Brands/Beauty and skincare
Beauty and skincare
The groups and counter brands that own the aisle, and the young brands that sold straight to their customers and changed how the category talks.
20 brands·L'Oréal Paris is open to everyone·Sources on every page
The big names · 10
- 1909L'Oréal ParisThe world's largest beauty brand, run by Laetitia Toupet
- 1946MemberEstée LauderThe Lauders' flagship brand, now under Justin Boxford
- 1935MemberLancômeThe rose-marked Paris house, now led by Vania Lacascade
- 1984MemberMACThe make-up artists' brand, now art-directed by Nicola Formichetti
- 1968MemberCliniqueFragrance-free skincare from the Lauders, led by Michelle Freyre
- 1911MemberNiveaBeiersdorf's biggest brand, and the blue tin that became its logo
- 1957MemberDoveUnilever's biggest brand, built on real women and a bar of soap
- 2017MemberFenty BeautyHalf Rihanna's, half LVMH's, and 40 shades that moved the category
- 1987MemberAesopA Melbourne salon habit, sold to L'Oréal, built store by store
- 1952MemberLakméNehru's idea, Tata's factory, Hindustan Unilever's brand
Small and new, from India · 5
- 2020MemberMinimalistPercentages on the front of the box, science instead of fear
- 2015MemberSugar CosmeticsBlack square lipsticks, then a retail chase that nearly killed it
- 2013MemberPlumVegan skincare built on colour coding and slow, careful growth
- 2021MemberFoxtaleSkincare for Indian skin, built four products at a time
- 2019MemberKay BeautyCelebrity make-up that kept its customers, co-owned by Nykaa
Small and new, from elsewhere · 5
- 2014MemberGlossierThe DTC brand whose packaging is better known than its logo
- 2022MemberRhodeTen products, one phone case, and a billion-dollar sale to e.l.f.
- 2021MemberMeritTwo new products a year, and a pouch that advertises
- 2006MemberByredoStockholm perfume with no advertising, now owned by Puig
- 2018MemberSummer FridaysA mask named for jet lag, and a brand sold as a feeling
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Jewellery and watches
Maisons and watchmakers, then the new fine-jewellery labels
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