DIBS Beauty

DIBS Beauty (short for Desert Island Beauty Status) launched in September 2021 from Austin, Texas, founded by influencer Courtney Shields and former A-Rod Corp COO Jeff Lee, who met virtually during the pandemic over a shared frustration with how complicated mass-market makeup had become. The brand opened with a 20,000-person waitlist and an initial $2.6M raise from Tula's founders and L Catterton stakeholders, and shipped two products on day one: the Status Stick highlighter and the Desert Island Duo bronzer/blush.

The whole DIBS thesis is in the tagline: 'Do less. Look like you did the most.' Products are vegan, talc-free, Leaping Bunny-certified, and built around multitasking cream sticks that don't need brushes or technique. The Status Stick Cream Blush, Desert Island Duo, Beauty Wand glossy lip oil, and the Duo Brush replaced 'minimum 5 products' face routines for an entire cohort of Gen-Z and millennial customers — and the brand became the most-cited Westman Atelier alternative at half the price. Sold at Sephora, Ulta, and Revolve.