The Met's Madame X-Rated Opportunity

Business of Fashion

02-05-2025

Welcome back to Haul of Fame, your must-read beauty roundup for new products, new ideas and a Walmart influencer showdown. (It's not who you think…)
Included in today's issue: Beachwaver, Bliss, Bloomeffects, Bottega Veneta, Bubble, Charlotte Tilbury, Clean Classic, Dazzle Dry, Dominique, Dossier, Dove, Glow Recipe, Kosas, Lafco, Lanolips, Laura Geller Beauty, Leonor Greyl, Matiere Premiere, Moroccanoil, O Positiv, Olive & June, Origins, Pantene, Peter Thomas Roth, Redken, Révive, Skinceuticals, Snif, Snow Fox Skincare, Tata Harper, U Beauty, Uni, Vintner's Daughter and a special breakout sun category.
But first…
Before influencers created #ParisTok trends, portrait subjects told Parisian girls what was pretty. Manet's barmaid was a messy bun originator. Gauguin's Tahitian sirens went hard on 'vacation blush.' And in 1884, John Singer Sargent's Madame X made the case for lip liner and body shimmer, or their 19th century equivalents: A wine-stained mouth and the right amount of moonlight.
You can see the dazzling effect close up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art this season, when Madame X herself — also known as Virginie Amélie Avegno Gautreau, a Louisiana socialite who moved to Paris after her marriage — takes up a full and glorious wall on the museum's second floor. She's there to celebrate 'Sargent and Paris,' a comprehensive exhibit of the portraitist's work, which runs through August 3 and includes formal society portraits, art school sketches, and 'off duty' paintings of Gilded Age socialites partying in Antibes.
There are soooo many beauty partnerships that could have happened here — big satin hair bows like those in The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit, lilac creme shadow to reference Gertrude Vernon, Lady Agnew of Lochnaw — but the Met is pretty beauty shy. They looped in J. Hannah's nail polish trios in 2022 and currently have a Band-Aid collab (really) with Target. Otherwise, there hasn't been much overlap between eyeshadow palettes and paint palettes, even though an Urban Decay x Van Gogh situation might be pretty epic. (Imagine a midnight blue liner called 'Starry Night'... or a blood red varnish called 'Lend Me Your Ear.' Sorry.)
Sargent's exhibit could have been a beauty X-plosion (again, sorry) but the Madame has one big project with the fragrance brand Pura. Their 'portrait in scent' imagines the alluring muse as a potion of violet, apricot, bergamot and leather that debuted on April 23. 'There are notes within the fragrance that give you the illusion of the powder that they would use on their faces at that time,' said Mara Dumski, Pura's fragrance head. 'We want to really put scent into art, because scent is art, and it brings the art to life for people.'
Revenue from museum gift shops can vary wildly, but the Met's audited financial report puts it into the 'auxiliary activities' category along with restaurant revenue. All together, it's a $56.7 million haul and a $3 million profit. Clearly, visitors are shopping when they visit. What's more, the museum claims 3.6 million email subscribers on its marketing list — a robust number if they want to try some baby e-comm steps to their museum shop.
What kind of beauty company can claim a piece of that audience? Obviously one that aligns with the museum's all-encompassing mission to 'connect all people to creativity, knowledge, ideas and one another,' along with its unspoken alliances with classical art fiends, Met Gala obsessives and Blair Waldorf fans. The center of that Venn diagram may be younger, and cooler, than one thinks. Consider the Met's most successful fashion partnership to date — with Pacsun. The streetwear store made a licensing deal with the museum in 2022; it's still happening. Sales have been brisk (a source familiar says the revenue is around $10 million) and shoppers include college and high school students IRL alongside curious Highsnobiety and Cultured Mag readers online.
That means while it might feel right to sell pricey, classic brands next to priceless, classic art, there may be more of an immediate opportunity for Naked Sundays to sell sunscreen while sponsoring marble nudes from Ancient Greece, or the nutso Rococo compacts from Flower Knows on the heels of a highlighted furniture collection from Versailles. And once Starface decides to make zit stickers in the shape of teeny tiny Warhol Marilyns, it's all over.
Yes, in a perfect world, pure art is free from commerce. In the world we live in now, funding a museum takes work, and perhaps, a licensing deal with Glossier. There's a Balm Dotcom flavor for Monet's 'Water Lilies,' right? What else is new… Skincare
They're not just for sidewalk pollen explosions. According to Bloomeffects, tulips also have skin-rebound properties. The brand's latest proof is its Black Tulip Regenerative Brightening Serum, an $89 formula available at Credo starting April 24.
On April 28, Origins introduced Ginzing Glow-Boosting Moisturiser, a tinted formula available in pink pearl and bronze. It's $39 and promises to boost radiance along with hydration.
On April 28, Laura Geller Beauty debuted its Wonder Balm, an all-over tint for eyes, lips and cheeks. It's $30, which is $10 less than Jones Road's now-legendary Miracle Balm, which claims a similar space.
Does your vagina need a probiotic? Dr. Jen Gunter would say 'nope' but O Positiv Health hopes you think — and spend — differently. Its gummies launched at Walmart on April 29, which might mean the superstore has to utter the word 'vagina' on its sales floor for the first time. A worthwhile challenge, for sure.
Ice, ice, maybe? On April 29, Peter Thomas Roth dropped Ice Facial Cooling Mist, a $30 formula with hyaluronic acid, caffeine and peppermint to 'instantly revive' puffy and flushed skin. Keep it in the fridge and you might be onto something.
If you want Costco-sized luxury skincare, Vintner's Daughter is waiting for you. On April 29, it debuted Founder's Reserve, a massive 100mL bottle of the brand's hero botanical serum with 18-carat gold ceramic embellishment, for $740. Each comes with a 'hand-numbered card to certify the product's authenticity,' which... wait, are people out here selling fake Vintner's Daughter? Can you get it on Canal Street next to the knockoff Dior totes? Underground vendors, talk to me...
It's been a minute since we've had a pond scum alert, but fear not: Microalgae is still a coveted beauty ingredient. On April 29, Uni launched its Golden Microalgae Body Oil for $48. Besides the tiny cells, it also has passion fruit oil, kalahari melon, and kakadu plum in the formula.
Skinceuticals introduced Advanced RGN-6 on May 1. The $195 formula claims to mirror the effects of laser treatments to treat firmness and elasticity.
Most of Tata Harper's eye products top $200 but its Brightening Eye Gel, which debuted on May 1, costs $74 and comes loaded with caffeine, cucumber and vitamin C.
Double the cleanse, double the profits? Let's see how it goes for Kosas, which released its Plump + Juicy Double Cleansing System on May 2. The duo includes a $48 cleansing oil and a $38 gel cleanser. Is $86 too much to wash your face? Probably, but Kosas is throwing in a free Emi Jay clip with orders on their DTC site, which is actually pretty brilliant. Meanwhile, if you'd rather single-cleanse, RéVive's Melting Cleanser hit shelves on May 1, and claims to do double duty on makeup and pores in one wash. Sun Care
GRWM: Sunscreen edition. On April 29, the Tiktok royals at Glow Recipe debuted Watermelon Glow Dew Shield, a version of their internet-famous formula infused with SPF 30. It's $35 and I've already had to pry it from a friend's hands when she came over.
Bliss continues its acne crusade with Block Star, a 'clarifying' sunscreen that combines SPF 30 with witch hazel and salicylic acid that debuted on April 29 for $25.
U Beauty dropped its Multimodal Sheer Mineral Sunscreen on April 30. It's got an invisible, melt-into-skin formula, plus an endorsement from Michelle Monaghan, who hopped onto a zoom call from the set of a Robert DeNiro movie (!) to show it off to beauty editors last week. It's $98.
Sunscreen that's also a lip gloss? Hello, Lanolips. On May 1, the Aussie brand introduced Sun Balm SPF 30, a $14 lip ointment with a golden shimmer. Makeup
Will it be a matte summer? Snow Fox Skincare believes so, but they're gonna charge you $45 for it. On April 28, the Taiwanese beauty brand debuted Snow Melt Mattebright, a new powder formulation with a silky texture and 'pore-blurring' effect.
Yellow nail polish — should we discuss? Dazzle Dry wants to talk about it, with an amber yellow hue called Go Go Mango out May 2. It's part of the brand's Paradise Collection, which also includes a metallic indigo and a shiny orchid purple, just in case you'd rather keep the 'yellow' trend to Timothee Chalamet at the Oscars.
So! Much! Lip liner! On May 1, Charlotte Tilbury introduced Lip Cheat Contour Duo, a double-ended pencil for $26 that's meant to define, enhance and bring back the 1990s lip-liner-and-clear-gloss trend perfected by T.L.C. on T.R.L. The next day, Dominique Cosmetics dropped Lip Frame, a creamier formula for lining and filling in the pout. It comes in nine shades, including super-pale pink and deep magenta.
Bubble is nailing its demographic. On May 1, the tween-loved skincare brand debuted a partnership with manicure label Olive & June that includes limited-edition press-ons, polishes, decal stickers, and moisturiser bundles. It's an exclusive with Walmart, Haircare
The bigger the hair, the bigger the expense account? Don't tell my editors, but I'm game to test out that theory during all the Met Gala pre-parties this week. On April 29, Beachwaver dropped its $18 Everyday Flex hairspray for body and hold. See you at Caviar Kaspia…
Will MAHA turn against seed oils in beauty products, too? I'm asking for Moroccanoil, which debuted its High Shine Gloss Mask on April 29 with argan oil (from seeds), hydrolyzed quinoa (from seeds) and crambe abyssinica, a seed extract that sounds like a Greek battleship. I hope this stuff doesn't get banned, because the mask itself is so perfect for dull or coarse hair.
Redken claims its new Naked Gloss oil, which dropped on May 1, gives 130% shinier strands, along with heat protection and frizz reduction. It's $45 if you want to give it a try.
The luxury hairbrush wars have a new entrant: Leonor Greyl. The French brand famous for its overnight hair oil released a $82 tortoise-shell brush on May 1. It's made with 100% boar bristles and natural latex rubber… but it's still about $84 less than La Bonne Brosse. Fragrance
On April 21, Dossier began stocking CVS stores nationwide with its eight best-selling fragrance dupes, including Ambery Saffron (wannabe Baccarat Rouge), Woody Sandalwood (wannabe Santal 33 Le Labo) and Floral Lavender (wannabe YSL Libre). Sounds harsh? Not for the brand. In fact, Dossier is so excited to share their copycats, they coded their Google ads with each luxury fragrance name. (Yes, this is legal… for now.)
While we wait for Louise Trotter to debut Bottega Veneta's Spring 2026 collection, some fragrance news: The Italian brand has released a gold-finished travel perfume case, imprinted with the label's famous braided leather texture, for $350.
In the words of Little Mermaid bombshell Ursula, 'Don't underestimate the importance of body language.' The French fragrance house Matiere Premiere isn't — on April 28, it debuted body lotion in the brand's Neroli Oranger, Cologne Cédrat and Bois d'Ébène scents.
The Tiki Bar fragrance trend continues! After guava's April invasion, pineapple is drenching May. First up: Clean Classic's Tropical Escape, which also includes coconut and sandalwood. The brand is calling it a 'dopamine charged' scent, which might not have much scientific merit, but it sounds fun.
Lafco is testing the drop model with Out of Office, its first-ever limited edition home scent. The candle is infused with coconut, bergamot and sandalwood; only 400 were made. The brand says 500 people are already on the waitlist… but until the credit cards run, that's no guarantee of a hit. Let's see where this goes.
Snif's Gentle Reminder is a fragrance, not a memo. It launched May 1 and has notes of milky black tea, lavender and palo santo, along with ube, a violet yam from the Philippines that's sometimes used to make ice cream. And finally…
Procter & Gamble versus Unilever is also Alix Earle versus Emma Chamberlain — at least for this week. On April 30, Earle revealed her new Pantene collaboration with the P&G hair care brand, which was born from an organic TikTok video that drove Pantene sales through the roof in December. Meanwhile, Dove paired with Chamberlain Coffee — Emma's (honestly delicious) java line — on an oat milk latte recipe to celebrate its Plant Milk Cleansing Collection. Both are great gigs; both are incredibly successful girls… especially if you believe the recent Page Six item that claims Earle gets $400,000 per TikTok post.
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