Welcome back to another episode of The Curious Consumer! This week we dive into Danone’s $1.15B acquisition of Huel—and what it says about the future of meal replacement, GLP-1 consumers, and food as pure function.
We also cover Alix Earle’s skincare launch (Reale Actives), Cardi B’s surprisingly well-aligned haircare line, Olaplex’s acquisition by Henkel after losing 95% of its market cap, the rise of hard sodas, and Lucille—a long-overdue dignity-first nutrition brand for older adults. Let’s get into it!
We recently wrote a report with data from our friends at Faire highlighting the dichotomy of “clean” vs. science-forward positioning for beauty and wellness brands. Check it out here.
https://www.expresscheckout.co/p/the-state-of-beauty-and-wellness
The Breakdown
00:00 Intro
03:13 Danone bets on Huel
18:07 Alix Earle launches a brand
24:22 Cardi B's new haircare brand
26:07 Olaplex gets acquired
27:29 The "hard soda" trend
32:49 The future of senior nutrition
35:44 Wrap-up
🎧 Love the show? Subscribe to The Curious Consumer wherever you get your podcasts! New episodes drop weekly.
📧 Get the inside scoop Subscribe to Express Checkout, our newsletter packed with consumer insights, trends, and exclusive content straight to your inbox at expresscheckout.co.
🗣️ Let’s connect! Follow us for behind-the-scenes content, quick tips, and more: @expresscheckout
💬 Join the conversation Have a product you’re curious about? DM us your questions or drop them in the comments—your topic could be featured in our next episode! If you have any thoughts/questions/suggestions, feel free to email us at hello@expresscheckout.co :)
⭐ Help us grow If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. It helps other curious consumers find us!










