What do your products look like to the world? Beyond INCI lists and claims, beauty brands are built—visually. In this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, Jennifer Cookson is joined by Anderson, the creative mind behind A-Son Agency and By-Anderson, whose photography brings brand philosophies to life. We explore how product photography, creative direction, and brand identity intersect to tell a cohesive visual story. Whether you’re a founder, marketer, or formulator, this episode will make you think differently about the images you use to represent your work.

Takeaways:

• Social-First Strategy Delivers More Value for Indie Brands: Rather than spending a million dollars on a campaign and tacking on behind-the-scenes content for social as an afterthought, emerging brands should build from social up. Most sales for small brands come from social media and world-building on platforms, so investing in volume of nimble, repurposable content often outperforms one expensive hero campaign.

• Authentic Representation Requires Intentional Casting and Self-Awareness: Brands don't need to check every diversity box—they need to authentically know their consumer and represent them well. Hiring a casting director who understands your specific audience, studying brands doing representation well (like MAC's VivaGlam or Fenty's shade inclusivity), and ensuring consumers see themselves in your imagery creates genuine connection rather than performative gestures.

• Visual Storytelling Translates Technical Into Emotional: Communicating formulation sophistication for products that all look like white cream requires strategic choices in lighting, color palette, context, and where assets live. An SPF might use warmer, sunnier lighting within the same setup as other skincare products, while the combination of imagery, copy, and display context tells the complete story.

• Budget Constraints Demand Smart Collaboration and Relationships: Working with limited budgets (realistically $10,000+ for quality results) requires finding photographers whose vision aligns with your brand rather than chasing big names. The creative industry runs on personal relationships where artists often offer favorable rates for brands they believe in, knowing the work will benefit their portfolio and lead to future opportunities.

• Test Brand Recognition by Removing Product from Imagery: A strong visual brand identity means you'd recognize a Crème de la Mer ad even with the product covered. This test helps brands evaluate whether their visual language—lighting, color, mood, casting—truly communicates their brand DNA consistently across all assets rather than just relying on the product itself.

Timestamps:

00:00 Start
00:29 Welcome to Demystifying Cosmetics
01:21 Meet Anderson: From Musician to Fashion to Beauty Photography
02:18 The Fenty Beauty Launch and Industry Transformation
03:16 Anderson's Creative Philosophy: Tactile and Intentional
05:06 Balancing Artistic Voice with Commercial Client Needs
07:02 How Visuals Help Brands Reframe Their Story
08:24 Collaboration Process: Indie Founders vs Corporate Clients
10:16 Essential Questions for Pulling Out Brand DNA
11:45 Social Content Strategy: World-Building Over Campaign Thinking
13:10 Communicating Technical Sophistication in White Cream Products
15:04 The Importance of Asset Usage and Context
15:32 [AD BREAK - Tagra's Cellucapse Line]
16:31 Diversity, Inclusion, and Representation in Imagery
17:28 Learning from Authentic Examples: Fenty and MAC
18:50 How Brands Can Convey Authenticity When Evolving
19:48 Know Your Consumer and Hire the Right Casting Director
21:12 Getting Maximum Value on Limited Budgets
22:35 Volume and Repurposing: The Smart Content Strategy
23:32 Who Needs to Be in the Room for a Launch
24:40 Finding a Photographer Who Advocates for Your Vision
25:36 The Power of Creative Industry Relationships
26:06 Current Beauty Trends: Blush Everywhere and Men's Nails
27:04 Walking Fashion Week and Being Behind the Lens
27:35 Conclusion and How to Connect with Anderson

Find Anderson's photography work and get in touch through:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/byandersonx/
Website: https://by-anderson.com/
Agency website: https://www.a-son.agency/