· 3 min read · Jason Youngjin Koh
Launching a beauty brand from zero
A new beauty brand has no reviews, no audience and no data. The launch has to create all three, in the right order.
Launch in this order: decide who the brand is for and why they should care, build a store that converts a stranger, produce a bank of real content, test with a small ad budget to find the angle that sells, then scale what works while collecting reviews and repeat buyers. We built TinhHoa, a Vietnamese perfume brand, from nothing to $25,000 a month at 6x return on ad spend using this sequence.
Why does positioning come before ads?
Because ads amplify whatever the brand already says. If a customer cannot tell in five seconds who the brand is for and why it differs, more spend just buys more confusion. Write one sentence: this brand is for this person, who wants this, and chooses us because of this. Every ad, product page and caption should be traceable to it.
What does a launch store need?
- Product pages that show texture, scale and real skin, not just packshots.
- A clear answer to who is this for, above the fold.
- Delivery times, returns and payment options stated plainly.
- Fast mobile loading, because almost all launch traffic comes from phones.
- A sample or starter option that lowers the cost of trying.
How much content do you need before ads?
Enough for several distinct concepts: product close ups, a founder story, creator reviews, and lifestyle shots. AI product imagery and a handful of micro creators can produce this in weeks rather than months. Launching ads with one hero video means the first round of testing has nothing to compare.
How should the first ad budget be used?
To learn which promise sells. Run several concepts against the same audience with equal budget and see which drives purchases, not just clicks. The winner tells you which promise the market believes. Most of the budget then moves behind it, with a smaller share kept for continuous testing.
What builds momentum after launch?
- Reviews from the first buyers, requested a few days after delivery.
- Creator content that turns into partnership ads.
- Follow up to every first buyer with a second product or a refill.
- A steady supply of new creative so winning ads never run dry.
Flirti, a women's perfume brand in Vietnam, grew traffic 400% on the same principles. The pattern holds across fragrance, skincare and cosmetics: clear positioning, real content, disciplined testing, then scale.
Once something sells, this is how the budget should be structured. Scale what works, test the rest