19-Year-Old College Student Launches Beauty Site To Separate Science-Backed Beauty From Marketing BS

At Utopia Beauty, it’s all about showing the proof.

Launched on May 31, the new e-tailer offers about 50 products from 13 beauty brands across skincare, makeup, haircare, body and wellness that are backed by clinical studies. Products with unsubstantiated marketing claims aren’t allowed on the site. Study results are highlighted for customers under a tab labeled “The Science” on each product’s detail page. Canopy, Geologie, Caftari, Veriphy, Noon, Tronque, Remilia Hair and i-On Skincare are a few of the brands currently listed on Utopia Beauty.

Utopia Beauty is the brainchild of Trey Augliano, a 19-year-old college student at Syracuse University studying marketing and entrepreneurship. An acne sufferer, Augliano became frustrated by skincare products that made bold claims, but didn’t ease the acne. Sharing his frustrations with family and friends, he learned that others in his circle similarly distrusted beauty marketing claims. 

“That has propelled me forward, knowing that it’s not just me,” he says. “These brands and retailers can say just about anything they want about a product. So I was like, OK, I’m creating a space for brands that aren’t afraid to show their work where everything has clinical studies.” He emphasizes, “It’s important for Utopia to become a pillar of the beauty community when it comes to learning about science-backed products and ingredients. I would like to revolutionize the industry.”

Before they can be sold on Utopia Beauty, brands are assessed for their scientific backing, formulas and marketing claims. Those with biotechnology-derived ingredients are prioritized as are those with straightforward marketing language. Augliano reviews brands’ clinical studies with occasional assistance from Syracuse University science and chemistry professors. He hopes to conduct internal product testing in the future and assemble a team of cosmetic chemist advisors for Utopia Beauty.

He says, “I want to create the pinnacle of clinical studies so we have more control over everything…and can be that much more transparent with the consumers.”

Serums and moisturizers like Gleamin’s $38 Advanced Brightening Moisturizer and Acaderma’s $68 Oasis Barrier Repair Serum have been gaining the most traction on Utopia Beauty so far. Anti-aging, acne treatments and barrier support skincare products are resonating with customers, too. Products on the site are priced from $10 for Briotech’s Hypochlorous Acid Spray to $255 for Canopy’s Large Room Humidifier.

Utopia Beauty operates on a drop-ship model, and brands handle fulfillment. Bypassing inventory investments helped Augliano launch the business quickly without having to raise capital to support warehousing. Down the line, he aims to convert Utopia Beauty to a traditional wholesale model but intends to keep the business bootstrapped. Augliano says, “I’m trying to keep investors out as much as possible.”

The e-tailer is aiming to grow its assortment to reach between 100 and 200 brands in the future and branch out to a sun care vertical. The brands Ritual, Minu, K18, Ourself and Future Society are on its wishlist. 

Skilled in building Shopify e-commerce sites since high school, Augliano erected Utopia Beauty’s website in about a month as he reached out to brands. He estimates that he cold emailed about 2,000 brands, including 300 squarely in the skincare space. Augliano has had to convince some founders to give him a chance, while others have been energized by his concept. He says, “They think it’s awesome.”

Utopia Beauty’s focus on science-backed beauty is timely as clinically oriented brands have fueled skincare sales and mergers and acquisitions. The speed of science-backed beauty launches is accelerating as demand picks up from consumers prioritizing efficacy. According to the market research firm Mintel, an estimated 36% of science-backed skincare launches in the past five years occurred in the last year.

Conglomerates and investors are watching the phenomenon—and taking action. On June 9, L’Oréal announced it’s spending $1.1 billion on Medik8, a science-centered British skincare brand. SkinCeuticals, another clinical skincare brand in L’Oreal’s stable, grew revenues by a double-digit percentage last year. In late 2023, Shiseido snagged dermatologist-founded brand Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare. 

Augliano says the recent science-driven beauty deals underpin Utopia Beauty’s mission. “I don’t see science-backed beauty being a trend, I see it as the future of the industry,” he declares. “I only expect the niche to continue growing, with more brands launching every day.”

To break through the noise online, Utopia Beauty is pushing out attention-grabbing social media content that underscores its mission. Posts on its Instagram account pronounce, “The Beauty Industry Is Broken. We’re Fixing It,” and “Utopia Beauty—where marketing claims go to die.” The e-tailer is producing a blog on its site to educate customers on the meaning of clinical backing, the right ways to read ingredient lists and how to decode clean beauty buzzwords. 

About 20% of Utopia Beauty’s marketing budget is going toward Google and Meta advertising. It’s honing its TikTok strategy and plans to populate the platform with ingredient deep dives and product breakdowns.

Moving forward, the e-tailer is looking to partner with dermatologists, aestheticians, science communicators and cosmetic chemists to amplify its message online. Augliano identifies Alex Padgett, a cosmetic chemist and co-founder of skincare Educated Mess, and content creators Alexis Androulakis and Christina Basias Androulakis, aka The Lipstick Lesbians, as examples of people he’s interested in partnering with.