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The encyclopedia · Strategy & Leadership · Strategic decision · 2013–2025

Drew Barrymore's Flower Beauty closed after 13 years as Maesa exited mass makeup

Flower Beauty, the drugstore makeup line by Drew Barrymore and Maesa, shut down in September 2025 when Maesa exited color cosmetics entirely.

Flower Beauty · Drew Barrymore · Maesa · 2025-09-26

What happened

Flower Beauty was a drugstore makeup brand founded in 2013 by Drew Barrymore in partnership with Maesa, the beauty incubator behind several indie success stories. It was Maesa's first incubated brand and grew to be sold at Walmart, Ulta Beauty, and CVS across the United States. The line was known for accessible, cheerful packaging and remained a steady performer in the mass beauty aisle for over a decade.

In September 2025, Maesa confirmed that it was shutting down Flower Beauty as part of a strategic decision to exit the color cosmetics category entirely. The company said it wanted to focus on faster-growing segments: skin care, body care, fragrance, and hair care. Flower Beauty's website went inactive, its social media fell silent, and retailers began clearing remaining stock at discount prices.

The closure came the same year the beauty industry saw a wave of brand shutdowns, including Youthforia, Ami Colé, and Jecca Blac, as market saturation and shifting investor priorities squeezed independent and celebrity-backed labels. For Maesa, the exit marked the end of its own first brand and a turn toward categories it considered more resilient.

Why it happened

  • Maesa, the brand's owner, exited color cosmetics entirely to focus on skin care, body care, fragrance, and hair care — segments with better margins and growth.
  • Mass-market makeup faced intensifying competition from indie brands and legacy players, squeezing mid-tier labels with broad distribution but no unique position.
  • Celebrity-brand partnerships are fragile — when the parent company pivots, the brand has no independent standing and cannot survive regardless of consumer loyalty.
What it cost13 years of operations; Walmart, Ulta, CVS distributioncostly

The lesson

A brand can thrive for over a decade across national retailers yet remain entirely dependent on its parent company — when the incubator pivots categories, the brand has no independent survival path.

Aftermath

Flower Beauty products were cleared from retail shelves in late 2025. Drew Barrymore did not announce a new beauty venture. Maesa continued operating its remaining brands in skin care, body care, fragrance, and hair care.

Sources

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