Purely Elizabeth is stepping beyond the breakfast bowl and into the “glow-from-within” conversation.

The Boulder-based natural foods brand announced the launch of Purely Glow Salted Vanilla Pistachio Granola, a limited-edition flavor that blends its signature crunchy clusters with beauty-inspired functional ingredients—including collagen peptides and biotin. The drop is timed to New York Fashion Week, signaling how quickly wellness brands are borrowing cues from beauty culture: trend-driven, ritual-focused, and built for social.

Why a “beauty granola” now?

If you’ve spent any time on TikTok lately, you’ve seen the shift: wellness content is increasingly framed like skincare—daily routines, “non-negotiables,” and ingredients people swear by.

Purely Elizabeth points to that momentum in the announcement, noting that TikTok posts featuring collagen increased by 70% over the past year compared to the previous two years. At the same time, pistachio has had its own breakout moment, with 55,000 pistachio-related TikTok posts in the most recent year—a 104% increase over the prior 24 months.

Translation: consumers aren’t just shopping for flavor anymore. They’re shopping for function, aesthetic, and ritual.

What’s inside Purely Glow Salted Vanilla Pistachio Granola

On the flavor side, Purely Glow is positioned as an elevated, dessert-leaning blend built around a salty-sweet profile:

• Organic oats
• Roasted pistachios
• Real vanilla bean
• A hint of sea salt

From a nutrition and formulation standpoint, the granola is:

• Gluten-free
• Sweetened with coconut sugar
• Baked with coconut oil
• A good source of fiber
• Enriched with collagen peptides, coconut water powder, and biotin

Founder and CEO Elizabeth Stein says the concept comes from a personal place—bringing together “nourishing food and daily beauty rituals,” and leaning into the idea that what you eat can be part of how you care for yourself.

A collab that takes it beyond the grocery aisle

To push the launch into lifestyle territory, Purely Elizabeth is partnering with Cha Cha Matcha for a limited-time “Purely Glow” menu at all locations.

The menu includes:

• Pistachio Matcha Lattes (hot or iced)
• A Purely Glow Yogurt Parfait layered with coconut yogurt, matcha chia pudding, and topped with Purely Glow Granola

The brand is also hosting “Glow Up” pop-up events to bring the product to life:

• Cha Cha Matcha Flatiron (NYC): February 12, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., plus the weekend
• Cha Cha Matcha Beverly Hills: February 20–22

Availability and price

Purely Glow Granola launches February 12 for $7.99 and will be sold until it sells out. It’s available exclusively via:

• PurelyElizabeth.com
• TikTok Shop
• Cha Cha Matcha locations

A brand move that fits the moment

Purely Elizabeth has been around for 16 years and says it has remained the #1 granola brand in the natural channel for more than eight consecutive years—so this isn’t a reinvention as much as a strategic expansion.

The bigger takeaway: food brands are increasingly marketing like beauty brands. Limited editions. Ingredient storytelling. Collabs. Pop-ups. Social-first launches.

Purely Glow is a clean example of that playbook—built around a trending flavor (pistachio), a trending function (collagen/biotin), and a cultural moment (NYFW) that makes the product feel like more than breakfast.

For more details, visit purelyelizabeth.com.

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Sources: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/purely-elizabeth-launches-limited-edition-purely-glow-granola-brands-first-beauty-inspired-granola-302683272.html

Last Updated on February 20, 2026 by Daily News Staff

National Muffin Day has a way of sneaking up on us—one minute it’s a normal Friday, the next you’re suddenly thinking about blueberry crumbs, warm cinnamon tops, and whether “just one” counts if you also grab one for later. This year, Corner Bakery Cafe is leaning all the way into the holiday with a deal that’s as straightforward as it is tempting: any muffin for $2 on Friday, February 20, all day, at participating locations.

Corner Bakery Cafe president Erin Hasselgreen summed up the brand’s approach in the announcement: “If there’s a day to celebrate muffins, it belongs at Corner Bakery. We bake them fresh every day… and on February 20 we’re making it easier than ever to celebrate with $2 muffins all day long.”

Why National Muffin Day still matters

Food holidays can feel a little gimmicky—until they give you a reason to try something new, revisit a favorite, or turn an ordinary day into a small tradition. National Muffin Day is one of those low-stakes celebrations that fits almost any schedule:

• Breakfast on the go (no fork required)
• A mid-afternoon snack that feels like a reward
• A sweet pick-me-up that doesn’t need a special occasion

Corner Bakery is betting on that exact vibe: muffins as a comfort food that’s familiar, easy to share, and always welcome.

The $2 muffin lineup: classic, seasonal, and “grab an extra” flavors

Corner Bakery says the deal covers all muffin flavors, which means you can keep it classic or go seasonal depending on what your local cafe has available. The brand highlights a mix that hits the usual favorites and the cozy, winter-to-spring crossover cravings:

• Blueberry
• Chocolate
• Cinnamon Crumb
• Cranberry Orange
• Banana
• Pumpkin
• Pumpkin Cheesecake

If you’re the type who likes to make National Muffin Day a mini tasting flight, the $2 price point makes it easy to mix and match—one safe pick, one “why not?” pick.

Muffins are timeless for a reason

In the release, Hasselgreen calls muffins “one of those timeless bakery items that never go out of style… comforting, versatile, and always satisfying.” And honestly, that’s the whole appeal. Muffins sit right in the sweet spot between pastry and snack—less fussy than a layered dessert, more satisfying than a cookie, and flexible enough to pair with coffee, tea, or a quick breakfast run.

They also travel well, which is why they’ve become a go-to for:

• Morning meetings
• School drop-offs
• Road trips
• Office snack tables
• “I’ll eat later” moments that turn into “I’m eating now” moments

The details (so you don’t get surprised at the register)

Here’s what to know before you head out:

• Deal: Any muffin for $2
• When: Friday, February 20 (valid all day)
• Where: Participating Corner Bakery Cafe locations
• Note: Pricing and availability vary by location

Corner Bakery recommends confirming participation by contacting your local cafe.

A little National Muffin Day game plan

If you want to make the most of it, here’s a simple way to approach the day:

1. Pick your “must-have” flavor (the one you’ll regret skipping)
2. Add one seasonal wildcard (pumpkin cheesecake fans, this is your moment)
3. Grab a second muffin for later—because future-you always appreciates past-you

About Corner Bakery Cafe

Corner Bakery Cafe is a fast-casual restaurant serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and catering across 18 states and Washington, D.C. The brand traces its roots to a neighborhood bakery that started in downtown Chicago in 1991, built around fresh ingredients, artisan breads, and a “warm and comfortable place” feel.

For more information, visit cornerbakerycafe.com or follow Corner Bakery Cafe on social media.

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Explore STM Daily News Food & Drink for crave-worthy recipes, restaurant and brand news, seasonal picks, and the trends shaping what we’re eating and sipping right now. Start here: https://stmdailynews.com/food-and-drink/

Siti Nuraisyah Suwanda, West Virginia University; Emily Tanner, West Virginia University, and M. Paula Fitzgerald, West Virginia University

It’s February, and you grab a box of cheap Valentine’s chocolate from the grocery store on your lunch break. Later, you’re eating it at your office desk when you realize someone else is watching. Suddenly, you feel a flicker of embarrassment. You hide the box away, make a joke or quietly wish they hadn’t noticed – not because the chocolate tastes bad, but because you don’t want to be judged for choosing it.

If the scenario above feels familiar, you’re not alone. Many people experience subtle embarrassment or self-consciousness about everyday consumption choices, from eating cheap Valentine’s chocolate to accepting free lunch from a school food program or having visible tattoos.

We are social marketing researchers who study stigma in marketing. In our research, we coined the term “consumption stigma” to describe how people can be judged or looked down on by others, or by themselves, simply for using certain products – even when there’s nothing objectively wrong with them.

Living with consumption stigma

When people feel judged for what they consume, or choose not to consume, the effects can be mentally exhausting. Feeling stigmatized can quietly erode self-esteem, increase anxiety and change how people behave in everyday settings. What starts as a small moment of embarrassment can grow into a persistent concern about being seen the “wrong” way.

In reviewing 50 studies about stigma in marketing, we found that people respond to consumption stigma along a continuum. Some try to avoid stigma altogether by hiding their consumption or staying away from certain products. Others adjust their behavior to reduce the risk of being judged. At the far end of the spectrum, some people actively push back, helping to destigmatize certain forms of consumption for themselves and for others.

The research we reviewed found that to avoid stigma, people may deliberately consume more expensive or socially approved alternatives, even when those choices strain their finances. Imagine someone who switches to a premium chocolate brand at the office, not because she prefers the taste, but because she wants to avoid feeling embarrassed.

Over time, this kind of adjustment could pull people into spending patterns that are beyond their means, feeding a cycle of consumption driven more by social pressure than genuine need or enjoyment. We suggest that the ramifications can be even more stark in other contexts – for example, when a child skips a free school lunch to avoid being teased, or when a veteran turns down mental health support because they fear being judged by others.

From a business perspective, when consumers avoid or abandon products to escape stigma, companies may see declining demand that has little to do with quality or value. We suggest that if consumption stigma spreads at scale, the cumulative effect can translate into lost revenue and weakened brand value.

Understanding consumption stigma, then, isn’t just about consumer well-being; it’s also critical for businesses trying to understand why people buy, hide or walk away from certain products.

Take back the narrative

Stigma often feels powerful because it masquerades as reality. But at its core, consumption stigma is a social judgment, a shared story people tell about what certain choices supposedly say about someone. When that story goes unchallenged, stigma sticks. When it’s questioned, its power starts to fade.

One way people reduce stigma is by reclaiming the narrative around their consumption. Instead of hiding, explaining or compensating, they openly own their choices. This shift from avoidance to acceptance can strip stigma of its force.

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Imagine a shopper who embraces buying cheaper store brands at the grocery store, seeing it not as a compromise but as a sign of being savvy to pay less for the same thing. When people wear their choices like armor, whether it’s cheap chocolate, secondhand clothing or specialized physical or mental health services, those choices lose their sting. When a behavior is no longer treated as something shameful, it becomes harder for others to use it as a basis for judging or looking down on people.

Of course, stigma doesn’t disappear overnight. But research shows that when enough people stop treating a behavior as something to hide, the social meaning around it begins to change. What feels embarrassing in one moment can become normalized in the next. For example, research on fashion consumption has shown how wearing a veil, once widely stigmatized in urban and secular settings, gradually became seen as ordinary and even fashionable as more women openly adopted it.

Enjoying cheap chocolate shouldn’t require justification. Cold water tastes just as good out of an unbranded travel mug as it does from a Stanley tumbler. A generic sweatshirt keeps you just as cozy as Aritzia. And yet, many people feel the need to explain, deflect or upgrade their choices to avoid being judged. Understanding consumption stigma helps explain why and underscores that these feelings aren’t personal failures, but social constructions.

Sometimes, the most effective response isn’t to consume differently, but to think differently. When people stop treating everyday choices as moral signals, they make room for a more humane – and hopefully honest – marketplace.

Siti Nuraisyah Suwanda, Doctoral Student and Graduate Researcher in Marketing, West Virginia University; Emily Tanner, Associate Professor of Marketing, West Virginia University, and M. Paula Fitzgerald, Professor of Business Administration, West Virginia University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.