What's going wrong at Kate Moss's beauty brand?

Telegraph

07-05-2025

So where did it all go wrong for Cosmoss, the wellness and beauty brand fronted by supermodel Kate Moss that, according to some, was set to make her the next Gwyneth Paltrow? The range — comprising everything from herbal tea bags (£20 for 20) through cleansers (£52), moisturisers (£95) and perfume (£125) — launched in September 2022. However, records from Companies House show that the company's last accounts, for 2023, which were due at the end of December 2024, have yet to be filed, the Instagram account hasn't been updated for almost three months, and the products are being sold for a fraction of the original price — you can snap up the cleanser for £11.99 and the perfume for £39.99 — at online discount stores.
For a start, according to many, the products just didn't stand up to scrutiny.
Reviewing the range when it launched, beauty expert and founder of the Skin Rocks brand Caroline Hirons was unimpressed. Writing about the £95 face cream, she said: 'There is nothing revolutionary about this moisturiser, and the claims are designed to give the impression that it will do far more for your skin than it is scientifically capable of.' More broadly, she took umbrage, not at Moss entering the beauty arena, but at the fact that, with the overblown claims and underwhelming formulations, Moss didn't seem to be taking it seriously.
'We are an industry full of trained, qualified and quantified experts with proven track records,' she wrote. 'Feel free to join us […] but you need to meet us high up at our level, not invent your own 'whimsical' one that fuels the distrust and disregard for something that we all love so dearly.'
But even distinctly average products can sell in their millions if you get the marketing plan right, and this was Kate Moss, the face that — over the years — has sold everything from Calvin Klein jeans to St Tropez fake tan. Previous ventures in her own name have hardly flopped — her first fashion collection with Topshop was an instant hit, boosting Topshop sales by an estimated 10 per cent. So why couldn't she sell her wellness range?
Fundamentally there was a serious disjunct between what she was trying to sell and her image. After all, she's never exactly been synonymous with the wellness movement. And the fact that she'd signed to Diet Coke mere months before trying to flog us Cosmoss homeopathic teas didn't exactly help cement this as a brand that she'd poured her heart and soul into.
'Her reputation as a hardcore party girl did her no favours,' says Hirons. 'If she had bought out a make-up primer that made your face look as good as the night before the morning after, and a really sexy lip gloss or something, it would have flown. But the fact that Kate Moss brought out a wellness line just seemed to be taking the piss.'
Other industry insiders, who didn't want to be named, agree.
'She's synonymous with smokey eyes, late nights and effortlessly edgy glamour. She should have gone for make-up. You could have had the Kate Moss eye, or the 3am face that still looks good,' one said. 'But wellness? She's more well known for her hedonism than her herbalism!'
And that seems to be part of the key to the success of a celebrity brand – authenticity.
Charlotte McCarthy has been in beauty branding and communications for more than 25 years, working with founder brands including Jo Malone London, Anya Hindmarch and Bibbi Parfum.
She says: 'Celebrity brands go wrong when the individual doesn't live and breathe their product and purpose pre launch, at launch and after the launch. When you think about Gwyneth Paltrow, the Kardashians, Selena Gomez – they've built strong communities and a world you can access and feel part of. So when they launch a brand, it feels like a natural extension.
'But with Kate Moss and a wellness brand, it feels like people just didn't buy into it.'
But Moss just didn't seem to do the graft that's required. Like it or loathe it, if you've got a brand, you need to be on social media. The likes of Paltrow, Trinny Woodhall and Rihanna are on Instagram all the time — not just plugging their wares, but engaging with a community. Moss just doesn't play the game.
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'The main thing that drives sales these days, especially if you're a celebrity, is community,' says Hirons. 'Think [Selena Gomez's brand] Rare Beauty, think Hailey Bieber [founder of Rhode Skin], which Kate Moss does not have. She doesn't talk to people, doesn't talk to the press, she's almost a recluse if you think about it. And fair play, she can do whatever she wants, but you can't then suddenly be surprised that you don't have this big community that come running when you release a product.'
The apparent demise of Cosmoss should be a cautionary tale for any celebs looking to cash in on the beauty industry. Not least because some believe that it won't be long before the only way that celebrities will be able to make money from beauty is through their own brands, making the stakes even higher.
Beauty marketing consultant Camilla Craven, who has worked with brands including Charlotte Tilbury and FaceGym, thinks the days of brands paying out for celebrity endorsements could be numbered.
'Brands are increasingly turning away from big-name celebrities towards micro-celebrities, who offer stronger engagement, and more targeted reach,' she says. 'They also tend to foster genuine trust within their niche communities, making their recommendations feel more authentic and persuasive.'
She adds: 'As audiences grow weary of glossy, impersonal campaigns, it's this relatability and consistent presence that can deliver better ROI and lasting brand loyalty — especially when traditional celebrity endorsements often come with high costs.'