The Tony Award-winning actress Kelly Bishop is not a household name. But for millions, she is a household face, and instantly recognisable as the actress who portrayed Emily Gilmore on seven seasons (plus a reboot) of the Warner Brothers dramedy “Gilmore Girls”.
She is also, as of recently, a skincare spokesmodel. On Monday, the brand Bliss unveiled its limited edition collection inspired by the show and fronted by Bishop.
“I love that show, as people still do,” Bishop told The Business of Beauty. “Besides the loyal fans who binge it every year, I’m still talking to people that are seeing it for the first time.” The campaign, which launched Monday, coincides with the television show’s 25th anniversary.
“We have a long-time customer that’s an elder-millennial or a Gen X, who either went to our spas, or knew about the brand from the early days,” said Sara Mitzner, the VP of Brand Marketing at Bliss parent company AS Beauty. “When we decided to rededicate our brand to this customer, “Gilmore Girls” really did feel like an organic fit.”
The line sees Bliss best-sellers like the lemon and sage body butter and Pumpkin Powerhouse masks for face and lip released in limited-edition packaging inspired by key locations from the show, along with a spa headband designed after one owned by Rory Gilmore. Priced between $15 – 36, the collection is available directly from Bliss and Laura Geller’s websites, as well as Amazon, and will not be restocked.
Nostalgia has become a go-to tool for brands to reinsert themselves in the cultural conversation. Bubble recently tapped “Gossip Girl” star Leighton Meester as a celebrity ambassador, a move that founder Shai Eisemann told The Business of Beauty was a play for Millennial customers. Meester’s castmate Ed Westwick promoted L’Oréal-owned Lancôme’s Juicy Tubes lip glosses back in May.
Not all of these marketing experiments have paid off. But the 30-50 year-old segment is a lucrative one for the skincare industry, which has more recently been fixated on young shoppers.
“Consumers that are just a little bit older can sometimes be overlooked by major brands, and tapping into this nostalgia and this heritage provides an opportunity to talk to some of those consumers,” said Katie Thomas, who leads consulting firm Kearny’s Consumer Institute think tank. She cited a Nielsen report that said Gen X will lead consumer spending through 2033.
“It’s a stark reminder to me that Gen Z is not the only demographic that matters,” Thomas said.
Bliss’ Shifting Focus
In its heyday, Bliss was a global spa destination, with pastel branding and lively marketing that informed the playbooks of youth-focussed brands today. Founded as a single SoHo location by Marcia Kilgore, LVMH acquired a $30 million majority stake in 1999, but sold it to hotel group Starwood in 2004. Bliss was acquired in 2010 by the spa giant Steiner Leisure Limited, which was purchased by LVMH-owned L Catterton in 2015, including Bliss. Then it was acquired by the AS Beauty group, owner of Laura Geller and Cover FX, in 2023, with annual sales reported at upwards of $40 million, though financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Since the acquisition, Bliss’ new parent company has made a concerted shift towards capturing older Millennial customers. Iliza Shlesinger fronted their first big campaign of the year in January, titled “Skincare for Adults.” In the advertisement, Gen Alpha were the butt of the joke: “Why are you even here? If you looked any younger, you would be a sonogram,” Shlesinger jibed.
While searches are up by 36.8 percent year-on-year for Bliss’ skincare specifically, the brand only saw a “mini-spike” of 56.8 thousand searches following the ad, said Addison Cain, senior insights and marketing lead at Spate, indicating a middling impact.
With “Gilmore Girls”, Bliss will be hoping for more. And nostalgia has potential: Westwick’s Lancôme appearance quickly became the brand’s most-liked social media post of all time. But it’s not a failproof strategy, as evidenced by Neutrogena’s mostly overlooked “90210″ ad from April 2025. “I do think you have to get the timing just right,” said Thomas. “I’m an older Millennial, so I watched ”90210″ reruns, but I wasn’t in it watching weekly, and Neutrogena is for younger consumers anyway.”
Experts and fans see promise in Bliss’ trip to Stars Hollow. The collaboration feels more natural compared to Neutrogena and “90210″, Thomas said.
“Bliss and ”Gilmore Girls” feels so specifically nostalgic to my life, and the products that they have released feel so in line with what people love about the show, which is re-watching it when you need comfort,” said Haley McIntosh, who co-hosts the “Gilmore to Say” fan podcast.
But it’s the inclusion of Bishop, co-host Tara Llewellyn added, and the actress’ endorsement that may sell it.
“I’d used Bliss before. And the show is very close to my heart,” Bishop said. “I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t really think the product was good.”