More and more personalities, including especially influencers, launch consumer products. A new business on which also surf the large distribution brands that market these products.
A new drink imagined by Bigflo and Oli arrives on the shelves. The two Toulouse rappers recently launched a mate -based soda, a plant to infuse widely consumed in Argentina. Called Matécito, this brand will be distributed in more than 400 Monoprix, Franprix and Casino points of sale.
The two musicians actually passed a contract with the Casino group so that its brands market this sparkling drink exclusively. The launch of this product is reminiscent of that, in June 2025, of the protein bars of Tibo Inshape. Fitness influencer also launched his own brand marketed at Carrefour.
And still before them, we can also quote the examples of the Youtubeur Squeezie who launched his brand of Kombucha in May 2025. The Formula 1 pilot Charles Leclerc which launched his ice brand in 2024. And a few years ago, the humorist Mister V and his brand of frozen pizzas “Pizzaiolo” in 2022.
The phenomenon of “people products”
We are therefore dealing with a real phenomenon in full acceleration. And sufficiently important for a name to be assigned to it. The journalist specializing in large distribution Olivier Dauvers talks about a boom in “people products”. Consumption products therefore, carried by “people”. Which have the distinction of being in the majority of cases of influencers that have become popular via the Internet.
Until then, we had more used to celebrities using their image to highlight consumer brands. George Clooney with Nespresso, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga with Kinder … now it is directly the stars who launch their mark, in the hope that they become general public. Well helped by supermarket brands.
One would have thought that with their millions of subscribers on social networks, these influencers could have done without mass distribution. However, even in the time of marketing 2.0 It is always necessary to go through supermarkets to sell a product.
“These are small volume products, it would have been impossible to sell them by correspondence for example,” said Xavier Terlet, founder of a Food Innovation Consulting, XTC proteins.
A phenomenon born in the United States
This mass distribution specialist notes that this phenomenon is “relatively new”. And as often, it comes from the United States. There, two youtubers followed by millions of people each launched their own brand in January 2022: Mr. Beast and his “Feastable” chocolate bars, as well as Logan Paul and his “Prime” energy drink.
Products having had such a phenomenal success that they crossed crossed the Atlantic to land on our shelves. Not surprising since these celebrities also have a strong audience in France. But worrying with regard to the quality of these ultra sweet, ultra processed products. And in the case of an ultra -caught bonus, to the point that the American authorities denounce this drink.
In France, Mister V was a pioneer. With a product not excellent for health: frozen pizzas. The “Delamama” pizzas were launched in February 2022 at the time at Auchan and Carrefour. In six months, 1.5 million had been sold.
The success of Mister V pizzas
This success had nothing to chance. The communication was perfectly featured, the pizza of a rather good quality (for frozen), the price in the average for this product (4.80 euros) and the industrial device behind sufficiently solid. Mister V was actually based on the largest European manufacturer of frozen pizzas, the German industrialist Freiberger.
For Xavier Terlet, this success has inspired the launches of produces made in recent months. But it was also linked to the fact that there was no reference mark on this product, however of everyday consumption that is frozen pizza. Mister V has indeed benefited from the health scandal of the Buitoni pizzas contaminated at the E.coli bacteria that occurred at the same time.
“With its pizzas, Mister V arrived on a market where customers were not loyal. I am more skeptical about the Squeezie Kombucha. Because even if this drink is rather healthy, it fights against the mastodones that are Coca-Cola or Pepsi. Or even other brands of Kombucha like Karma or Kyo already well established”, analyzes this specialist.
Concretely, therefore, it is easier to change the consumption habits of a young person in terms of pizza than a drink. Especially since the “Ciao Kombucha” of Squeezie is sold between 2.80 and 3.50 euros per 33 centilitres bottle. A price that all young people, targets of this product, are not necessarily ready to spontaneously.
Fashion products like the Dubai Chocolate
But conquer the market on which they launch out is the wish of each of these influencers? Not necessarily. For Xavier Terlet, “most of these product launches are modes. However, the modes are fleeting. It is above all a way for them to see how they can monetize their audience”.
He parallel with other products such as the Dubai Chocolate. “Certainly this product was not launched directly by an influencer. But it was born through social networks, and it is a fashion on which all the distributors have surfed. But which is already starting to run away,” considers this expert in large distribution.
Indeed, just as the brands fought last March to offer for sale Dubai chocolate tablets, they are fighting to offer influencer products. Do they have so much to win? “I do not believe that such a large market opens with the exclusive sale of a kombucha”, nuance Xavier terlet.
Distributors are only fond of this kind of operation because it allows them to appear more modern. And to do a good punctual communication.
