The churn of newness in beauty continued in 2024, with several brands hitting the market as both industry insiders and outsiders bet on the category’s long-term health.
Luxury fashion brands brought new beauty lines to market, with visions of full Chanel and Dior-style fragrance, makeup and skincare portfolios in their future: Celine made its way into makeup, Balmain’s cosmetics-themed Spring 2025 runway show implied it’s about to do the same, and Burberry reintroduced itself (with a foundation inspired by its trench coats). Beyond luxury, cult brands of all types found their own beauty niches: A.P.C. unveiled an appropriately minimalist body-care line, and even Birkenstock made its way into beauty via via foot care.
The year also saw a rush of beauty veterans bringing their expertise to new brands. Former Victoria Beckham Beauty CEO Sarah Creal’s eponymous new Gen X-focused makeup line and Farmacy founder David Chung’s hair care brand The Rootist were among those quickly scooped up by Sephora following their 2024 debuts; Daniel Bense, a former Aesop executive and merchant, launched To My Ships, a personal care line with a luxury deodorant hero that sells for $46.
The celebrity beauty gold rush also continued apace in 2024. There was plenty of hair care, including Beyoncé’s Cécred, Rihanna’s Fenty Hair, Blake Lively’s Blake Brown, as well as a new fragrance brand from Bella Hadid. Surf legend Kelly Slater’s sunscreen label and Serena Williams’ makeup line suggest more athlete-fronted brands in the future. Celebrities have more incentive than ever to launch a brand after seeing Selena Gomez join Rihanna in the beauty billionaire club this year.
2025’s pipeline already looks competitive, with the long-anticipated arrival of Miu Miu and the longer-anticipated return of Marc Jacobs Beauty. Despite softening consumer demand — and increased wariness over the celebrity cash grab — these rollouts indicate that the market remains optimistic. It’s more important than ever for all brands, new and old, to differentiate themselves with the right beauty positioning, as well as cultivate and maintain a loyal customer base. Otherwise, they might get lost in the crowd.
Every Fashion Label Wants a Beauty Brand. Is There Room for All of Them?: Amid a luxury fashion slowdown, brands are launching full beauty lines at a record pace as they jostle to find their position in a crowded market.
Hedi Slimane Launches Celine Beauty Line: The designer is making a foray into cosmetics at the LVMH-owned megabrand-in-making. Celine’s Rouge Triomphe lipstick will debut in the autumn, with a full range of 15 satin-finished colours slated for January 2025.
How to Launch a Black Beauty Brand: In a three-part series, The Business of Beauty explores how Black founders Monique Rodriguez, Danessa Myricks and more built, launched and scaled their multi-million-dollar businesses. In part one, a look at how these entrepreneurs found their niche and harnessed early lessons that were critical to their growth.
The Kombucha Effect Comes for Hair Care: Following the well-worn path from wellness hack to beauty solve, fermented ingredients are making their way to hair care, thanks to a growing number of high-profile startups.
The Real Masterminds Behind the Body Care Boom: As specific products or categories take off industry wide, it’s unclear if beauty brands or retailers are steering the ship.
How Gen X Became Beauty’s Next Big Consumer: Mature consumers have long been ignored by the beauty industry. Now a small but growing number of emerging brands are responding to the needs of those over the age of 45 in a bid to cash in on their $15 trillion spending power.
Can Matilda Djerf’s Influence Translate to Beauty Sales?
The Scandinavian influencer known for setting global hair trends unveils her first beauty venture.
