Soon we’ll be buying tomatoes next to…eye serums

I'm an East Coast girl who has never been to LA, but regardless, I’m obsessed with Erewhon. Let me explain. 

I can’t stop watching the viral muckbangs of influencers eating their social media-renowned $21 (tax probably not included) sushi sandwich. I live for Erewhon hauls where I can learn about the newest organic granola bar that costs far more than my hourly salary. There’s something compelling, almost addicting, about watching videos that are so far removed from your daily life. It’s why we love reality TV. Some call it escapism, but it’s simply really great content.

I live for Erewhon hauls where I can learn about the newest organic granola bar that costs far more than my hourly salary.

Inordinate pricing aside, Erewhon has become a pillar of culture defining what is “cool.” Take their brand partnerships, for example. Working with Bella Hadid on her customizable, Kin Euphorics smoothie solidified that non-alcoholic drinks are officially in. Watching Alix Early and Octopus Lover get lunch at Erewhon cemented their titles as the creators to watch.

Inordinate pricing aside, Erewhon has become a pillar of culture defining what is “cool.”

One could argue that the Erewhon equivalent cult-favorite chain on the East Coast is Trader Joe’s. It could’ve even been Whole Foods 10 years ago. Personally, I think it’s Pop Up Grocer, a chain that recently opened up shop in Soho.

Their store is home to the newest and most innovative food and beverage brands, but they do not limit themselves to traditional grocery items. As their website puts it, Pop Up Grocer is a “family of curated shops that feature new, better-for-you products.”

The word “products” is kept vague on purpose as it includes a variety of home goods similar to the home supplies found at most traditional grocery stores today. In typical Pop Up Grocer fashion, traditional brands are replaced with smaller, more eco-friendly brands. Instead of Charmin, you can find Peach, and even Everspring is replaced with Branch Basics. I’m happy to say my all-time favorite brand, Blueland, makes an appearance. From what we can see on their Instagram, Pop Up Grocer is experimenting with a whole new category: beauty.

Image Credit: Pop Up Grocer

A couple months ago, Pop Up Grocer threw a “Skincare Happy Hour” event where attendees could try out the following brands: Onélogy, Pink Moon, Taylor of BK. The idea of sampling beauty products next to a rack of chips feels weird, but it’s part of a much larger consumer trend. 

The idea of sampling beauty products next to a rack of chips feels weird, but it’s part of a much larger consumer trend. 

Over the past couple of years, the lines between the food and beauty categories have become extremely blurred:

• Shared Marketing Terms: The phrases “clean ingredients,” or “healthy consumption” is being used to describe food AND skincare products. 

• Farm-to-Face: Many beauty brands have capitalized on fruits and vegetables, most commonly beets and other pigmented items, as the main ingredient in their products.  

• Main Flavor Energy: Hailey Bieber’s most recent Rhode campaign showcased close-up images of her biting into Guavas, surrounded by shots of her products next to fruit.

• Similar Packaging Ideologies: Sabeena from Deux designed her packaging to look the way her favorite skincare items do on her bathroom shelf.

This trend extends past marketing and advertising and into physical retail, as is with the case of Pop Up Grocer. The concept of buying skincare products in grocery stores is not entirely novel; sometimes I’ll swipe a Burts Bees chapstick at the checkout counter. But the idea of being sampled complex under eye serums next to a rack of bread makes me feel uneasy. And not because it’s just…weird.

But the idea of being sampled complex under eye serums next to a rack of bread makes me feel uneasy.

This may be a hot take, but I’ve never been much of a beauty or skincare person. It’s not because my parents never let me wear it when I was younger; on the contrary, my mom always encouraged me to wear colored lip gloss to “cheer up my face.” I never craved concealer in high school, and to this day, I rarely wear any makeup to work. 

On the surface, putting makeup on takes too long. I’d rather save those 15 minutes for extra sleep time. On a deeper level, though, the beauty industry has always overwhelmed me. The racks and racks of different brands make my head spin to the point where I feel it's easier to not buy anything at all. I always feel behind learning about the newest skincare ingredients promising some benefits that my current products don’t have. Investing in the industry feels like a slippery slope - I don’t want to get sucked in to the point where I am dependent on these products to feel comfortable and confident. 

The racks and racks of different brands makes my head spin to the point where I feel it's easier to not buy anything at all.

It’s for these reasons that the idea of Sephora displays in my local Trader Joe’s feels like an interruption to the traditional, relaxing grocery store experience that I love so much. On top of this, having to be immersed in the beauty industry is not something I would choose for myself when all I want is to buy some bananas in my sweats.

It’s for these reasons that the idea of Sephora displays in my local Trader Joe’s feels like an interruption to the traditional, relaxing grocery store experience that I love so much. 

I guess I’ll get used to it eventually. But for now, I’d like to buy my snacks and makeup in two very separate places, thank you very much.