British model Kate Moss recently made a much noticed entry into the world of skincare with her brand "Cosmoss by Kate Moss," and a short video revealing without any artifice, in fact without any clothing. The line, which aims to combine "beauty & wellness," offers no mascara, no foundation, no lipstick, but rather skincare products, oils and drinks such as special tea blends, all designed as components of rituals to elevate body and mind. In short: raw holistic beauty.
An approach driven by the pandemic
Holistic beauty in and of itself is not a new concept; Susanne Kaufmann, founder of the cosmetics brand of the same name, launched her approach to this idea nearly two decades ago. But it has made a comeback with the Covid-19 pandemic, as makeup sales collapsed with lockdowns, and the public turned to more natural and authentic products, ingredients, and lifestyle practices. Gone were the days of contouring, layering, and piling on cosmetics and makeup, replaced by a new approach to beauty based on caring for body and mind.
These days it’s all about approaching beauty in its entirety, under the spectrum of food, fitness, well-being, sleep, and of course cosmetics. All this with the help of natural ingredients, if possible, as well as science and new technologies. The objective is no longer to treat or cover, but to prevent, by strengthening the skin’s natural powers. LED light, prebiotics, facial gymnastics and other types of facial massage are all techniques and ingredients that are very popular today for reinventing our beauty routines.
Brands and celebrities join the bandwagon
Despite makeup sales bouncing back in the course of 2021, many celebrities - usually backed by beauty majors - intend to build on this concept with new launches in the skincare and body categories.
Millie Bobby Brown was among the first to have tried to mine this niche with Florence by Mills, combining clean and vegan makeup and skincare, but without the well-being facet.
Since then, other celebrities have followed suit. Hailey Bieber with Rhode Skin, Kim Kardashian with SKKN By Kim, which is "at the intersection of elevated simplicity and innovative science" via "clean ingredients and technical formulas."
The whole thing is based on ethics and sustainability, two key words that can be found in most of these cosmetic lines. Other common points: a limited choice - with a focus on essentials - and a beauty routine that emphasizes time with long-lasting results. Whether fastidiously elaborated and explained or not, the concept of holistic beauty is indeed at the center of these new brands’ communication strategy.
Creams, tea and CBD
It’s the same thing with JLo Beauty, the brand by Jennifer Lopez, and even more so with The Outset, the label developed by Scarlett Johansson. But with Cosmoss, Kate Moss seems to want to go even further, with a line including tea to rid the body of its toxins, creams, a ’sacred’ mist and an oil with CBD. "Each product has been meticulously crafted with wellbeing in mind; each ritual opens a door to balance, restoration, and love," reads the brand’s Instagram account.
Last comer in the race, Stella McCartney has teamed up with the beauty division of the LVMH group to develop the skincare line, STELLA by Stella McCartney, with the aim to combine nature, efficiency and responsibility. The short range consists of three essential products: Reset Cleanser, Alter-Care Serum and Restore Cream.
According to Éric Briones, co-founder of the Paris School of Luxury, and author of the book author of Luxe et digital, which will be released in October by French publisher Dunod, in Paris (not translated), “beauty and well-being will be the new growth drivers for luxury.” This would explain, according to him, the mushrooming of celebrity-owned or endorsed beauty lines. Especially since "investing with a celebrity is much safer than with a young unknown brand, because you start with a fan base" which can reach millions of people.
