by Release of the year
Prestige: Prada Beauty
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Miuccia Prada is one of fashion’s most innovative thinkers, so it’s no surprise that when it came time to launch a beauty line with licensee L’Oréal, her goal was to shake things up. “What does beauty mean today?” It was Prada’s starting point, the designer said at the launch with the brand’s co-creative director Raf Simons, noting that the duo believes beauty is the “representation of personality, freedom and self-expression,” and that the idea of care was also crucial. Licensee L’Oréal translated that spirit into a collection of color cosmetics and skincare, tapping Lynsey Alexander as global creative makeup artist and Inès Alpha as electronic makeup artist. They delved into Prada’s extensive archives, translating textures, prints and hues into eye-catching products. Likewise, skin care is not about correcting flaws, but rather helping the skin adapt to its environment in real time. On the heels of the successful 2022 introduction of the Prada Paradoxe women’s fragrance, L’Oréal’s ambitions for the line were equally bold. Said Cyril Chapuy, president of L’Oréal Luxe: “This launch will open a new chapter that will propel the brand to new heights.”
Mass: galas
In a stellar year for fragrances, Maesa took a different approach to the category and won big. Fine’ry, comprising nine body sprays and eaux de parfum, launched at Target in February with the goal of democratizing scents. “We saw this huge appetite and desire for people to have access to the truly untouchable world of niche, prestige and premium fragrances, and when we looked at the offerings for the mass consumer, there really was nothing,” she said. Dana Steinfeld, senior vice president of Maesa’s innovation division, during the launch. The strategy worked. Circana reported that the mass-market fragrance business grew at virtually the same pace as the prestige market, as consumers found value in lower-priced products amid a slowdown in demand for high-quality luxury fragrances. For Fine’ry: mission accomplished.
Transformative offer of the year: The acquisition of Tom Ford by Estée Lauder Cos.
Since the launch of Tom Ford Beauty in 2006, the brand has been a shining star for Estée Lauder Cos. The fragrance division is going from strength to strength, producing global hits and generating olfactory trends; Makeup too, although hit harder during the pandemic, has been directional and, combined, Tom Ford Beauty is on the verge of billion-dollar brand status. It is not surprising, then, that when the designer put his namesake brand, Estée Lauder Cos., up for sale. He outbid rival Kering to acquire it in a $2.3 billion deal that was the largest in Lauder’s history and marked the beauty giant’s foray into fashion. “As a private label, this strategic acquisition will unlock new opportunities and strengthen our growth plans for Tom Ford Beauty,” Lauder CEO Fabrizio Freda said at the time of the deal. It also marked a step forward during a difficult year for the company, which was hit hard by the crisis in China. “This deal will further help drive our momentum in the promising luxury beauty category in the long term,” Freda said, “while reaffirming our commitment to being the leading pure player in prestige beauty.”
Innovative brand
Innovative brand of the year: RMS beauty
Long before “clean” was a beauty buzzword, makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift was calling for cosmetics to be made with better, safer ingredients. In 2009, when she launched her brand, RMS Beauty, her closest competitors were in health food stores, rather than specialty beauty channels. More than a decade later, Swift’s message is more relevant than ever, and under CEO David Olsen, it’s resonating, too. On social media, RMS Beauty has honed its platform strategy, effectively using Swift (a recent video reached one million views in less than a day) and a group of diverse content creators to create cross-generational viral moments on TikTok, while leaning towards more polished content with judicious use of short-form videos to drive engagement on Instagram. The strategy is working: RMS Beauty is improving, and the brand’s website is recording exponential increases in sales: Blush and Foundation Brushes are up 3,473 percent, SuperNatural Serum is up 573 percent, and Eyelights Cream Shadows are up 3,473 percent. 1150 percent.
Newcomer of the year: Polite society
When Jerrod Blandino and Jeremy Johnson left Too Faced, the brand they founded in 1998 and sold to Estée Lauder Cos. for 1.45 billion in 2016, it was only a matter of time before they got back into the beauty game. The boys (as a duo, who are partners in both business and life) have too much fun building brands to sit on the sidelines. It’s no surprise that his new company is called Toy Box Brands, a cross-category incubator that Polite Society launched in August. The clean makeup brand, exclusive to Ulta Beauty, taps into the duo’s signature bold spirit and product development prowess, with products including lip fillers, mascara and foundation, where Blandino and Johnson know how to create long-lasting mega hits. But Polite Society is an evolution of its past, rather than a reincarnation of it. The line meets Ulta’s Conscious Beauty criteria, but its ethos is very different from most brands of its kind. “I never saw myself in any of those brands,” Blandino said. “Where is the shine? Where are the assets? There is room for a really fabulous clean line of kicks.”
Buzzy Collaboration: Lancôme x Louvre
One French icon deserves another and when it comes to partnerships, Lancôme doesn’t think small. This year, the L’Oréal-owned brand partnered with the famous Louvre museum in Paris to create a limited-edition collection celebrating self-confidence and beauty with the tagline “Beauty is a living art.” Highlights included refillable lipsticks embossed with the museum’s architectural details and the Richelieu eye and face shadow palette stamped with the image of the Venus de Milo. The gala celebrating the collection was equally starry, with Lancôme ambassadors Isabella Rossellini, Penélope Cruz, He Cong and Emma Chamberlain among the guests lucky enough to tour the museum after hours. “The Venus de Milo is the ultimate beauty, a symbol of perfection,” He Cong said, “and when you look at her, you feel her magnetism, the confidence of her that just radiates.” Rossellini added: “The Greek aesthetic, the search for beauty, fits very well with the history of Lancôme.”
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