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CPG News Roundup: February 20 – February 27

This Week's CPG News at a Glance

This week's CPG news spans celebrity-backed snack launches, seaweed-fueled fundraising, high-profile beauty departures, heritage brand makeovers, and craft spirits outpacing the competition. The common thread? Brands at every stage—from startup to legacy—are making strategic bets on differentiation, whether through cleaner ingredients, sharper visual identity, or founder-led storytelling that resonates with today's consumers.

Here are the moves that stood out.

Glen Powell's Smash Kitchen Enters the $40B Salty Snack Category

Smash Kitchen, the clean-label food brand co-founded by actor Glen Powell, has officially expanded beyond condiments and into the salty snack aisle with a new line of kettle-style potato chips. The lineup includes four flavors—Classic Sea Salt, American-Style Barbecue, Hot Honey Barbecue, and Rosemary—all made with American-grown, non-GMO potatoes and free from artificial colors, flavors, and preservatives. Each 6-ounce bag retails for $3.47.

The chips launched exclusively at Walmart and Walmart.com on February 24, with plans to expand into additional retailers by the second half of 2026. Powell's entry into the $40 billion snack market follows a growing wave of celebrity-founded food brands, but Smash Kitchen's play is less about star power and more about clean-label credibility at mass retail price points. Securing nationwide Walmart distribution at launch—rather than starting in specialty or DTC—signals confidence in both the product and the brand's positioning as accessible, everyday quality.

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OoMee Raises New Funding to Scale Seaweed-Based Beverages

OoMee, the marine plant-based beverage brand from parent company Aqua Theon, has raised new investment as part of a $13 million seed round aimed at scaling production and expanding retail distribution. The brand, which combines seaweed-derived "Seabiotics" with a focus on satiety support, has already secured placement in over 700 retail locations and boasts a 70% repeat purchase rate through its online channels.

OoMee was named Best New Drink Concept at the 2025 Beverage Digest Awards, beating out entries from established players like Spindrift and Tractor Beverage Company. The fresh capital positions Aqua Theon to push OoMee deeper into brick-and-mortar while refining its messaging around functional benefits and sustainability. As the functional beverage space continues to mature beyond adaptogens and nootropics, seaweed-based ingredients represent a newer frontier—one with a built-in narrative around ocean health and emerging consumer curiosity about marine botanicals.

Charlotte Tilbury CEO Demetra Pinsent Departs After 14 Years

Demetra Pinsent, the CEO who helped build Charlotte Tilbury into a billion-dollar beauty brand, has exited the company after 14 years. Pinsent joined the brand at its inception in 2012 and was instrumental in its rapid rise through prestige retail, digital commerce, and global expansion. A company spokesperson confirmed that Pinsent "has decided to leave the business to pursue new opportunities."

In her absence, founder Charlotte Tilbury will take on expanded leadership responsibilities, continuing to serve as president, chairman, and chief creative officer. No successor has been named. The departure comes at a notable moment: parent company Puig—which acquired Charlotte Tilbury and plans to fully own the brand by 2030—reported record revenues exceeding €5 billion in 2025, with the makeup segment growing at 10.7%. For a brand at this stage and scale, the CEO transition will be one to watch closely, especially as Puig navigates post-acquisition integration across its portfolio.

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Hempz Unveils Its Biggest Rebrand in 25 Years

Hempz, the hemp seed oil body care brand, is rolling out its most significant brand refresh since launching over two decades ago. The overhaul includes a new logo, modernized packaging, updated fragrance storytelling, and a more contemporary visual identity across its bestselling collections—including Original, Triple Moisture, and Sweet Pineapple & Honey Melon. The brand is also introducing new products like Serene Waters with Magnesium and Juicy Peach Slices alongside the refresh.

Led by CMO Jennifer Weiderman, the rebrand aims to attract a new wave of ingredient-conscious, scent-driven beauty consumers without alienating the loyal base that's kept Hempz relevant for 25 years. All products remain vegan, cruelty-free, and manufactured in the USA. The updated lineup began rolling out nationwide and via Hempz.com in February 2026. For legacy personal care brands, this kind of full-scale refresh is a high-stakes play—get it right, and it re-energizes shelf presence and recruits younger shoppers. Miss, and you risk confusing the consumers who already love you.

Still Austin Whiskey Co. Outperforms National Peers Amid Industry Slowdown

Still Austin Whiskey Co., the first grain-to-glass distillery in Austin since Prohibition, reported a breakout 2025 with case depletions rising 45% year over year—the strongest performance in the company's history. The brand shipped 100,924 cases and depleted 100,542, a near-perfect alignment that signals genuine consumer pull rather than channel loading.

According to Nielsen data, Still Austin now ranks as the ninth highest-velocity premium American whiskey brand in the country by average revenue per retail store—outperforming some Kentucky-based heritage distillers despite being available in only about 5% of U.S. Nielsen-tracked stores. Growth was led by The Musician Straight Bourbon Whiskey (SRP $45) along with cult-favorite limited releases. The brand also secured $20 million in working capital through a deal with supply chain platform Ferovinum, expandable to $30 million or more. With over 20,200 barrels in storage and distribution concentrated in Texas, Louisiana, Colorado, and Illinois, Still Austin has significant runway for expansion—especially notable in a broader American whiskey market where some of the largest distillers have temporarily paused production.

What This Week's CPG News Means for the Industry

This week paints a picture of a CPG landscape that rewards clarity of positioning. Glen Powell's Smash Kitchen is proving that celebrity brands can scale fast when they lead with product integrity and mass retail access instead of hype. OoMee's fundraise reflects growing investor appetite for functional beverages with genuinely novel ingredient stories. And Still Austin's numbers are a reminder that craft doesn't have to mean small—when demand is real, disciplined growth and smart capital deployment can outpace even the biggest players.

On the beauty side, the moves are equally telling. Hempz is betting that a heritage brand can reinvent its visual identity for a new generation without losing its soul. And Charlotte Tilbury's CEO departure opens a critical leadership question for one of the most successful prestige beauty brands of the last decade.

The throughline across all five stories? In a market flooded with options, the brands gaining ground are the ones making intentional decisions—about who they're for, how they show up on shelf, and where to invest next. Whether that means a $3.47 bag of chips or a $150 limited-edition bourbon, consumer loyalty follows brands that know exactly what they stand for.

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“I have been in the field of human resources for over thirty years, in executive level roles both in-house and in outsourced positions. Michael Bitar is my favorite talent acquisition professional with which I have ever worked. He cares deeply about building a relationship with his clients, learning their business, culture, challenges, and truly understanding the needs of a role requisition. His approach is mirrored by the rest of the Protis team, who are courteous, thorough, and who make you feel like you are their only client. Protis successfully delivered hires for our Chief Commercial Officer role and for three key challenging roles (in both Marketing and Sales). They are simply – the best!”

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Chad Palma

President of Sales, Spindrift

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“Michael Bitar and the Protis team have been such a pleasure to work with over the years. Not only do they do amazing work with recruiting but we have also developed a partnership between our two companies. Michael and his team provide a crucial role in reviewing my hiring needs at the beginning of each year. Once the review is complete, Michael begins searching for quality candidates that fit the role and culture for Spindrift. He and his team do an outstanding job of finding the right candidates for the position in need. I highly recommend Michael and the Protis team for your hiring needs.”

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President, Mark Anthony Brewing Inc

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“From the start, the relationship with Protis Global was different than other recruiting firms.  The team had a deeper level of commitment and desire to learn about our business than I had experienced with other firms. Our company was experiencing a time of exponential growth and our staffing needs were complex. We needed very experienced people across every possible function in the Operation and Supply Chain Teams and we needed them in a hurry. The Protis Global Team mobilized quickly and established a methodology to identify strong candidates and work them through the interview process in a professional and timely manner. Their grit, determination, understanding our needs and culture, sense of urgency and drive to exceed our expectations set them apart from the pack.”

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Thomas Frisch

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VP of Supply Chain at Lallemand

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“We’ve been a Protis Global client for eight years, and during this time have always appreciated the thoroughness of the recruitment process, as the candidates brought to us have been well-vetted, not only from a competency perspective, but more importantly from a [cultural] fit dynamic. Mike and the team have always been highly engaged to ensure they bring us candidates that match our culture. That’s been critical to the success of the candidates that have landed here by way of our relationship with Protis.”

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VP of HR, Solaris Paper

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