Fragrance brand Byredo has thrown its weight behind colour cosmetics with a new line of products.
Created by renowned make-up artist Isamaya Ffrench and Byredo’s founder Ben Gorham, the ‘game-changing’ line is said to ignore gender boundaries and offers multi-purpose products for eyes, lips and cheeks.
“I’ve been working on this project for two years, maybe longer,” said Gorham.
“After the initial run of making fragrance and how that related to people’s ideas of beauty, I started to learn how it related to being beautiful.
“I started to feel that there could be a very visual manifestation of beauty for Byredo, I thought our visual ideas could be as different as our approach to scent.”
Available in the line is the brand’s hero The Colour Stick Bâton de couleur product, available in 16 satin and matte shades.
It is said to feel lightweight and dewy, and give the wearer creative options, as it can be used on cheeks, lips and eyes; colours range from greens and blues to purples and nudes.
For eyes, Byredo has introduced an eyeliner and mascara, both available in black, as well as three 5-pan eyeshadow products in different colour ranges.
Meanwhile, the brand’s new lip balm is said to be ‘ultra hydrating’ and glide onto lips; it is housed in a curved metal case.
“I’ve always wanted to redefine the approach to creating a make-up collection,” added Ffrench.
“I don’t like to tell people how to wear the cosmetics, just to inspire them.
“For example, some of our first products are simply sticks of colour, colours that are universally beautiful and to be worn in whichever way you like.
“I wanted to create a sense of freedom in the way we approach using make-up but also in the way we communicate the products.”
The products retail from £26 and are expected to launch on 1 October via byredo.com and Selfridges in the UK.
'The decline of colour'
Analysis:
By Becky Bargh
Senior News and Social Media Reporter
Despite new make-up palettes and celebrity colour cosmetics launching at every turn, the colour market has been falling out of favour with consumers, and this has been enforced by the Covid-19 lockdown.
During the stay at home order, many shoppers turned their attention to skin care as make-up became obsolete with more staff working from home.
The NPD Group reported US sales of luxury make-up nosedived by more than 50% at the height of lockdown between April and June 2020.
But even before lockdown, customers were favouring the ‘no make-up, make-up’ look, leaving colour brands on the shelf.
Brands including L’Oréal Paris, Rimmel, MaxFactor and Revlon have all experienced a slowdown in their North American or European make-up sales.
However, a decline for these giants is not just down to consumers’ changing attitudes.
Challenges from agile, indie brands, such as Fenty Beauty, Lime Crime and EX1, have contributed to the category's decline with their social-savvy content and e-commerce strategies winning over consumers.
But there is a new trend making its way into the sector that could be a game-changer for make-up brands.
Read more about the rise in ‘no pigment’ make-up via the link below.