Serial entrepreneur Jaimee Lupton, the brains behind MONDAY haircare (which brought in about US$300 million [AU$460 million] in sales in 2024), has taken aim at Generation Alpha with body-care and fragrance brand DAISE. Now, that’s on track to become a US$100 million (AU$153 million) brand in its first year.
Key Takeaways
- MONDAY haircare founder Jaimee Lupton has launched DAISE, a fragrance and body-care brand targeted at Gen Alpha.
- The brand launched five months ago in over 4000 retails stores, and sells 15 units every minute.
- In June, the brand launched exclusively into all Woolworths stores and is set to roll out through Big W in early July.
- So far, it’s the second-biggest growth-driving brand in bath and shower for Target, and the second-biggest growth driver year-on-year in the US fragrance category across all retail channels.
Jaimee Lupton found huge success with her instantly-recognisable shampoo and conditioner brand, MONDAY, back in 2020. She’d found a gap in the market for a product with a luxury look and a supermarket price-tag, and by 2024, was raking in US$300 million (AU$460 million) in sales.
After adding a few more Gen Z-and-millennial-targeted brands to her repertoire (wellness-focused haircare label Osana Naturals and fragrance line Chalon), Lupton’s gone for Gen Alpha (the cohort born between 2010 and 2024) with her new body-care and fragrance line, DAISE. Again, Lupton found a gap for it.
“We were seeing Gen Alpha and younger Gen Z completely immersed in the beauty space, discovering products on TikTok, building routines, and speaking fluently about ingredients and trends (even more so than their parents),” she says.
“But the products available to them weren’t made for them. They were either using brands designed for much older consumers or stuck with options that felt childish or overly prescriptive. We wanted to create something that was aspirational and age-appropriate, a brand that meets them where they are, respects their sophistication, and brings fun and freedom back into self-care.”
True to form, packaging and brand has been key. It’s not just the bright-coloured cases (though they are eye-catching and wildly on-trend), the names themselves are Gen Alpha-coded, like their ‘Lowkey’ fragrance and body mist.
“Packaging is everything. For this generation, the product needs to work, but it also needs to look good, feel fun, and be shareable. We took inspiration from textures, colours, and formats that are playful but not juvenile, going for flower-shaped lip balms, whipped body washes, bright, tactile designs,” she says.
“Design isn’t an afterthought at DAISE, it’s baked into the brand DNA. It sparks joy and invites experimentation, and for Gen Alpha, that’s a huge part of why they engage.”
Much like its older sister, MONDAY, DAISE has an all-star team, with the company recruiting talent from the likes of CHANEL, Charlotte Tilbury and beauty juggernaut L’Oreal.
DAISE launched into the US five months ago across more than 4,000 retail stores, and confirms the brand has sold one product every five seconds (or 15 units a minute). Lupton says DAISE is on track to become a US$100 million (AU$153 million brand), based on its first-year retail sales.
It also reached 1 million likes on TikTok in six months. That’s by design: Lupton shares the brand has a digital-first strategy that leans heavily on creator partnership, trend-led content and tone.
“Gen Alpha is the fastest-emerging cohort in beauty right now, and they’re growing up in a totally different world, digitally native, extremely trend-savvy, and often more informed than we give them credit for,” she says. “They’re at the beginning of their beauty journey so are looking for something that is low stakes and non-intimidating.”
Now, the product’s launched into Australia via Woolworths and will launch into Big W from July 25. That, Lupton says, is because accessibility is on the company’s core values.
“These retailers allow us to keep the price point accessible without compromising on quality or experience,” she says. “It means a body mist or whipped body wash doesn’t have to be a splurge, it can be something they grab alongside their essentials. For this generation, that kind of inclusivity matters.”
According to McCrindle, by 2029, when the oldest Generation Alphas enter into adulthood, their economic footprint is set to reach more than US$5.46 trillion. In 2024, their direct spending reached US$1 trillion, and according to reports, they allocate about 13% of that spending to skincare and beauty products.
Looking ahead, Lupton (who’s also behind philanthropic organisation Gingernut’s Angels, which provides financial support for New Zealanders experiencing infertility) says the company is set to continue its retail expansion and explore new digital spaces, including gamified experiences.
“We’re honestly just getting started.”
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