PARIS — Hello from Paris! And welcome back to Full Coverage, my weekly read on what’s happening in beauty and wellness.
First off, it is gorgeous here. I haven’t been here since the pandemic (having two kids under four will do that to you) and it is just as effortless, cool and moody as I remember. It’s much colder — it was 80 degrees when I left New York — so I’ve been able to wear layers upon layers and feel like I have a new wardrobe.
Thank you to everyone who came to our community event on Tuesday. After a short break in our respective homes, Alice Gividen and I will be back on our roadshow to LA in November. Find us there!
I watched Celine Song’s “Materialists” on the plane over, which I liked even though it wasn’t nearly as good as “Past Lives.” Anyway, it made me think a lot about value, not just in marriage, but in our industry. Many people think of their looks as their main asset, so does that make the products to create that look a luxury or a commodity? It’s a question I think a lot of us are asking, so it felt right to unwind that a bit in Paris.
What Does Luxury Beauty Mean?
As we well know, Paris is the centre of the luxury universe; it’s why headlines often suggest a growing conglomerate “is the next LVMH.” The City of Light is also the birthplace of French girl beauty, those can’t-be-bothered, tousled makeup and hair routines that women have tried for decades to emulate (and brands have made billions packaging up for sale).
Is spending tons of money on cosmetics at odds with a nonchalant beauty regimen? It’s a question raised by the world’s largest luxury brand, which entered the beauty category this year with surely the priciest cosmetic line the market has ever seen: $160 lipsticks and $250 eye shadow palettes.
Though it launched at the end of August, people still have questions about the line, especially in Paris. Maybe it’s because Louis Vuitton just showed its Spring/Summer 2026 show and there wasn’t a clear connection to its recent launch (Pat McGrath may have done the makeup, but I didn’t see a bold red lip on any of the models). Or maybe it’s because people are still experiencing sticker shock and trying to understand what it means for their business. Let’s be real here, it’s the latter.
At one cocktail party, two different insiders opined that $160 lipsticks are ridiculous — in this market, or in any. Another told me plainly over coffee that the brand seemed to “pluck the price out of thin air” without being close enough to its customer. And yet another told me not to count out branded LVMH beauty products.
Louis Vuitton wants to touch customers at every point it can — it’s why the company is in the hotel business (the first LV-branded hotel is set to open in Paris next year), mints money on perfumes and acquired the Orient Express. $160 for a lipstick doesn’t really make sense in any retail environment except in its own boutiques (and perhaps in China), where there is probably nothing else at that price point to buy. No, really — the next cheapest thing available to purchase is a leather cardholder at double the price.
Beauty has always been seen as an entry point to fashion. Start with the $50 lipstick, and a few years down the line you’ll end up with a $5,000 bag. But I don’t think many labels experience that loyalty anymore.
In luxury, brands are always banking on shoppers to continuously indulge in conspicuous consumption. If you have an amazing coat or bag, I might ask you where it’s from. I did ask a super-chic woman where her woven brown leather pants were from yesterday (they were H&M, not Bottega Veneta). If I saw somebody pull a Louis Vuitton lipstick out of their bag, I might not recognise it — its black bullet looks so similar to Chanel’s or Celine’s or even MAC Cosmetics.
I don’t often ask people about the makeup they’re wearing, but the last time I did was for Dries Van Noten lipstick.
Even though I can get the brand’s products in New York or online, I made my way to its single makeup store on Quai Malaquais, where lipsticks, combs and perfumes were merchandised among jewels, bags and pouches. I felt like I had wandered into a cabinet of curiosities with some of the best-dressed customers I had seen all week (not the leather pants lady, but a great elderly man in a bright yellow scarf). I didn’t need any more lipstick or perfume, though they looked more like found objects than cosmetics. But I did wander to the women’s store to get a skirt.
What’s in a Story?
The topic of luxury wasn’t the only conversation I was having with insiders and executives this week. We also talked about heritage.
Storytelling remains one of the most important tools a beauty marketer has today and besides the Italians, the French do this best. Nowhere was this more apparent than at Officine Universelle Buly 1803. Let me explain…
Created by Victoire de Taillac and her husband Ramdane Touhami in 2014, the line is known for its Baume des Muses that comes with monogramable boxes, long lines and uber-exclusivity. (It still has not bothered to open any US stores, but has a slew in Japan.)
It also sneakily adds 1803 to its name as a reference to Jean-Vincent Bully, who had a fragrance and vinegar shop back in the 19th century.
What do I mean here? The modern label has actually zero connection to its inspiration.
Now a lot of cool brands do this, especially in fragrance and body care. Eredi Zucca, founded in 2022 takes its name from the Zucca barbering family, which is said to have opened its first barbershop in 1652. Santa Maria Novella has roots dating back to the Francescan friars in 1212, but it started selling products to nobility in the 17th century. Buly was sold to LVMH in 2021; Eredi Zucca’s main investor is D Capital’s Davide De Giglio and Santa Maria Novella, which is backed by Italmobiliare and De Giglio, is on the lips of many buyers interested in fragrance.
While making my way across the 6th, I walked right past Officine Universelle Buly’s store on Rue Bonaparte. I could see the boutique was crowded with customers hovering over the French apothecary-style soaps but no one was behind the velvet rope. I decided to pop in. The security told me that the line was around the corner — and it was… and down the block. I watched for nearly an hour as teenagers and 50-somethings patiently stood in line. I wanted to buy some of the soaps for my boys, but couldn’t wait that long! Also, babies don’t need this.
Officine Universelle Buly has gorgeous products, but its story relies on a lot of creativity. Perhaps it’s no different to the world of celebrity — the singers Elizabeth Grant and Robert Zimmerman sound forgettable, but as Lana Del Rey and Bob Dylan, they’re stars. Poetic licence is a delicate thing.
I don’t think most beauty brands can get away with this especially in the Americas or if they are launching today: They would immediately be cancelled and its founders would be on a grovelling circuit or replaced. My colleagues Daniela Morosini and Brian Baskin disagree, noting Creed exists.
“Authenticity” is an important value for a lot of shoppers today, but it’s one that often blends the real and imagined. Proceed with caution.
Beauty’s Latest ‘It’ Influencer: Kris Jenner
Fresh off her world-famous facelift and global MAC Cosmetics campaign, America’s favourite momager is back this week with a new marketing blitz courtesy of Shark Beauty. The Dyson rival has been on a tear with its new Hydrafacial-esque device and enlisted Jenner and Kardashian stylist Chris Appleton for a hair- and skin-tool event at the Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
Why This Matters: As I’ve mentioned before, Jenner is everywhere, and the public doesn’t seem to mind. People are desperate for more details of Dr. Steven Levine’s undetectable work (or one of his $1,000 nonrefundable consultations, per my friend Rachel Strugatz at Puck) and it’s all thanks to Jenner. Even her daughter Kim Kardashian wants to look like mom; she stepped out with a pixie at the BoF 500 gala, which made onlookers do a double take.
So What: On the Dyson side this isn’t great, considering last week the company revealed that profits were down 50 percent for the year, due to both waning customer response and economic troubles. (Jenner seems to be an overall SharkNinja fan, and I mean that almost literally; she promoted its Coolbreeze oscillating fan this summer.)
But there is also an aging beauty story here. A lot of brands are pushing 40+ products, like Yse, Elm Biosciences, Sarah Creal and every single menopausal line in the market. Personally, I don’t want to talk about my age, or be reminded all the time I’m not 21 — a lot of the 30-, 40- and 50-year-olds I know don’t want to either (and by the way, look way younger than their mothers did twenty years ago). That’s why using Jenner in beauty campaigns feels cooler to me and not like a gimmick. It’s refreshing when a beautiful woman can appear in a marketing campaign without a brand making it seem like a brave or subversive choice. Like, “Hey, she looks great,” not “WE DID A THING.”
Hailey Bieber may be the most influential marketer in beauty right now, but it seems like Kris is coming for her title.
That’s all this week! I’ll see you back in New York.
Priya
