Inside The Collective

Inside The Collective

Don't Miss It: The Opportunity in Women's Sports

Plus, shaky consumer sentiment abounds, as do deals for beauty brands and sailing teams.

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The Consumer Collective
Jun 12, 2025
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Welcome to Inside The Collective, a newsletter that invites you into the brains, conversations and ideas of Allison Collins and Jessica Ramírez, friends and cofounders of The Consumer Collective. Here, we share weekly thoughts on consumer sentiment, news, retail, fashion, beauty, business, things we like, things we don’t — and why. We hope it helps you connect the dots across the consumer world.

What we’re watching:

  • Middle- and high-income consumers are shopping at Dollar General. It’s good news for Dollar General, but not a good sign for consumer sentiment or the overall economic picture.

  • Continued uncertainty does not give consumers the mental space to spend money freely.

    • The World Bank said that while we may avoid a global recession, trade tensions are wrecking havoc on growth.

    • The U.S. president said a trade deal with China “is done.” We await more information on deals with other countries.

    • The U.S. federal government sent Marines to L.A., where protestors have been demonstrating against immigration raids. Similar protests are spreading to other cities in the U.S. Deportations would cause further economic strain.

    • Inflation in the U.S. was up 0.1 percent in May, to 2.4 percent.

  • L’Oréal agreed to buy Medik8 for an estimated 1 billion euros this week, adding to a very recent hot streak in beauty M&A.

  • Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds are the new co-owners of Australia’s SailGP team; Anne Hathaway was part of a recent deal for SailGP’s Italy team. The races aim to raise awareness for climate change, and celebrity investors underscore broad interest in sports investments. (Allison Collins)

We like: U Beauty Super Tinted Hydrator

I don’t like wearing makeup that feels makeup-y, and this skin tint gives the very light-but-buildable coverage I am looking for on a daily basis. It also makes me feel like it’s lifting my face up back into position just a little bit. 10/10 skincare-makeup hybrid product that I will repurchase (at my local Cos Bar). (Allison Collins)

U Beauty The Super Tinted Hydrator
My very well-used bottle of U Beauty’s The Super Tinted Hydrator.

We recommend reading:

Owning It, from Rachel Arthur, for those interested in working in and around sustainable fashion.

Why Tariffs Haven’t Led to Soaring Prices — Yet (BOF)

The Analysis: The major white space in women’s sports

The Analysis is available for paid subscribers only. This week, we’re outlining emerging opportunities in and around the women’s sports market. For more, tune in to hear Jess speak on a panel with SportsVerse’s Daniel-Yaw Miller and Launchmetrics June 24, or send us a note at info@theconsumercollective.co.

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