In the depths of economic uncertainty, one might imagine luxury brands playing it safe. Yet in a move both surprising and inevitable, Louis Vuitton – the legendary French maison known for trunks and handbags – is stepping boldly into makeup. This fall, the brand will launch La Beauté Louis Vuitton, its first cosmetics line, led by the renowned makeup artist Dame Pat McGrath as creative director. The moment is steeped in symbolism: a heritage house famous for craftsmanship is bringing that ethos to lipstick and eyeshadow, betting on beauty as the next frontier of its empire.
La Beauté Louis Vuitton arrives at a time when the luxury beauty market is on a strong upswing. Analysts project the sector’s value will surge from around $59 billion within a few years to about $87.4 billion by 2033, reflecting robust global demand. This growth comes even as the world has weathered inflation and recessions. Economists often reference the “lipstick effect” – the idea that in tough times consumers indulge in small luxuries like cosmetics instead of big-ticket splurges. Indeed, in late 2022, UK lipstick sales jumped nearly 10% year-on-year . But Louis Vuitton’s parent LVMH has shown that luxury demand now runs deeper than one product or trend. The conglomerate posted record revenues in 2023 (over €86 billion) with all divisions, from fashion to beauty, seeing strong growth. Its Perfumes & Cosmetics unit alone grew 11% organically . In other words, consumers aren’t merely settling for lipstick instead of luxury handbags – many are buying both. This resilience signals a broader shift: even amid economic uncertainty, the global appetite for high-end products remains voracious, blurring the old notion of the lipstick effect.
Louis Vuitton certainly isn’t the first fashion house to expand into beauty. The brand itself frames the launch not just as selling makeup, but as “crafting a beauty experience that extends beyond products.” Beauty products allow the brand to tell a new story, one that customers can literally wear on their skin. A luxury lipstick or fragrance has always been a gateway into an exclusive club: you might never own a $5,000 Louis Vuitton bag, but a beautifully packaged $90 Louis Vuitton lipstick offers a taste of that glamour. As an LV executive put it, branching into makeup is a “natural business evolution” that lets the house “accompany clients in their everyday lives” while celebrating its creativity and quality. In plain terms, it’s about making the magic of the brand accessible on a daily, personal level – without diluting the prestige.
Other luxury brands have proven just how powerful this strategy can be. In early 2020, Hermès (another heritage French maison) launched a line of lipsticks with a price tag around $67 each. Even at that high-end price, the lipsticks sold out almost instantly. Beauty lovers and brand aficionados snapped them up, enticed not only by the product quality but by the chance to own a piece of Hermès history in a small orange box. Some even dubbed it “the Birkin bag of lipsticks,” a nod to how desirable these little items became. The success of Hermès’s venture underscored a key point: in luxury, storytelling and identity are as important as the product itself. A well-crafted narrative – Parisian elegance, timeless craft – is something customers are eager to buy into. Louis Vuitton is clearly tapping into the same dynamic with La Beauté. By infusing its cosmetics with the house’s DNA (from monogrammed packaging to inspiration drawn from its travel heritage and archives), it ensures that buying a Louis Vuitton lipstick isn’t just a transaction, but an experience and a status statement.
Pat McGrath’s role in this launch adds another layer of depth and credibility. McGrath is not a typical hired gun; she’s a towering figure in the beauty world – often called the most influential makeup artist alive – and the only makeup artist to ever be made a British Dame. For over two decades, she has been creating visionary looks for Louis Vuitton’s runway shows, quietly defining the brand’s beauty aesthetic behind the scenes . (In fact, McGrath first worked with Louis Vuitton during the Marc Jacobs era in the late ’90s, and continued through designer Nicolas Ghesquière’s tenure .) Now, as cosmetics creative director, she finally steps into the spotlight with products of her own design for the house. This isn’t McGrath’s first experience developing luxury makeup – she previously helped craft lines for Giorgio Armani, Dolce & Gabbana, and Gucci – but by all accounts this project is special to her. “People have been asking me for years, ‘When is makeup coming for Louis Vuitton?’ Now I can finally say it’s happening,” McGrath told Vogue, describing the collection as a mix of Louis Vuitton’s rich heritage with cutting-edge innovation. During the product development, she even had access to the house’s archives: vintage 1920s travel vanity cases, antique monogrammed compacts and brushes. Those historical touches, she hints, will be reflected in what we see when the line launches. The implication is clear – this makeup isn’t just carrying the LV name, but truly embodying it, past and present.
What do we know so far about the collection itself? Though full details are under wraps until the official launch, reports say 55 lipstick shades will lead the lineup, accompanied by a range of tinted lip balms and eight eyeshadow palettes . In true Louis Vuitton fashion, the experience won’t stop at the formulas: the launch is set to include luxurious accessories like monogrammed lipstick cases and miniature makeup trunks, making the cosmetics feel like extension pieces of the brand’s leather goods. It’s a clever nod to the company’s origins in elegant travel luggage. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but it’s safe to assume these products will sit at the top end of the market – after all, they’re positioning to compete with the likes of Chanel and Dior’s beauty lines, where a mascara or perfume can easily be a four-figure investment in glamour. Even so, the tone of Louis Vuitton’s messaging suggests they want to avoid seeming purely commercial or ostentatious. McGrath emphasizes that “the beauty universe is about so much more than just product” and promises this venture will “unlock a new level in luxury beauty” . Behind the marketing speak lies a strategy to redefine how a luxury brand engages with its audience’s daily life. Louis Vuitton isn’t simply adding another revenue stream; it’s carefully constructing a universe of beauty where the brand’s mythology and the customer’s own story intersect.
Ultimately, the launch of La Beauté Louis Vuitton reflects a profound understanding of consumer psychology and luxury market dynamics. It recognizes that human nature craves both consistency and surprise: we find comfort in beloved brands extending into new domains, and we feel excitement when they do it with authenticity and flair. Louis Vuitton has built its name on craftsmanship, exclusivity, and the power of narrative – from the stories of well-heeled travelers who carried its trunks in the 19th century, to modern fashion shows that double as artistic spectacles. Now, it is translating that storytelling into powders and pigments. The impact of this move could extend far beyond the beauty counter. If successful, it will strengthen the house’s relationship with a broader range of customers, capturing not just the ultra-wealthy who buy custom trunks, but also the aspirational enthusiasts who save up for an LV perfume or lipstick as a treasured indulgence. In an era when brand loyalty is cultivated through personal, shareable experiences, Louis Vuitton is aligning its strategy with the idea that a luxury brand must be a lifestyle and a narrative, not just a product line.
As we await the fall launch, one can’t help but feel that this is more than a makeup collection – it’s a cultural moment in the luxury world. The marriage of Louis Vuitton’s brand heritage with Pat McGrath’s creative genius is poised to set a new benchmark for how stories are told through products. La Beauté Louis Vuitton is, in effect, a case study in how a brand can evolve without losing its soul. By leveraging history, tapping into modern desires, and enlisting true expertise, Louis Vuitton is writing its next chapter – one brushstroke at a time. And if history is any guide, that chapter will likely be a bestseller in its own right, with consumers voting with their wallets to make sure this beauty venture is as iconic as the monogram itself.
