On Balance: Celebrity Smoothie Culture

We weigh up the effects of the clean girl smoothie lifestyle and question whether this is another ploy to sell you a faux health product you don’t need. 

Sorry, what do you mean you haven’t tried the new nutritionist-approved, collagen-fuelled, Strawberry Skin Glaze Erewhon smoothie by Hailey Beiber? You mean to say you haven’t even attempted to recreate it? Not even a quick avocado, strawberry, and scoop of sea moss gel in the blender? Well, social media would lead you to believe you are one of the few and far between. 

But when I spoke to peers who are also devout followers of online wellness fads if they had recreated it yet, they simply smirked and shook their heads. I was somehow led to believe, via my perfectly suited algorithm, that the Hailey Beiber smoothie was a TikTok ‘hot girl’ approved staple for any household, and you were simply not with the times if you weren’t having at least one a week. 

As a sense of slight superiority washed over me, I thought back to the rise of Blank Street Coffee last year, and the sheer disgust when someone found out I had never heard of their Banana Bread Matcha that all the ‘clean girls’ were fawning over. It was the albeit cheaper (still not budget-friendly) equivalent to LA's infamous Erewhon smoothie: an influencer/celebrity-endorsed accessory that everyone was simply gagging to be seen with. And I hadn’t the slightest clue what it was. 

“So what is it?” I asked upon finding out about the new beverage of the year. “A drink,” they replied. But it wasn’t: it was a lifestyle. 

Upon the first sip, you are basically signing yourself over to a new culture of faux health drinks, and all the conditions that come with it. It’s £6 for all the trimmings with the ceremonial matcha over iced oat milk, which seems like nothing compared to all the American girls complaining about the $19 (£14.30) smoothies at Erewhon. But I feared this was more than the latest cool-girl drink, and was a new portal into the world of wellness overconsumption to satisfy an algorithm and boost sales. 

It feels as though these new celebrity-endorsed drinks are a symbol of wealth disguised as a modern-day wellness accessory. People are turning up to their 9-5s – matcha in hand – waiting for the next break they can sneak off and get another. TikTokers are lipsyncing with a curated line of empty cups in the background. Instagram feeds are jam-packed with an aesthetic birdseye layout, and IG stories boast a new outfit with no expensive luxury handbag to be seen, just an overpriced smoothie in hand. It is all rather ‘if you know you know’, but once you do, it is hard to get out of the luxury beverage world, and even harder to reject the lifestyle that goes along with it. 

It begs the question as to when, and why this became such a staple. If we head overseas to LA, the emergence of the Erewhon smoothie was – and still is – somewhat of a cultural phenomenon. Our favourite fashion influencers and beauty gurus were suddenly ditching their Chanel’s and bypassing Michelin Star restaurants for a plastic cup of blended fruit. 

Though Erewhon launched its first branded bevvy back in 2021, it hit viral status in March of 2022 when internet personality Marianne Hewitt released her blue smoothie to promote her beauty brand, Summer Fridays. It spiralled, and fast at that. The proliferation of the smoothies made their way directly into mainstream culture, with countless reviews plastered across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. They drew in various lifestyle and wellness brands as promotion, concocting this buzz that felt like it was a health drink you should purchase on your way to Pilates.

Brands in the past may have paved the way for Erewhon, but the LA-based upscale supermarket chain pipped the post with its aura of exclusivity and ‘must have’ hype. They have perfected their recipe. Not in terms of ingredients either, but for the viral status that comes with each new drop. A celebrity face; an elusive flavour and ingredient list; and a limited-time offering. Even Hailey Beiber, who was being slowly dragged down by online trolls, has now propelled to the top of the ‘it’ girl list with her 2022 Strawberry Glaze Smoothie, alongside, of course, her skincare brand Rhode. 

It packaged health, beauty, and a status symbol into one compact cup. It extended its offerings to the hottest girls on the scene right now – from Sofia Richie’s Sweet Cherry to Matilda Djerf’s Banana Shake to Kendall Jenner’s Peaches and Cream. A huge launch this year that ushered in a new group of Erewhon fans was the Sabrina Carpenter smoothie, named ‘Short ‘n’ Sweet’ to coincide with her namesake album. The reviews boomed as the blue spirulina pineapple and mango flavour became the drink of the summer, alongside her track ‘Espresso’ which was officially dubbed song of the summer. A very clever marketing ploy by Erewhon if ever there was one. It is the hottest ticket in town to fawn over our favourite health-conscious celebs and feels like an offering of the exclusive lifestyle that we previously had no access to. 

Not only that, but Erewhon has now started to expand its market to brands, specifically, the viral products attached to the ‘clean healthy girl’ lifestyle. Beauty brand Arrae’s Bloat formula has now got a Cocojito smoothie. Sunblock brand Vacation received a Vacation Sunscreen smoothie. Even UGG have a Tazz Tonic!

But the viral smoothie isn’t just exclusive to LA natives anymore. Companies like Joe & the Juice, Blank Street, Grind, and Gail’s are giving it a go in the UK. If you head to any major city, most young 20-somethings will be seen with at least one branded cup of these in hand. Gone are the days of concept hipster coffee shops, now we want a clear-cut cut ‘clean girl’ beverage to replace our designer items. We are in an era of the iykyk stylistic refreshment. 

However, I fear many still aren’t sold on the real health benefits of the products. Yes, it is nice to be seen with a chic drink in hand while running errands, but why should I be spending upward of £40 a week on a ‘cool girl’ drink? After putting Hailey Beiber’s famous ‘Strawberry Skin Glaze’ to the test myself (albeit with a nutribullet, some strawberries from Tesco, and a dream), I can safely say it was like any other smoothie. 

Perhaps I was too frugal with my Vital Proteins Collagen peptide substitutes on the ingredient list (I opted for a cheap Holland & Barrett alternative), or maybe I was just too dubious of the never-ending hype, but it didn’t do much for me. I guess it was nice to think Mrs Beiber and all her followers find it revolutionary for their health, but I won’t be breaking the bank to have one every week. Ultimately, they do taste good, and you can recreate them for yourself on a budget. As for the celebrity-endorsed smoothie, however, it seems to be an unnecessary byproduct of influencer culture meets excessive consumption, pinned up by faux transformative health ingredients.