Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Welcome to Haul of Fame, your weekly roundup tracking the new products and ideas driving the beauty industry forward.
Included in today’s issue: Boy Smells, Fable & Mane, Grow Good, Laura Mercier, Oribe, Prada Beauty, Salt & Stone, K18, Yse Beauty, Uni and 818.
But first…
For her wedding day glam, Selena Gomez went matte.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I’ve been wearing my new @RareBeauty foundation through it all,” said Gomez on Instagram, announcing her brand’s True to Myself Natural Matte Longwear Foundation. “It self-primes, self-sets and looks better as the day goes on.”
Rare Beauty’s foundation is one in a long list of recent matte makeup launches. So far this year, Nars, Estée Lauder, Dior and Armani have all released (or re-releaseed) their own matte formulations. The finish is also trending beyond complexion: over the last few months, E.l.f. Cosmetics dropped a series of Liquid Velvet Eyeshadows, Hung Vanngo Beauty introduced a Creamy Matte Longwear lipstick and this week Prada Beauty entered the blush category with a soft-matte Touch Cream-to-Powder Blush.
The sudden influx of matte products follows years of dewy-dominance across skin, lips and cheeks. Previously, matte makeup had the reputation of dryness and cakeyness, at odds with the glowy, skin-friendly, ingredient-driven products that have become de rigueur during the “clean girl” era.
But for Lisa Payne, beauty lead at trends intelligence firm Stylus, today’s matte products have shed that skin. “We’re seeing many more now because of formulation innovation, meaning these types of textures are much more sophisticated,” she said, attributing the shift to new formula innovations from Italian and Korean cosmetics manufacturers.
As coveted as glowy, barely-there finishes are, they’re hardly renowned for their staying power. As sheer, lightweight products such as Fenty Beauty and Hourglass’ skin tints have gained popularity, so too has a myriad of priming, setting and fixing products designed to make them last. Setting and fixing sprays in particular have become a runaway category: Patrick Starrr’s One/Size On ’Til Dawn and Powder Melt setting sprays have become certified bestsellers, reportedly driving around 70 percent of category sales in Sephora. (When applied over makeup, they blend each layer together, and make the look last longer). Shoppers are also scrambling to find setting powders that work the way they’re accustomed to, as talc-free reformulations sweep the market.
A matte foundation fixes all those problems: they set to the skin without the aid of a spray or a powder, and don’t need to be blended with anything else in order to last.
But the data suggests that these launches might be ahead of their time. According to Spate’s popularity index, which tracks Google searches and social posts, searches for matte-finish products are far from saturation point. Matte lip tints and lipsticks are the least talked about, while matte blush and soft matte were in the “low popularity” category. Matte foundation, the most popular category, was still only of middling popularity: The buzziest launches in the category, such as Refy’s skin tint and M.ph Le Skin Weightless Serum Foundation, suggest that demand for lightweight, dewy products is as strong as ever.
Though they may not be high popularity yet, the same Spate data shows that interest in the matte category is growing. Matte foundation is up 26 percent year-over-year, while soft matte makeup has increased by 95 percent, with most interest being generated via Instagram, indicating an “if you launch it, they will come” scenario.
ADVERTISEMENT
To bring matte back to the mainstream, brands must convince older shoppers that these aren’t the cakey formulas of yore (here, words like “blurred,” “velvet” and “self-setting” do a lot of the legwork) and younger shoppers to ditch their glazed-donut complexion routines.
They also have to introduce the finish to a new generation of shoppers loyal to their glazed-donut complexion routines. For its launch, Rare Beauty has partnered with Snapchat. Users will be greeted with a Sponsored Snap — what feels like a personal message — from Gomez introducing the product. They’ll also be able to use a Rare Beauty filter to swatch their best shade of the new matte foundation. “Education is an important component for any launch, especially in complexion or when you’re doing something new,” said Ashley Murphy, the brand’s chief merchandising officer. “We wanted to make sure our community felt informed and excited rather than uncertain.”
The brand might be on to something. Ultimately, the matte comeback will hinge on whether brands can introduce truly net-new innovations to market. “A lot of the times when I talk to founders about why they’re launching new things, it’s because they say it’s been requested multiple times,” said Payne. “But there’s no point in releasing a product just because it’s been requested if the textural, sensorial and formula innovation isn’t there.”
What else is new…
Skincare
Who: Yse Beauty
What: Xtreme Glow Dewy Peptide Plumping Serum ($68)
When: March 26
Why: I might not grasp the science of Yse Beauty’s first-to-market “peptide stacking” technology — though it sounds a lot like biohacking — but the promise of sheet-mask-like benefits with a single pump sounds like a winner.
Makeup
Who: Prada Beauty
ADVERTISEMENT
What: Touch Cream-to-Powder Soft Blur ($42)
When: March 23
Why: Prada Beauty is amping up. This month, it announced Bella Hadid as its global ambassador, before entering the blush category with its “feels like cream, last like powder” blush — in a signature triangular compact that you can wear on your wrist.
***
Who: Laura Mercier
What: Ultra Blur in translucent ($44)
When: March 23
Why: Many Laura Mercier setting powder fans were dismayed when the product went talc-free. This new mint, redness-correcting shade might cheer them. It’s frankly surprising that the brand hasn’t gotten around to it until now.
***
Who: MAC Viva Glam X Connor Ives
What: Limited-edition “Protect the Dolls” lipstick and shirt ($25, $100)
When: March 31
Why: In time for Trans Day of Visibility (March 31), Connor Ives has teamed up with MAC Viva Glam on a limited-edition “Protect the Dolls” t-shirt and lipstick. 100 percent of this sure to sell-out collaboration’s proceeds will be donated organisations that support trans rights.
Fragrance
Who: Uni
What: Eau de Fraîche (from $72)
When: March 23 at Ulta
Why: Another week, another body care brand expanding into fragrance. Uni has entered the category with two alcohol-free scents, Sunset and Rain. True to its body care roots, the brand is positioning the Eau de Fraîche collection as skin-first, with seawater, red microalgae and humectants to hydrate the skin.
***
Who: Fable & Mane
What: Hair & Body Fragrance Mists ($29)
When: March 24
Why: Fable & Mane also drank the fragrance Kool-Aid this week. Its new offerings are designed for the hair and body, with scents such as Madurai Jasmine, Jaipur Rose and Kerala Coconut, echoing notes from its bestselling body care SKUs.
***
Who: Boy Smells
What: Vanilla Era with Twitch creator Vanilla Mace ($78)
When: March 26
Why: Boy Smells has tapped Twitch creator Vanilla Mace as its newest face for Vanilla Era — renaming it Vanilla Mace for the occasion. As more brands look to sell on the platform, tapping one of its stars seems like a smart move.
Hair Care
Who: Grow Good
What: Pre-sale (from $14.99)
When: Beginning March 24
Why: Cardi B’s hair growth line is officially open for pre-order. Industry insiders like the Gloss Angeles girls and cosmetic chemist Amanda Lam are excited for this line. Following years of the star sharing her hair growth journey candidly, from dunking her head in rice water and slathering it with garlic, it will be intriguing to see how well the affordable products resonate.
***
Who: Oribe
What: Supershine Smoothing Wax Stick ($46)
When: March 25
Why: Oribe’s new slick-back helper is a svelte, scented, buildable wax stick. Designed to slip into a purse, it provides long-lasting hold without any of the stiffness and flakiness of traditional styling options.
***
Who: K18
What: TripleBright Oxidation Defense Purple Shampoo ($50)
When: March 27
Why: Trust the science-forward K18 to come up with the most convoluted way to say “non-brassy.” Its newest launch, finally something for the blondes, neutralises yellow tones and defends bleached hair from damage with a biopolymer.
Body Care
Who: Salt & Stone x 818
What: Limited edition Amber & Agave (from $38)
When: March 26
Why: Alongside its acquisition by Advent International, Salt & Stone have made time to partner with Kendall Jenner’s tequila brand on Amber & Agave candles and a mini trio set (featuring a mini deodorant, mini body wash and mini body mist). Coachella goers, expect to smell a lot of this in the desert: the limited-edition collection will be dotted at outposts throughout the festival.
And finally…
Has there been an end-cap directive from Sephora head office? This month, we noticed that brands including Emi Jay, Merit, Crown Affair and Sofie Pavitt have all revamped their displays within the retailer’s doors. It comes two months after chief executive Artemis Patrick shared that its US fleet of stores would be undergoing a major facelift. With new endcaps also designed for European locations, it looks like the revamp may go global. Watch this beauty space.
Sign up to The Business of Beauty newsletter, your complimentary, must-read source for the day’s most important beauty and wellness news and analysis.
