But in 2023, we moved from food-inspired aesthetics to actually wanting Look Like food, with trends like cinnamon cookie butter hair, blueberry milk nails, and glitter donut skin. Today, anything goes: Velveeta Hair Dye, Dill-Pickle-Flavored SmoothieAnd Hellmann's Parfum de Mayonnaise– It seems that the more arbitrary the rules, the better.
For Millennials and Zillennials, these products are a sensory trip down memory lane, recreating the candy-scented mall staples of our youth. For Gen Z, it's a clash of highs and lows — a clean beauty brand like Native rubbing shoulders with a fast food establishment like Dunkin'.
so happy together
TikTok, with its algorithmic obsession with the absurd, thrives on these edible beauty launches. The marketing strategy borrows liberally from streetwear's scarcity playbook, implementing limited-edition drops designed to create urgency and exclusivity. But unfortunately, these products are not made to last. They're the flashpoint for FOMO-prone shoppers and sentimentalists looking to romanticize their daily routine. For Gen Z, the concept seems to be spreading just as quickly as it seems strange.
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Food and beverage (F&B) licensing is an attractive opportunity for these partnerships. According to Licensing International's 2023 global licensing industry studyF&B grew by 5.3 percent, and the cosmetic industry is dipping its manicured fingers into the pie. Everyone benefits from these symbiotic relationships, as food franchises harness the ability to share #beautytalk To expand your branding into new markets.
The result is a syrupy cocktail of millennial nostalgia and Gen Z irony that generates free advertising through memes, TikTok reactions, and social media discourse.
So, what's next? Crunchwrap-scented cologne? Hot Cheeto-flavored toothpaste? Maybe McRib Collagen Serum? As brands push the boundaries of absurdity, the question isn't whether they'll go too far, the question is when we reach our breaking point. Novelty has a shelf life.
Without meaningful innovation, like some of these, the jokes risk becoming weak. the franchise itselfIn the meantime, though, there's a cautionary tale: The punch line here is the consumer, not the product. We don't want to wake up tomorrow morning smelling of Cheetos and pickles and feeling like this joke is being played on us.