The minimalism came before Rhode though, Ordinary and Inkey List had pretty minimalist look, same with brands like OUAI and Necessaire, so if anything rhode hopped onto that trend
I'm not going to lie, I really don't follow the beauty industry THAT closely. But I do see Rhode literally any time I open my Instagram feed whether it's their own post or not - they're done a masterful job of converting their customers into walking advertisements with the phone cases and lip treatment especially. I know Glossier was the original Rhode, but I feel like it was slightly less in my face? Maybe because they had a physical store so it felt a bit more contained to mirror selfies with the glossier slogan. Like you had to be physically present in front of the Glossier mirror. Now every mirror selfie is a Rhode ad because the customer is the product, if that makes sense. Also to me, the Ordinary is obviously selling a product while Rhode is selling a lifestyle. And the Inkey list still feels commercial to me - it's very ecomm friendly smiling face in front of a white backdrop. The style of the Rhode campaign makes it feel less product centered and more editorial which I think is becoming the new norm, but not in the creative way of the 90s but instead in an aspirational buy our product and maybe one day you can be our ideal girl kind of way (I hope any of this made sense lol)
just like make up trends/ looks, fashion ("clean girl" aesthetic, minimalism, "old money") and politics have been regressing its really interesting to draw the connection with packaging and marketing visuals as well.
The blandness in the market is what inspired me to start Besame 20 years ago. I was also looking for art in cosmetics, and I enjoy bringing the whimsy and unexpected pleasure of a beautiful piece you can display on your vanity. Our purpose in business is to bring back the appreciation of the past and to uplift the creative spirit to give people pleasure and confidence as they interact with our creations.
last year i got more and more back into makeup again (i had a “beauty guru” phase in high school and then one day decided i’m full of it, threw everything away and stopped wearing makeup) so now it’s really interesting to see how much have changed (or not) in the beauty space and i completely agree more and more things look the same and don’t bring any joy. i love what byredo is doing with their makeup both visually and product wise, their campaigns are not serge lutens but at least somewhat intriguing and artistic.
i would love to see more luxury houses do makeup, like loewe or bottega veneta. dior/lv/chanel need some competition to understand they can’t keep making boring releases year after year lol i hoped prada would bring some fresh air and innovation with their new makeup line, but it’s as boring as everyone else…
the makeup museum website is amazing btw, i’m stuck there now!
Thank you! I read your piece a while ago - it's tough to see every mass beauty brand's IG look like an iteration of the same account (2019 glossier) in a different color. But I guess don't touch what's not broken?
i find that my taste in most things leans more minimal—but the one area i’ve always appreciated more avant garde, expressive work is in the beauty category! from photography to campaigns and packaging etc, i do crave more life from this space. that said, it was so much fun to sink into this post<3
Fabulous read (as per usual). It’s so comforting to know I wasn’t the only one obsessed with the pearls from Guerlain lol! I’ve been doing so much fragrance research and I’m so happy this market is so vast - I’ve stirred away from big brands’ and honestly their fragrance game is boring and usually too sweet for my taste. You’d love Nasomatto and Orto Parisi; fabulous scents and very good price for the niche category.
you touched upon something i didn't even realize i was feeling, but yes!
i have been so disinterested in new makeup for a long time, but this year i actually bought a few things by this chinese beauty brand called girlcult in part because their packaging was pretty beyond function and had such a distinct alt VIBE. the compact is an abnormal organic shape, has swirly dark graphics on it, and a big pearl embedded in it for no reason other than aesthetics. it feels like an arcane object.
its like i got reminded that i put on makeup to channel a specific power and persona, and thats why it's fun.
Chinese beauty is very interesting right now, I've seen some gorgeous packaging too! And strangely, it's also quite affordable (or at least not more expensive than simple plastic bottles of makeup at Sephora).
Currently all the popping artsy packaging is fragrance bottles, but I think small indie skin brands are bringing back fun, sculptural looking bottles, and smaller indie makeup brands still make cool packaging. I’m hoping this trickles back up to mass and prestige but I’d also love to see the gorgeous packing and it be sustainable/refillable (ie- Lisa Eldridge new lipsticks, old school Bourjois and vintage makeup pots, etc)
Everyone wants to be rhode so thank you for reminding me that ads used to be art
in the world full of rhode, be vintage shiseido <3
The minimalism came before Rhode though, Ordinary and Inkey List had pretty minimalist look, same with brands like OUAI and Necessaire, so if anything rhode hopped onto that trend
I'm not going to lie, I really don't follow the beauty industry THAT closely. But I do see Rhode literally any time I open my Instagram feed whether it's their own post or not - they're done a masterful job of converting their customers into walking advertisements with the phone cases and lip treatment especially. I know Glossier was the original Rhode, but I feel like it was slightly less in my face? Maybe because they had a physical store so it felt a bit more contained to mirror selfies with the glossier slogan. Like you had to be physically present in front of the Glossier mirror. Now every mirror selfie is a Rhode ad because the customer is the product, if that makes sense. Also to me, the Ordinary is obviously selling a product while Rhode is selling a lifestyle. And the Inkey list still feels commercial to me - it's very ecomm friendly smiling face in front of a white backdrop. The style of the Rhode campaign makes it feel less product centered and more editorial which I think is becoming the new norm, but not in the creative way of the 90s but instead in an aspirational buy our product and maybe one day you can be our ideal girl kind of way (I hope any of this made sense lol)
the saying on the mirror vs phone case selfie note is so spot on
just like make up trends/ looks, fashion ("clean girl" aesthetic, minimalism, "old money") and politics have been regressing its really interesting to draw the connection with packaging and marketing visuals as well.
The blandness in the market is what inspired me to start Besame 20 years ago. I was also looking for art in cosmetics, and I enjoy bringing the whimsy and unexpected pleasure of a beautiful piece you can display on your vanity. Our purpose in business is to bring back the appreciation of the past and to uplift the creative spirit to give people pleasure and confidence as they interact with our creations.
I love that!!
This was an incredible read that felt like a college lecture
thank you so much!!
Great piece explaining the state of beauty packaging today! And thank you so much for mentioning the Makeup Museum!!
Thank you Hillary - so inspired by you and your work!
last year i got more and more back into makeup again (i had a “beauty guru” phase in high school and then one day decided i’m full of it, threw everything away and stopped wearing makeup) so now it’s really interesting to see how much have changed (or not) in the beauty space and i completely agree more and more things look the same and don’t bring any joy. i love what byredo is doing with their makeup both visually and product wise, their campaigns are not serge lutens but at least somewhat intriguing and artistic.
i would love to see more luxury houses do makeup, like loewe or bottega veneta. dior/lv/chanel need some competition to understand they can’t keep making boring releases year after year lol i hoped prada would bring some fresh air and innovation with their new makeup line, but it’s as boring as everyone else…
the makeup museum website is amazing btw, i’m stuck there now!
I'd be soooo giddy to play with Bottega/Loewe makeup, and agreed - had so many hopes for Prada but it's giving very much boring Chanel.
loved this! I wrote this a while ago - tangentially related ;) https://nikitawalia.substack.com/p/were-all-chasing-the-next-best-thing
Thank you! I read your piece a while ago - it's tough to see every mass beauty brand's IG look like an iteration of the same account (2019 glossier) in a different color. But I guess don't touch what's not broken?
right… why touch it if it seems like a way to slingshot to success!
i find that my taste in most things leans more minimal—but the one area i’ve always appreciated more avant garde, expressive work is in the beauty category! from photography to campaigns and packaging etc, i do crave more life from this space. that said, it was so much fun to sink into this post<3
I love that, thank you so much!
Fabulous read (as per usual). It’s so comforting to know I wasn’t the only one obsessed with the pearls from Guerlain lol! I’ve been doing so much fragrance research and I’m so happy this market is so vast - I’ve stirred away from big brands’ and honestly their fragrance game is boring and usually too sweet for my taste. You’d love Nasomatto and Orto Parisi; fabulous scents and very good price for the niche category.
I feel like Guerlain powder pearls were a collective early 2000s daydream lol
you touched upon something i didn't even realize i was feeling, but yes!
i have been so disinterested in new makeup for a long time, but this year i actually bought a few things by this chinese beauty brand called girlcult in part because their packaging was pretty beyond function and had such a distinct alt VIBE. the compact is an abnormal organic shape, has swirly dark graphics on it, and a big pearl embedded in it for no reason other than aesthetics. it feels like an arcane object.
its like i got reminded that i put on makeup to channel a specific power and persona, and thats why it's fun.
Chinese beauty is very interesting right now, I've seen some gorgeous packaging too! And strangely, it's also quite affordable (or at least not more expensive than simple plastic bottles of makeup at Sephora).
Currently all the popping artsy packaging is fragrance bottles, but I think small indie skin brands are bringing back fun, sculptural looking bottles, and smaller indie makeup brands still make cool packaging. I’m hoping this trickles back up to mass and prestige but I’d also love to see the gorgeous packing and it be sustainable/refillable (ie- Lisa Eldridge new lipsticks, old school Bourjois and vintage makeup pots, etc)
I would really love to see more beautiful refillable packaging! I love the Dries lipsticks, so chic!
I love the glossier solid perfume compact, looks like a little pebble :)