Apart from the brand's marketing strategy, what makes Glossier so successful is its brand: skincare first, makeup second (via Wired). Clean beauty is in the ranks with the industry totaling over $500 million in 2020, per PRNewswire. And, this industry is only expected to grow.

Thus, it makes sense that Glossier — the brand of clean beauty before such a thing existed — is widely popular. It competes against other brands due not only to its clean beauty approach but also to its promise of exclusivity and youthfulness. "It has a much more youthful look and feels than if you compared it to, say, a L'Oréal Paris or a Lancôme or a MAC, even, or an Estée Lauder," Andrew Stephen, a L'Oréal professor of marketing at the University of Oxford's Business School, said to Wired. "It looks fresher, it looks more modern.

And, then to add on to its pros — Glossier is relatively cheap. Compared to other exclusive brands, Glossier prices range around drugstore level with the mascara totaling $14 each, per Wired.