Retailers across the U.S. are selling facemasks in a variety of designs as consumers have started looking for ways to brighten up their covered-up faces. “It’s quickly moved from commodity to something that is a differentiator,” said Melissa Akaka, an associate professor of marketing with the University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business. “It’s affixed onto our body. It covers our face. Masks are definitely closely tied to how we engage with others and how we express ourselves.”