HIKU: Harper Beckham’s Passion Project or the Next Nepo-Brand?
Will you be buying it for your daughters?
The Beauty Ed® Report: Award-winning beauty editor Donna Francis (who was the founding Beauty Editor on teen magazine, CosmoGIRL! 2001) analyzes Harper Beckham’s HIKU launch. This report weighs Harper's status as a "natural" role model against the "Brand Beckham" pressure recently exposed by Brooklyn Beckham. Featuring exclusive insights from THE LAB (Donna’s Gen Z & Gen Alpha mentorship programme), she explores the shift from striving for perfection to beauty as mental health-driven self-care.
A new “Beckham” beauty dynasty is in the works, and this time, the driving force isn’t Victoria. Or David for that matter. It’s 14-year-old Harper Seven. But has her dream really come true? Or is it really a dream of her parents?
Because while news of Harper’s HIKU line - a brand reportedly inspired by the glass-skin perfection of Korean beauty - has sparked headlines and excitement, the conversation inside THE LAB, my Gen Z & Gen A mentorship programme, has taken a more reflective turn.
For nearly three decades, I’ve watched beauty companies rise and fall, many of which were often built on little more than a celebrity name. But for me, this story feels close to home. When I worked on the launch of teen magazine CosmoGIRL! back in 2001, my mission was clear: to provide inspiration to girls responsibly. Back then, we fought to celebrate “flaws” and encouraged our readers to stop striving for an impossible perfection.
Twenty-five years later, my mission hasn’t changed; it has simply evolved into THE LAB. Through this mentorship program, I’m seeing the same cravings for beauty, but in a digital landscape that is far more complex. And to understand what this generation really thinks of a 14-year-old’s K-Beauty dream, I’m passing the mic to my students.
The Bazaar Effect: Why We Root for Harper
If you watched Harper Beckham present her mum with the Entrepreneur of the Year award at the Harper’s Bazaar ceremony in November 2024, you saw exactly why we consider her a breath of fresh air. She was lovely, articulate, and - most importantly - refreshingly natural.
In an industry that often demands 14-year-olds look 24, Harper’s consistent “no-makeup” look (save for a bit of clear brow gel or a lip tint) feels like a modern continuation of what I championed back in 2001. She’s never in heavy makeup, and she carries herself with an aura that isn’t fake or manufactured. Personally, I’ve always thought she’s a great role model for her age. She proves that you can be “the most famous girl in the world” and still look like a teenager.
But as the news of HIKU breaks, it raises another, more difficult question: Who is she doing this for? Is this Harper actually doing it for herself, or is she doing it for "Brand Beckham"?
Industry Vibe Check: The Preschool PR Machine
The speed at which beauty’s “target demographic” is getting younger is nothing short of ‘cringe’ and ‘crazy’. While we discuss Harper Beckham at 14, the industry is already looking younger. Hayley Beard, The Beauty Ed®’s NYC-based marketing manager, points to a viral moment from this very week as proof:
“I also think this taps into young skincare again. This week Arielle Charnas posted her daughters opening their first Summer Fridays PR box—it was for their first-ever fragrance, Sunlit Vanilla. But they are YOUNG. I feel like it’s just getting to be crazy.” — Hayley Beard
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Gia, our Gen Z contributor, agrees. Seeing children - some barely 5/6 years old - unboxing luxury perfumes creates a strange new reality. When brands begin sending luxury PR to toddlers, the generation dividing line gets a little blurry.
The Generation Dividing Line: “We don’t do it for anyone else.”
One of the most common threads in THE LAB’s feedback is their clear motivation for embracing makeup and skincare: they do it for themselves.
As 14-year-old Donyae put it: “We don’t do it for anyone else.” They see skincare and beauty routines not as a means to vanity, but as a path to healing and control.
Donyae notes that “skincare and beauty routines are forms of healing... approaches that allow us to build confidence and establish healthy habits.”
Jill defines “feeling like yourself” as “following routines and styles that bring you joy independently of others’ opinions.”
So, if Harper is like her contemporaries in THE LAB, then maybe she is doing it for herself - but is she adult enough to know what is right for her?
A 14-Year-Old CEO? “I actually feel a bit sorry for her.”
This is where the conversation gets a bit sticky. When I asked about the prospect of a 14-year-old leading a global business, The Beauty Ed®’s Gen Z contributor Paloma offered her honest perspective:
“She seems so young to have a business. I actually feel a bit sorry for her.” Paloma
It’s a poignant reminder of the pressure that comes with being a Beckham. While it looks glamorous on Netflix and Instagram, the reality of “Brand Beckham” is something that Harper’s brother, Brooklyn, has recently spoken out about in not very forgiving terms.
The “Cringe” Factor and the Brooklyn Warning
It is hard to ignore the “cringe” factor of the HIKU name (which translates to “repulsed” or “turned off” in Japanese slang), but it is even harder to ignore the words of her brother, Brooklyn.
His bombshell statement that “Brand Beckham comes first” and that his parents “value public promotion above all else” reveals a family dynamic where love and commercial interest can feel intricately linked. If a 26-year-old man feels “controlled” by the family brand, what does that mean for a 14-year-old girl whose name was trademarked at age five?
The Marketing Dilemma
It isn’t just the teens in THE LAB who are questioning the strategy. Hayley captures some of the industry’s skepticism perfectly:
“I love the idea of having a hunger at a young age to start building their future, but I do question the authenticity and if she’s more so the face and the longevity in the future.” Hayley Beard
Hayley’s point hits home. If Harper is just “the face,” the brand lacks the expert authority that Gen Z and Gen A demand.
And when I looked at the responses from THE LAB, a clear pattern emerged: they don’t want a “face”; they want a formula. Donyae mentioned she prefers creators who focus on “realistic routines and ingredient education rather than perfection,” while Kira admitted, “I tend to not trust social media for recommendations since I find them distrusting.”
The “Name-Free” Paradox
There must be a deliberate choice in the branding of HIKU: the “Beckham” name is missing. On the surface, it feels like an attempt to let Harper stand on her own feet. But the brand is managed by H7B Limited, a name referencing Harper Seven Beckham - a trademark Victoria registered when Harper was just five. By omitting the surname, are they protecting her identity, or are we witnessing the birth of a “stealth nepo-brand” designed to bypass the skepticism of Gen Z?
The “Mom” Authority
Interestingly, when THE LAB’s Gen A girls want real advice, they don’t always look to TikTok icons - they look to their moms. Just like Harper is heavily influenced by Victoria, the girls in THE LAB cite their mothers as their primary source of beauty truth:
Charlotte looks up to her mom because “she always encourages me to be myself.”
Faylynn trusts her “mom’s beauty recommendations” because they are “honest and true.”
Ana sees her mom and sister’s routines as a way to “carry confidence.”
This is the Beckham paradox. Harper has the ultimate beauty mentor in Victoria, but if HIKU is seen as a “Brand Beckham” trend rather than an ingredient-led authority, it risks falling into the trust of the parents who are actually the ones that will be buying it for their kids.
The Beauty Ed’s Verdict: Responsibility in the Spotlight
Harper Beckham is a natural star - we saw that on the Bazaar stage - and she will no doubt be a great “face” and “voice” for the brand. Plus, we really admire Victoria’s incredible hustle - her work ethic must give Harper lots of inspiration.
So we hope HIKU’s launch and strategy is done wisely and responsibly. That they partner with credible experts that help to educate their customers about skincare and beauty in an aspiring, age appropriate way. There really is a need for that!
We respect the hustle, but we don’t want to see “Brand Beckham” sell out into another nepo-brand in the vein of the Kardashians.
Good Luck Harper ♡
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