Amy Pugsley
“I think the hardest thing for us is to convince people that it’s worth it to walk in the door…. Beauty is a universe that lets us reach bigger numbers. And that makes us really happy.”
—Pierre-Alexis Dumas
Pucker up! It’s almost time for the release of the first-ever Hermès beauty product—lipstick. The French luxury fashion brand has decided after 183 years to expand into cosmetics and soon fans will be able to try all 24 Rouge Hermès shades. In March, the project that has been two years in the making will launch and the plan is to launch a new luxe beauty product every six months.
This is not your average beauty product launch and the Rouge Hermès lipstick line is crafted from natural ingredients like white mulberry extract and beeswax and the 24 unique shades range from deep vibrant colors to neutrals. The shades were chosen from the brand’s archives of over 900 shades of leather and 75,000 silk swatches. The luxurious pigments will come in both matte and satin finishes, one paying homage to the iconic Burkin bag and the other to their silk scarf collection.
Not only are the colors rich they are also lightly scented and come in sustainable refillable tri-colored cases. The packaging is plastic-free and made from the same metals used in Hermès handbags. When your favorite color runs out the chic cases can be refilled. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the creative director Pierre Hardy said, “We wanted to do refillable so we could use more luxurious materials that had their own value. The idea is a form that’s both simple and playful enough to allow it to be done and redone ad infinitum. It’s rare for an artistic director to think about packaging over a long period of time and not just a one-off.”
