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 this week’s issue: Augustinus Bader, Lancôme, LBTY, Loop, Messi, Pleasing, Rodial, Vaseline and Victoria Beckham Beauty.
But first…
Is fragrance ready to end its sugar rush?
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Over the last two years, foodie fragrances — or gourmands — have exploded across the industry, with mass and luxury brands alike cashing in on the newfound fervour for something sweet. The masstige category in particular has seen a surge, with the easily recognisable notes of Sol de Janeiro’s pistachio-tinged Cheirosa 62 and Phlur’s Heavy Cream resonating with ravenous shoppers who are hungry enough to buy them online, scent unsmelled.
But palates are maturing. On the hunt for something more refined, consumers are increasingly adopting scents with texture, bitterness and even savoury notes baked in, like Rudeva’s salted-pistachio Dusky Diwali or Borntostandout’s black pepper tinged Dirty Milk.
Also catering to the market is Moëhr, a fragrance house originally founded inside Monte Carlo’s Grand Hôtel in 1881 that returns to shelves in June after a revival by the brothers Vincent and Nicolas Poylo. Evoking grand hospitality’s golden age, the relaunched Moëhr introduces six unisex eau de parfums built around simple recipes, each retailing for $320 and designed after fine dining.
Newcomers to the beauty industry, the Poylo brothers come from hospitality. Before Moëhr, Vincent worked for many years under Mauro Colagreco, a three-Michelin-starred chef who became the brand’s first investor. The organisational structure recalls the original Moëhr, where the house’s original perfumer worked alongside the Grand Hôtel’s chef Auguste Escoffier. “When he arrived at the Grand Hotel, what [Escoffier] did was to strip the recipes back,” said Nicolas. “That’s the approach we took for the perfumes. New creations, but with very few ingredients picked.”
Each weighty flacon is modelled on vintage bottles of 19th-century Moëhr topped by a zinc cap modelled from the hotel’s original bar. Scents like Sinclair, with its lavender and olive notes, are a world away from the saccharinely sweet caramels and vanillas that defined the gourmand category until recently.
By and large, the fragrance industry is premiumising as fast as it can. In the last two month, both Maison Margiela and Jean Paul Gaultier have introduced higher-end, higher-priced collections, while brands such as Initio Parfums Privé are trading on “function” as added value. That leaves the question of brands like Moëhr, which have to sell in the same price bracket without fashion house name recognition or neuroscience claims as a point of differentiation.
Palate fatigue may be on the horizon, but perfume shoppers still seem hungry for distinctly unique recipes. And Moëhr has another advantage in its fully realised brand universe. For their vision of the house, the Poylos have combined archival touchpoints with a healthy spritz of fantasy. A launch campaign, directed by British filmmaker Jasper Cable-Alexander, follows a nimble bellhop (played by world parkour champion Lilou Ruel) racing through an imaginary Grand Hôtel to deliver a bottle of the finest fragrance. Future retail spaces, the first scheduled to take place in autumn, will also return to the conceptual hotel space.
“The idea is that those stores will bring you back to this Grand Hôtel world,” said Nicolas. “Not as it was originally, but as we imagine it.”
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What else is new…
Skincare
Who: Augustinus Bader
What: The Overnight Restorative Cream ($365)
When: May 15
Why: I spotted a lot of buzz word ingredients in Augustinus Bader’s post about its new launch, such as a Nordic rosehip extract that claims to support skin’s circadian rhythm. But ultimately it sounds like an incredibly luxurious night cream, at an incredibly luxurious price.
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Who: Rodial
What: Bronzing Glow Drops ($90)
When: May 18
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Why: Today, tanners without skincare benefits simply aren’t worth launching. Luckily for Rodial, there are plenty of buzzy ingredients to go around: The brand’s new summery drops include niacinamide, squalane and antioxidant-rich white star grass, purported to brighten as it bronzes.
Makeup
Who: Lancôme
What: Lip Idôle CuddleBlur ($32)
When: May 18
Why: Designer lip filler has arrived. Lancôme’s cushion-effect stain Lip Idôle gives the illusion of velvety plumped lips, perfectly timed to the current Nina Park blurred lip craze.
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Who: Victoria Beckham Beauty
What: Posh Gloss ($32)
When: May 20
Why: What makes a gloss “posh”? New shades and zero stickiness, says Victoria Beckham, whose brand launched its first lip glosses to the world earlier this week.
Fragrance
Who: Messi
What: Elixir Parfum Intense ($95)
When: May 17
Why: Great thinking from Lionel Messi’s fragrance brand, which has kicked off its biggest-ever launch in time for this year’s world cup. In a month when Messi’s name is sure to be trending, the new Elixir Parfum Intense is also sure to be a sellout at Ulta Beauty and Ulta Beauty Mexico, where it’s now available for $95.
Body Care
Who: LBTY
What: Hand Creams ($39)
When: May 19
Why: Liberty London’s LBTY is building on its fragrance empire with its first-ever hand creams. With the scent of two of the brand’s bestsellers, Zephirine and Liberty Maze, the skinified formulas arrive as hand-aging anxiety seems to be hitting an all-time high.
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Who: Vaseline
What: Jennie announced as global ambassador for body care
When: May 20
Why: Hot on the heels of its life hack virality, Vaseline bosses have figured out that the best hack of all is to simply sign someone very, very famous. The Unilever-owned brand’s buzzy face of choice is K-pop idol Jennie, who apparently reaches for the brand’s body care when she’s not busy ruining perfectly good Tame Impala songs.
Other
Who: Pleasing x Loop
What: Limited-edition Experience™ 2 ($40)
When: May 20
Why: A Pleasing launch that makes sense? Just in time for founder Harry Styles’ long-awaited tour, the brand has partnered with earplug brand Loop on a limited-edition, concert-ready pair. (In addition to their more elevated design, they’re truly far more comfortable than the classic foamy pairs.)
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