Launch Date: December 2025
Geography: Oakland, California
Founder: Jaimee Holmes, Founder + CEO
Notable Investors:
2026 Full Year Projected Revenue: Under $2M, according to industry estimates
Primary Category: Makeup
Funding:
Primary Distribution Channel: Prestige
Other Distribution Channel: DTC
Key Retail Partner: Sephora
2026 Projected Offline Distribution Points: 400
We created Fel Beauty to inspire nostalgia and emotional connections to life’s most joyful and unforgettable moments, like your most memorable kiss; the one that made you weak in the knees that you still tell your friends about. Or a scent that instantly transports you back to a childhood treat that always brings a smile.
At Fel Beauty, we believe the beauty products we bring into our lives should give us more than just surface level benefits; they should reconnect us to our favorite feel-good memories while empowering new connections and memories with others.
We’re creating truly first-to-market products with innovative, never-seen-before form factors combined with feel-good science actually proven to help you feel your best.
Insights: Jaimee Holmes, Founder + CEO
Why now and why you?
I'm a 20-year beauty industry veteran known for creating and shaping some of the most iconic products in prestige beauty (Better Than Sex Mascara, Banana Bright Eye Cream, Beauty Bento, among them). An instinctive approach to product innovation and a deep connection to consumers has allowed me to lead at the forefront of disruption and deeply resonant brand positioning in some of the most complex and highly saturated categories within the entire industry.
Leading merchandising at Goop, I was seeing so much repetition across brands and categories that it made me question my own impact on an industry and career I'd loved but had concerns around what it was becoming and the confusion it was creating for consumers. This, combined with the loss of my father, sparked a desire to reconnect with people, moments, and memories that really shape who we are, and create a brand and products with real emotional intention and innovation as our guiding force.
As the proud founder and CEO of Fel Beauty, I’m also proud that we're changing the category by combining innovative, proprietary technologies with first to market packaging, application methods, and formulas. Fel Beauty values the emotional aspect of the product experience as much as the sensorial and performance attributes. My deep desire is to recreate nostalgic, joyful memories through “beauty-full” moments with products that appeal to a broad audience of consumers. We incorporate a proprietary complex in every formula that boosts production of endorphins and oxytocin, so users truly feel emotional support and well-being with each use.
We launched out of the gate exclusively at Sephora in 288 doors on January 5, 2026, demonstrating Sephora’s investment in and excitement for the product innovation, unique positioning, and accessible price point. The first collection, Kissylips, recreates the experience of an unforgettable kiss through a multiuse lip and cheek product. The collection has exceeded initial planned sales across channels by over +175% and sold out of three shades in the first 90 days of launch.
What fuels your competitive advantage?
Our inspiration comes from deeply personal places and references; we will never be a brand creating products based on trends or category guidance from retailers. We will only create products that we can stand behind with integrity as truly new; if at any point in the development cycle it starts to feel like something anyone on the team has seen before, then we don't pursue it. We invest in the complete product experience, spending the majority of our resources on creating an exceptional product (packaging tooling, proprietary ingredients, new application methods) over all other investments we make.
What’s your proudest accomplishment to date?
We spent over 56 trials refining our debut collection, Kissylips, with significant investment in custom tooling and formulation to create a formula that is flexible, buildable, and centered as much around emotional well-being and self-expression as performance. In one of the most crowded categories in beauty, we can authentically claim that we've created something entirely one of a kind.
What is the one thing you wish someone had told you?
How to appreciate the significance of every single milestone. When shifting from brand builder to founder and business owner, some days you feel like you're on top of the world, and other days, you feel like the whole world has turned upside down without a clear path forward. Every milestone matters; accomplishing one thing every single day (no matter how small it seems) is what keeps you and momentum moving forward, and it all truly matters.
What would you tell your past self before starting this journey?
There will be times during your career where you feel the pull to create something of your own, and where you occasionally feel guilt for not taking the leap of faith and doing it. But every step you took along the way was preparing you: good lessons, hard lessons, and character-building moments that will shape who you are and your path for starting your own journey. And, you will understand the realities that only 2% of female founders get funding, and that you are embarking on this journey at one of the hardest times in many years, but perseverance will lead you to unexpected connections and genuine supporters.
What does success look like in the next 3-5 years?
My dream from the beginning has been to create a product that becomes an extension of consumers; the greatest measure of success to me would be becoming the must-have item in every woman's bag—the one she reaches for and is always with her because of how it performs but also how it makes her feel. We would love to see Kissylips expand and reach consumers globally within the next few years.
What's one industry trend that is overhyped, and what's being overlooked?
Longevity—starting to see so many brands using this word or trying to make claims around products without real scientific rigor behind it. It's a “watch out” in terms of the confusion and disappointment it could create with consumers as it's becoming more mainstream. What's being overlooked still is real differentiation, innovation, and conviction across so many categories. In an industry more saturated than ever, we need this conviction to serve consumers and drive the industry forward again.
How do you think the industry needs to evolve?
I think brands have a responsibility to carve out their own unique space, protect and defend it—vs. looking outward to category trends or other brands to drive pipelines and marketing campaigns. This is what creates healthier ecosystems for brands, consumers, and retailers and distribution channels.
If you could wave a magic wand, what one wish would you make for your business?
Easier access to funding across every stage of growth.
