"He can see things before they happen." - Qui-Gon Jinn, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace
I had not been to SoulCycle in years. In July the family got me back on a bike in Washington, and now here we are on vacation in the Hamptons, riding at the Barn. Two days running. The second day I got lost, the way you always do, somewhere past the third song, when you stop counting and the room takes over.
Stacey Griffith has taught at Soul almost since the start, nearly 20 years up on the podium. She used to DJ, and it shows. She does not count reps. She reads the room, and the room follows her. Lisa told me when she booked the first ride, she is the one, and she did not disappoint.
SoulCycle turns 20 this year, which is strange to type. Lisa and I started POPSUGAR the same year, a coast away, making a similar bet, that if you built something around what people genuinely loved, they would come back, bring friends, and make it part of who they were. Lisa did not just try Soul. She was all in by the first class, and Lisa is a hard sell.
Read more on AirSugar, Brian’s blog.
Sugar Capital News
💦 Magna is adding creatine to the lineup. The new launch brings one of wellness’s fastest-growing ingredients into Magna’s approachable format, giving consumers another way to incorporate functional benefits into an everyday routine. CPG Wire + Instagram
🥜 Circ Bites just landed at Starbucks nationwide. The rollout brings Circ’s Peanut Chocolate Chip Protein Bites - made with simple ingredients like peanuts, chocolate chips, dates and oats, with 10g of protein per pack - to one of the biggest grab-and-go food destinations in the country. A major step in making better-for-you protein snacking part of the everyday coffee run. Instagram
🤴🏻 Sugar Capital partner Brian Sugar was featured in The San Francisco Standard in a look at San Francisco’s growing fascination with peptides and biohacking. The story highlights Sugar Capital’s $3 million investment in FEEL Peptides as an example of the growing consumer appetite around the category, with Brian predicting, “The next 25 years are going to be absolutely bonkers.” SF Standard
💆♀️ Jupiter is headed to Ulta Beauty. The retail launch brings the brand’s solution-based approach to dandruff and scalp health to a much larger audience, as Ulta puts more focus behind targeted, problem-solving hair care. It’s a major step in taking scalp care from a specialty concern to the mainstream beauty aisle. Glossy
⭐️ Starface is bringing salicylic acid to a new format. The new Star Strips + Salicylic Acid build on the brand’s signature approach to acne care, pairing an effective treatment ingredient with a product consumers are happy to wear out in the world. Byrdie
🧸 Grüns is making daily nutrition more accessible. The company announced a 17% price reduction across Grüns, Jüced, Immün, and Nütrops, a meaningful move as the brand continues to scale. And on the product side, a new Minions collaboration brings some fun to the lineup with a limited-edition flavor. Instagram + Linkedin
🕯️ Snif is bringing its Notewrks cologne collection to Ulta Beauty. The nationwide launch includes four scents, including the new Double Take, giving Snif’s growing men’s fragrance business a major retail platform. The timing makes sense: men now account for 60% of Snif’s fragrance livestream purchases on TikTok Shop, signaling just how quickly the male fragrance customer is growing. Esquire + Business of Fashion
🫒 Brightland is turning up the heat with a new chili vinegar. The launch adds another bold pantry staple to the lineup, continuing Brightland’s move beyond olive oil while staying rooted in high-quality ingredients and products designed to live on the counter. Instagram
🍀 Lucky Energy is taking its gummies into major retail. After launching DTC, the energy gummies are now available at Walmart and The Vitamin Shoppe, bringing Lucky’s energy proposition beyond the can and onto shelves in an entirely new format. Instagram
🤖 Jurni launched Strategizer. The new product marks another step in building AI-powered tools for modern commerce, giving brands a new way to bring intelligence into how they plan and make decisions. Linkedin
💛 Locket finally launched Locket.com. As conversations around teen mental health, parental trust, and online safety grow - alongside Locket’s expanding slate of brand and creator partnerships - the company needed a home beyond the app. The new site brings it all together, from resources for parents to opportunities for partners looking to reach the next generation. Linkedin