The Iconic Trench Coat Is The Muse Behind Burberry's Relaunched Makeup Collection

Forbes

22-05-2025

Models wearing Burberry trenches and the new makeup collection
Coty
For over a century, the Burberry trench coat has been one of the most iconic pieces in fashion. Popularized during World War I for military use, it was worn by British officers in the trenches because it was waterproof, lighter and more functional than the long, heavy wool overcoats they had worn in the past. It's been immensely influential ever since and most recently served as the muse for Burberry Beauty's new makeup collection, the Beyond Wear line.
'Whenever there is something that's synonymous with a brand, it can very easily become the starting point for everything else,' says Lauren Parsons, US Burberry Beauty Brand Advocate and celebrity makeup artist. 'The trench coat was established [over a century ago], so fast forward to 2025 and all those things that were so innovative then, like the gabardine, the fact that it was long wearing, the fact that it was weather-resistant—because, of course, it had to be—and also, it's incredibly breathable. When you look at the Beyond Wear Perfecting Matte Foundation, it's incredible because it has that same breathability. But the breathability comes into the fact that it's also long-wearing. You can wear it for up to 24 hours, and it's still comfortable. The hero ingredients that form the Trench Protect Technology means that it's anti-aggressors, which work perfectly in the city, but also it's great in real life.'
Burberry Beyond Wear Perfecting Matte Foundation
Coty
Trench Protect Technology is the cornerstone of Burberry Beauty. Looking to the game-changing gabardine fabric of the trench coat, Trench Protect Technology is made up of antioxidant and anti-pollution ingredients that protect skin while still being breathable and comfortable. It's in the same spirit of that British effortless sophistication, but with a modern spin for beauty.
Burberry Beauty's Beyond Wear line marks the return of the brand to the US. Burberry makeup temporarily withdrew from the US market during a transition period to Coty in 2017. It officially debuted on Nordstrom.com last fall and just launched in-store at the Nordstrom NYC Flagship this spring, starting a broader retail rollout.
Burberry Beyond Radiance Primer
Coty
'Following an incredible reception of Burberry Beauty's fragrances in the US, including GODDESS, HER and HERO, and after successfully relaunching Burberry makeup in the UK in 2023, Coty and Burberry are thrilled to reintroduce the makeup portfolio to the US market with a renewed direction and innovative formulas,' says Suzane Rodrigues, Global Marketing Director, Burberry Makeup. 'Returning with a lineup for face, eyes and lips that embodies Burberry's British heritage, this launch brings a distinctive and inclusive beauty experience to US customers. As Burberry Beauty reaches an exciting point of evolution and global appeal, this launch provides the ideal opportunity to bring its elevated makeup collection to US consumers, underscoring Burberry's commitment to quality and innovation.'
Parsons sees the hiatus as a boon for the brand. 'What is so good about revisiting it in 2025 is the fact that everything is a little bit more evolved,' she says. 'Everything is more nuanced in terms of colors and formulations, but it's still very much fundamentally Burberry. It's bringing in all those little facets of the couture tech, which means that the products are easy to mix, and you can almost look at the face products as textures, as opposed to product. The fundamentals of the face products—which is something that Burberry Beauty and I very much share—is that gorgeous texture of skin. It's very much that kind of sophistication and nonchalance that Brits have.'
US Burberry Beauty Brand Advocate Lauren Parsons
Coty
The Burberry makeup Beyond Wear line spans a full collection and includes the Beyond Radiance Primer, Beyond Wear Perfecting Matte Foundation, Beyond Wear Perfecting Concealer, Beyond Wear Setting & Refining Powder, Brit Shine Lipstick, Kisses Lipstick Matte, Kisses Lipstick Satin, Beyond Volume Mascara and the Eye Quad. The Trench Protect Technology makes the complexion products the hero of Burberry Beauty.
'There are some lovely antioxidants, like rose and Darjeeling tea, because, of course, why would you not have tea within the brand?' Parsons says. 'It's a really good anti-aggressor. There's also safflower extract, which starts repairing your skin barrier from the start. When you use that with something like the Beyond Radiance Primer, that's giving you all the hydration. When you put the foundation on top of the primer, it locks it in. All those little things where they're working in tandem, it's really good. That iconic trench coat muse works very well when putting it into beauty.'
Burberry Kisses Lipstick Matte in Burnished Red
Coty
Parsons enjoys playing with the products in unexpected ways. 'You can hack things,' she says. 'You don't have to use the Beyond Radiance Primer as an all over primer. For example, I've got a slightly combination T-zone, so I would never put the radiance primer in my T-zone because I don't need any other glow there. But what I might do, because the foundation is quite full coverage, if you hack that and you put a ratio of two parts primer to one part foundation, you have this beautiful, glowy skin tint. That's something that you can up and down [the ratio] during the year. If you wanted to have that beautiful base that doesn't have any shine in the summer, you wouldn't necessarily put any radiance primer in that; you can bespoke your face products. If you didn't want anything but just a bit of a pep in your step, the primer is fantastic on its own. The complexion products have heaps of coverage, but you can use them from the gentlest touch to a full ready for action base.'
An additional go-to hack for Parsons is wearing the Kisses Lipstick Matte as stains. 'There's this great color called Burnished Red, and in a world where red can sometimes feel like it wears you, I like the idea of this bricky red with a little bit more oomph in it,' she says. 'You don't even have to be exact—just put on a couple of swipes and you can either rub it from each side or push it into your lip line. All of the matte lipsticks are anti-bleeding, so you don't have to worry about it becoming messy. Then I just get a Q-tip and go around the outside and I'm good to go. That's a good hack because you can use it in a multitude of ways and it doesn't have to be perfect.'
Burberry Eye Quads
Coty
Another favorite lipstick shade of Parsons is the English rose hue, which she loves for its wearability. It also perfectly represents the Britishness that is Burberry. 'With the globalization of makeup now, I love the fact that there's a little bit of British sophistication,' Parsons says. 'I don't mean that in a snobby way. It's quite tonal, and it's quite ready for work. When these things link together, it's like that melting pot, and that sums up London to me. I love the heritage about Burberry. I love the fact that rooted in classics, but it's being modernized.'