Bobbi Brown in the United States at Amazon Premium Beauty Store. Bobbi Brown Cosmetics is expanding its distribution channels by entering the Amazon Premium Beauty Store in the United States, with the aim of making its skincare and make-up products available to a wider audience. At the same time, distribution via online platforms in Europe raises questions about how qualitative brand standards and exclusivity in selective distribution channels can be reconciled with broad access via Amazon.
Bobbi Brown Cosmetics uses Amazon as a new distribution channel – opportunities and tensions
At the end of 2025, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics announced the launch of its range in the American Amazon Premium Beauty Store. This will enable wider availability of well-known products. This opens up new sales potential for the brand. At the same time, it creates a certain tension: Bobbi Brown products have so far been offered in Europe mainly through selective distribution, for example in specialist shops – marketing via a platform such as Amazon could impair the perception of exclusive brand quality and high-quality customer experience.
Brand philosophy meets distribution reality: the challenges of selective distribution
Bobbi Brown’s focus on natural beauty and high-quality care emphasises quality, advice and brand experience, as typically provided in brick-and-mortar specialist shops and department stores. These demanding criteria are difficult to ensure to the same extent online, especially in a marketplace designed for mass distribution and speed. The question remains as to what extent Amazon’s broad and sometimes uncontrolled environment is compatible with the brand’s high quality standards and the principles of selective distribution without disadvantaging other market participants and compromising brand value and customer loyalty.
Digital distribution channels as a double-edged sword for the premium cosmetics market
The integration into the Amazon Premium Beauty Store is a clear signal of the growing importance of digital distribution channels, which reach more consumers directly. These developments are important for European perfumery retailers and cosmetics manufacturers, but they also pose a challenge. Retailers need to consider how they can differentiate themselves from the wide range of online offerings and assert their exclusive services and personalised advice against the convenient but standardised online world.
Established brands under pressure from online platforms
Bobbi Brown is part of the Estée Lauder Companies portfolio, which is increasingly focusing on omnichannel strategies. The use of premium platforms such as Amazon can boost sales, but it also carries risks: it makes it more difficult to adhere to selective distribution principles, which otherwise serve to guarantee the quality of advice, presentation and customer approach. A loss of brand exclusivity could ultimately damage the value of the brand and reduce the trust of specialist retail partners and end customers.
Monitor developments with a critical eye
Managers and owners should monitor developments with a critical eye and develop strategies that preserve brand identity and service quality. The challenge lies in using digital channels without compromising the exclusivity and quality criteria of the brands. Close cooperation with the brands and differentiated distribution concepts can help to maintain the balance between accessibility and brand protection.
Bobbi Brown’s entry into the Amazon Premium Beauty Store is a prime example of the increasing pressure from digital distribution channels – and the associated tensions between reach, service quality and brand value, which are also becoming increasingly relevant for the European cosmetics market.
[Text/Graphic: epcnews]
