CPG
The grocery aisle is the new mood board
Packaging has escaped the shelf. Today’s fastest-growing food brands are designing for the camera, the group chat, and the kitchen counter.
Latest
Beauty
Beauty’s new status symbol is finishing the bottle
The empties movement is turning restraint, routine, and proof of use into the next form of beauty credibility.
Sep 4, 2026
Wellness
The $14 soda that wants to be your therapist
Functional beverages are borrowing the language of emotional care — and rewriting what a soft drink is allowed to promise.
Sep 3, 2026
Retail
Why every cool store suddenly feels like a clubhouse
The best new retail spaces are trading endless inventory for programming, membership, and reasons to stay.
Sep 2, 2026
vibe
The Vibe Economy
Our signature franchise01
The grocery aisle is the new mood board
Packaging has escaped the shelf. Today’s fastest-growing food brands are designing for the camera, the group chat, and the kitchen counter.
02Why every cool store suddenly feels like a clubhouse
The best new retail spaces are trading endless inventory for programming, membership, and reasons to stay.
03The microtrend hangover has officially arrived
After years of accelerated aesthetics, young consumers are learning to sit with a look — and brands are adjusting their clocks.
Brand Breakdown
Strategy
Inside Noma Labs’ extremely offline rebrand
A cult supplement company traded futurist minimalism for pharmacy ephemera, hand stamps, and a voice that sounds almost human.
About
Independent culture intelligence, in the world of consumer, smaller.
The Vibe Economy tracks the ideas, aesthetics, and anxieties that move categories — from the protein bar aisle to the fragrance counter, from checkout-line discourse to the data underneath it.
We report on CPG, beauty, wellness, retail, brands, and culture for founders, operators, strategists, and the simply curious. No press releases dressed up as analysis. No trend reports that mistake noise for signal.
Read our full story ↗What We're Watching
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Creatine leaves the gym
A fast-moving signal worth keeping on your radar this week.
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The return of the tasting counter
A fast-moving signal worth keeping on your radar this week.
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Scent layering goes mainstream
A fast-moving signal worth keeping on your radar this week.
↳
The no-phone retail hour
A fast-moving signal worth keeping on your radar this week.
Data Drop
The consumer mood, measured.
Signals pulled from the categories shaping culture right now.
Signal68%
Packaging influences first trial
Signal3.4×
Growth in mood-drink chatter
Signal41%
Snacks making protein claims
Signal−9%
Mid-tier basket size