This Dupe Brand Just Found a Genius Loophole

Hey, Glams!

This week we’re covering two brands doing very different things with nostalgia. Gap is leaning all the way into it — from Hailey Bieber’s sold-out jeans to a five-scent fragrance relaunch that will take you back to middle school. And MCo Beauty, the brand practically built on dupes, just made a move so smart it’s making even the brands it copies say “damn, okayyyy.”

Keep reading for highlights!

Mall rats of the ‘90s, rejoice: not only is Hailey Bieber bringing back the low-rise, baggy jeans of the iconic era, but Gap Beauty fragrances are also making a comeback. The iconic clothing brand is presenting five reimagined scents built off the archive: Dream (bergamot, jasmine, cedarwood), Grass (green mandarin, matcha, Virginia cedar), Heaven (amber, pear, Madagascar vanilla, patchouli), Om (a deeper woody option with ginger and sandalwood), and Harmony, a new, more playful addition with apricot and gardenia (for the Gen Z, we think!). Pricing starts at $20 for a five-piece discovery kit or a 10ml bottle, up to $52 for 50ml and will be available for purchase starting July 30.

In our opinion, this is a smart move for the brand who always seems to know their audience and nail it. Gap didn’t chase the ultra-sweet, gourmand notes that dominate Gen Z fragrance right now or launch with a category that didn’t seem true to the brand. They went back to what the brand was actually known for — crisp, clean, mall-era scent memory — instead of trying to reverse-engineer relevance.

MCo — the brand best known for duplicating everything from Charlotte Tilbury’s contour wands to Rhode’s glazing mist — just launched a product called All Dayer, a setting spray made in direct partnership with Skindinavia, the original manufacturer that developed and supplied Urban Decay’s All Nighter formula for 15 years. We’ll hold for a minute to let you digest this.

Urban Decay ended that relationship last year and reformulated All Nighter, losing Scandinavia’s patented cooling technology in the process. MCo’s version uses that original formula and sells for $19.99 — nearly half of All Nighter’s $34.

This isn’t MCo just copying and pasting, the approach that’s landed them lawsuits and a very busy legal team over the years. The brand is now quietly and strategically reaching out to brands whose products have been discontinued and helping to breathe life back into them. The company’s calling this era “dupe 2.0”: working directly with the manufacturers behind premium products, reviving discontinued formulas, and investing in third-party testing.

While we’ve been critical of the brand in the past, we have to say — we’re kind of into this! It’s a genius strategy for a brand that was built on copying others. Is this the future for MCo Beauty? If so, we’re curious to see what’s next.

Are you excited about Gap’s old/new fragrances? Are you hoping to try MCo’s All Dayer? Listen to the entire episode to get the full run-down and leave a comment!

You can watch and listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

POLITE SOCIETY | B.i Lip Plumping Oil Gloss

POLITE SOCIETY | B I G Mouth Xl Plump Intensive Lip Plumping Concentrate

TOWER 28 | ShineOn Plumping Lip Jelly 5 Ml

TOO FACED | Lip Injection Extreme Lip Plumper

SKINDINAVIA | The Makeup Finishing Spray - Bridal

SKINDINAVIA | The Makeup Finishing Spray

SKINDINAVIA All Dayer Setting Spray

Shop more of our favorite products here.