As retail stores try to bring shoppers back to the mall, Gap and Old Navy seem to be taking cues from Sephora.
Old Navy beauty is officially on its way. The brand will be putting staffed beauty counters with cosmetics, fragrances, and skin care in nearly 50 stores, and carrying the new line at approximately 100 more.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the Old Navy beauty products will be affordably priced, and the lines will be a mix of store-branded products and products from companies like Mario Badescu and E.L.F. At Gap, beauty products, starting with fragrances, will arrive in 2026.
The CEO of Gap, Richard Dickson, said in an interview with the newspaper that the brand felt ready to expand beyond clothing and accessories.
“We have the credibility with consumers to start to venture into categories adjacent to our core,” Dickson said.
We don’t hate the idea, but let’s tease out the pros and cons, shall we?
Point one: I’ve bought hair mist, lotion, body spray, maybe even some candles at Gap Body in my day, and they’ve all been good, solid merchandise, so on its face, this isn’t a strange play or something to be skeptical of. Yeah, bring back the moisturizers and then some. Didn’t they already sell lip balms and stuff?
Point two: The company made this announcement before dropping their well-received commercial with KATSEYE, but we see an overall vision here: Hook the teen girls with the stuff they like. By which we mean, makeup and K-pop. Not the worst strategy.
However, all that said, you’re a clothing company, Gap, so maybe focus on being the best clothing company you can be…Gap! Remember when The Weeknd tried to be an actor?
But maybe the idea is to get people in the door, then hook them. Sort of like how Costco loses money selling those hot dogs but it doesn’t matter because people like them so much and the point of Costco is to sell memberships, not hot dogs.
If Old Navy can bring you in to test a serum or whatever, maybe while you’re there, you’ll try on a sweater. Stay tuned for when we check it all out next year.