The encyclopedia · Marketing & Brand · Marketing decision · 2020–2022
Bite Beauty replaced its cult lipstick in a full rebrand — and lost its customers
Kendo acquired the Toronto lip brand, then reformulated everything vegan in 2020. Fans of the original Amuse Bouche left. The brand closed in 2022.
Bite Beauty · Kendo Brands · LVMH · 2022-05-16
What happened
Bite Beauty was founded in Toronto in 2011 by Susanne Langmuir and launched exclusively at Sephora, building a cult following around lip products made from edible oils. Its Amuse Bouche lipstick became a signature product. Kendo, LVMH's beauty incubator, acquired the brand in 2014.
In 2019, Bite Beauty discontinued its entire product line. In 2020 it relaunched with a new vegan, cruelty-free identity, replacing the beloved Amuse Bouche lipstick with the Power Move Soft Matte collection. The reformulated lip products were criticised for underperforming on moisture, texture and shade range. Loyal customers who had defined the brand moved to competitors.
On May 16, 2022, Bite Beauty announced on Instagram that it was closing after a decade. The brand had also faced growing competition inside Sephora and within Kendo's own portfolio. Langmuir's separate Lip Lab custom lipstick business survived the closure and continued expanding.
Why it happened
- The rebrand replaced the product that defined the brand — the Amuse Bouche lipstick — and underestimated how strongly customers were attached to the original formula.
- Expanding from lips into complexion and eye products diluted a focused identity, and the expansion came too late to offset the loss of the core franchise.
- Inside Kendo's growing portfolio and Sephora's expanding shelves, Bite Beauty lost visibility and shelf position to newer celebrity and influencer brands.
The lesson
When you acquire a cult brand, the product is the brand — reformulating the thing customers love is not a refresh, it is a different company.
Aftermath
Bite Beauty's remaining inventory was sold at steep discounts. Susanne Langmuir's Lip Lab, a separate custom lipstick business she had started in 2013, continued operating and expanded to more than thirteen locations across the US and Canada.
Sources
- FashionNetwork: Canada's Bite Beauty closes shop after a decade of business
- Glam: Whatever Happened To Bite Beauty?
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