As writers of Gingergeist Substack, we’re no strangers to the power of the written word (and inspiring visuals). What’s interesting is how niche and major beauty brands are connecting with community and purpose in releasing “Volumes,” wisdom via a book, and a blog posing as a magazine.
The Manifesto Arrives Before the Bottle
August 29th, loreworld posted to Instagram: “Through scent, reality bends—along the arc of our emotions, we are pulled through past and present, between somewhere and nowhere, both familiar and new, carried by the web of invisible connections.” LORE Everything Possible Volume 1, published August 2025, is the tagline, poetic manifesto, and creative campaign text for LORE, a luxury fragrance brand. Rather than a traditional printed book or novel, this “Volume” represents the debut phase and emotional manifesto of the perfume house, which approaches fragrance creation as a “wardrobe of feeling”.
Ginger Spark: Lore fragrances, distributed via Sephora and the official Lore World store, treat scent as an emotional “galaxy”. The “Volume 1” release featured five debut Eau de parfums by master perfumers including Jérôme Epinette: Lil Softie, Sublimity, Somewhere but Nowhere, Lovely and a Little Twisted, and Disfruta. The aesthetic (and wooden display tray) was designed with high-concept packaging resembling collectible art books. The success of this campaign can be seen in comments like loganmeachum “@loreworld, a Lil softie mag feels necessary… so I can keep adding little pieces of the world to my collection :))).” Gingergeist thoroughly agrees!
Goat Milk and Harvard Business Review
September 2nd on LinkedIn, Brent Ridge, MD of Beekman 1802 Skincare, thanked Frob - Friends of Books for a #FrobBookRecommendation overview of G.O.A.T. Wisdom: Building a Great Business with Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, published by Harvard Business Review. The book and review answer the question “What does it really take to build a business that is not just successful, but truly great?”
Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell started Beekman 1802 during a bad recession, in one of New York State’s poorest counties. They had no big funding and no formal business plan. They used old-fashioned values, determination, and lessons from their families to build a famous brand. The book focuses on twelve main ideas or guiding principles instead of fast-moving marketing trends. Examples include:
Know who you are: Your core values matter more than a quick product trend.
Treat customers like neighbors: Build real trust and a strong sense of community.
Believe in your product: Have great pride in what you sell.
Ginger Spark: As Frob - Friends of Books points out, “G.O.A.T. Wisdom asks readers to think about what makes a business worth building in the first place. Success here is not presented simply as growth or revenue, but as creating something meaningful—something that serves customers, builds community, reflects its values, and can stand the test of time.” What Gingergeist appreciates about this book release of goat milk and kindness is that it might resonate as much with an entrepreneur completely unfamiliar with the Beekman 1802 brand story as it does with “neighbors.”
Nine Years Later, MACzine Is Back
Also on September 2nd, MAC sent out a push email with a MACzine cover image with “WHO THE F*CK IS JAYDEN JAMES?” The link takes readers to a page to discover Jayden James (19-year-old son of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline), a model/self-taught musician/M.A.C boy, along with creative inspiration and how M.A.C Fix+ Setting Spray fits into his life. MAC Cosmetics has digitally revived its iconic editorial platform, MACzine, after a nine-year hiatus. Featuring “Trending Skin and Makeup Looks,” along with “All the beauty trends, viral beauty hacks, makeup looks and pro tutorials designed to inspire - curated by M.A.C Artists and experts.”
Ginger Spark: The original run was published in print from 2009 to 2017 as a seasonal style guide and creative outlet for internal MAC artists. The digital return was relaunched in early 2026 with a social-first approach focusing on fashion, beauty, culture, and artistry. The new social-first comeback not only allows the brand to react immediately to all things MAC, but also, rather than a gatekeeping, internal approach, creates community and connection by allowing customers to read and purchase the latest inspirations (including looks from MAC faces Doja Cat and Chappell Roan).
Brands are building written voices, not just campaigns. If yours needs one, Gingergeist can help: gingergeisty@gmail.com.
