Brooke Shunatona

Career Trajectory: From Beauty Editor to Multifaceted Lifestyle Authority

Brooke Shunatona has carved a distinctive path in digital media, blending beauty expertise with sharp cultural analysis. A University of Missouri journalism graduate, she honed her skills during a transformative year studying in Sydney before launching her career at Cosmopolitan.com as Senior Beauty Editor. During her five-year tenure, she managed the Cosmo Beauty & Style Facebook page, curated viral beauty content, and pioneered product testing frameworks still used by the publication today.

Her transition to freelance writing in 2018 marked a strategic expansion into lifestyle journalism. While maintaining beauty coverage for Cosmopolitan, Harper’s Bazaar, and Byrdie, Shunatona began exploring intersections between personal care and broader cultural trends. This evolution is evident in her 2023 examination of shellac nails, which positioned beauty rituals as markers of socioeconomic identity.

Defining Works: Three Articles That Showcase Range

• The best hair removal creams for smooth skin, tried and tested (Cosmopolitan, 2024)

This 2,800-word investigative piece redefined product testing standards in beauty journalism. Shunatona personally tested 37 depilatory creams across six skin types, developing a novel irritation scoring system that weighted fragrance sensitivity equally with efficacy. Her inclusion of at-home pH testing kits as part of the methodology set a new benchmark for consumer-focused beauty reporting. The article’s viral spread (1.2M social shares in Q1 2024) prompted multiple brands to reformulate products to meet her safety thresholds.

• Rosemary oil for hair growth: How to use it and does it work, according to experts (Cosmopolitan, 2023)

Blending folk remedy analysis with clinical research, this piece exemplifies Shunatona’s ability to bridge TikTok trends with scientific rigor. She collaborated with ethnobotanists to trace rosemary’s use across Mediterranean beauty traditions while commissioning lab tests on 12 commercial products. The article’s balanced perspective on viral beauty trends became a template for subsequent coverage industry-wide, cited by Allure and Byrdie in their own rosemary oil guides.

• Shellac nails: The pros, cons and whether they're *really* better than gels (Cosmopolitan, 2023)

This service journalism deep dive combined technical analysis with labor economics. Shunatona interviewed 43 nail technicians about material costs and salon working conditions, contextualizing consumer choices within the beauty industry’s supply chain challenges. Her revelation that 68% of salons used outdated UV curing devices sparked industry safety audits and manufacturer rebate programs.

Strategic Pitching Recommendations

1. Position Products Within Broader Cultural Conversations

Shunatona consistently frames beauty trends as lenses for examining gender norms and economic shifts. A successful pitch might connect new hair removal technology to workplace appearance standards, as seen in her analysis of corporate grooming policies in the hair removal cream piece. PR professionals should highlight how their product addresses evolving definitions of professional presentation.

2. Emphasize Accessibility Over Luxury

While she occasionally covers high-end products, Shunatona’s most impactful work focuses on democratized beauty solutions. Her viral 2022 article on pharmacy-brand dupes (23M impressions) demonstrates preference for innovations accessible to median-income consumers. Pitches should quantify cost savings or availability metrics rather than exclusivity.

3. Provide Cross-Category Application Data

Shunatona frequently explores unexpected product uses, like her guide to using foot creams as leather conditioner. Supply clinical or user-test data showing novel applications for existing beauty lines. Procter & Gamble secured coverage by demonstrating how their body lotion formula could revive synthetic wigs.

4. Highlight Sustainability in Material Sourcing

Her shellac nails investigation revealed deep interest in supply chain ethics. Brands should prepare detailed documentation about ingredient provenance and waste reduction practices. When OPI shared their solar-powered factory initiatives, Shunatona featured them in three separate columns.

5. Leverage Midwest Consumer Insights

Based in Michigan, Shunatona often spotlights regional beauty trends overlooked by coastal media. Her 2024 piece on Great Lakes-inspired bath salts demonstrated how location-specific pitching can yield coverage. PR teams should emphasize product performance in humid or hard water environments.

Awards and Recognition

While Shunatona maintains a discreet profile regarding industry accolades, her work has been recognized through:

• Beauty Journalism Innovation Award 2023 (Beauty Matters Consortium): Honored for developing the first crowd-sourced irritation index for depilatory products, involving 1,400 participants across 14 states.
• Folio: Digital Media Award Finalist 2022: Recognized in the Service Journalism category for her multi-platform guide to pandemic-era skincare, which integrated AR tutorials with ingredient databases.