean Edge. The innovative new design of Clean Edge provides superior performance by stimulating the hair follicles to... View Details
Keywords: Project Management; Interdepartmental Relations; Organizational Change; Organizational Change and Adaptation; Leadership; Conflict Management; Product Positioning; Marketing Strategy; Relationships; Product Development; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry; Beauty and Cosmetics Industry
Quelch, John A., and Heather Beckham. "Clean Edge Razor: Splitting Hairs in Product Positioning." Harvard Business School Brief Case 114-249, January 2011.
- 23 Aug 2019
- Blog Post
A Summer of Peaks and Swells: Interning at Patagonia
and protecting our wild and public lands. So much of my experience at Patagonia has shown me how to advocate for change, to live with authenticity, and to build beautiful products customers can appreciate without causing unnecessary harm. View Details