Debuting makeup, Prada joins luxury brands in ‘Rethinking Beauty’

August 2, 2023

Moving into cosmetics for the first time ever, the maison is out with refillable options that align well with the push for sustainability happening at large. Image credit: Prada

By Emily Iris Degn

Italian fashion house Prada’s latest campaign falls in line with current green sentiments.

Moving into the makeup and skincare segment for the first time, the brand’s “Rethinking Beauty” push is inclusive and refillable. As the climate crisis worsens and demand for sustainability surges, luxury maisons are increasingly going greener through their own innovations in the category, whether they be circular serums, refillable lipsticks or carbon-neutral fragrances.

“My eye is always attracted to difference, to challenge,” said Raf Simons, co-creative director of Prada, in a statement.

“Beauty should make you think and make you re-think what you know.”

Beautiful ploy
Prada’s new campaign brings together the brand’s design codes and literal coding.

Stepping into the future, the 26 lipsticks, six eyeshadow four-piece palettes, 10 brushes and tools, 33 foundation shades, three skincare creations and lip balm incorporate technologies such as SMART TECH-XTURES™, Adapto.gn Smart Technology™, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and IRL(In-Real-Life)-micro-filter™. Through "phygital" means, the fresh array offers hues that reflect human diversity, digital shapes and the aforementioned element of sustainability.

Prada is "Rethinking Beauty"

As the Italian luxury label presents its first-ever makeup and skincare line, the resulting Skin & Color Collection acts as a vote of confidence for circular solutions thanks to its refillable nature.

In newly released visuals, hyper-tech meets classics like Prada Green and the Prada Triangle, creating a fusion of heritage and forward-facing visions.

The colors are interchangeable, so once a consumer finishes up a tube, they can order a refill to pop into the specially designed metal case. The same goes for the $370 serum, $360 face cream and range of eyeshadow options.

This saves on waste, taking the responsibility to recycle empties off of the shoulders of consumers and onto the entity that created the necessity in the first place. Now, materials are repurposed and given new life as Prada pushes “luxury and responsibility into harmonious conversation.”

Prada Skin and Prada Color is brand new, the company launching the refillable category on Tuesday, Aug. 1. Image credit: Prada

Though the price tag is overall higher than competitors, the choice to make the items green suits current mindsets, because as found by a 2021 study from strategy firm Simon-Kucher & Partners, 35 percent of consumers around the world state that they are willing to pay more for a product if it is sustainable.

With consciousness also running through the formulas themselves, the climate crisis seems embedded into the function and ingredients, as the brand defines the release's purpose as “helping skin adapt as fast as the environment changes.”

Beauty across the board is taking into account the polarizing temperatures and degrading air quality when it comes to new drops. In fact, anti-pollution skincare specifically is benefitting from the catastrophe at hand as consumer skin suffers, the market expected to reach $15.2 billion in worth by 2033 according to Future Market Insights.

Maximal expression, minimal feel. Discover #PradaMonochrome by #PradaBeauty.
Discover more at https://t.co/ofVHuRrqAA.
Chenyin wears R28 Fuoco.#RethinkingBeauty #PradaMakeup pic.twitter.com/HTKtfMFR0N
— PRADA (@Prada) July 30, 2023

Now, Prada can consider itself a part of this adaptation.

All of the mindful items in the brand's newest category are now sold on the main ecommerce site and a dedicated Prada Beauty address. An in-person rollout at British retailers such as Harrods and Selfridges is to follow, as well as a standalone store in the United States scheduled for opening in 2024.

Green takeover
According to the British Fashion Council, 95 percent of all beauty products' plastic packaging is thrown out, reporting that the cosmetics sector is the fourth most avid user on a global basis.

With a wasteful issue this big, Prada is not the only one or the first to step up and be a part of the change. In June 2023, French fashion house Dior presented its first-ever lipstick made from ceramic and metal.

#RougePremier is the first Dior lipstick entirely made of ceramic and metal. For 160 years, Maison Bernardaud has elevated porcelain work to an art form, crafting this durable and resistant material according to the excellent standards of French ceramic tradition.
©piotr_stoklosa pic.twitter.com/BbLt675syg
— Dior (@Dior) June 13, 2023

Rouge Dior lipsticks are also now refillable.

A fellow French maison, Chanel, took its turn by announcing a change in its beauty category this summer.

The brand's Chance eau de toilette range is freshly decorated with aluminum instead of brass to increase the recyclability of the products. While the option is only available for the 100 ml version, in 2024, the entire line will be upgraded in this manner.

Chanel already offers refillable options in skincare, as illustrated with the Sublimage collection.

Early on in 2023, Gucci Beauty teamed up with U.S. beauty group Coty to put out a fragrance made from 100 percent recycled carbon emissions for its own ecofriendly twist (see story).

Using sustainably sourced ingredients, the collection’s marine signature is reimagined

Luxury perfume is a category especially enjoying a green moment amidst the makeup and skincare drops, from Parisian fashion brand Maison Margiela's “Replica” refills (see story) to Armani's new Acqua di Gio Parfume for men's similar re-usable perk.

The company tapped White Lotus star Sydney Sweeney for the launch of a for-women perfume that like the other mentions, is refillable and responsibly minded (see story).

Finally, French beauty brand Guerlain, a frequent supporter of all things conservation and nature-forward (see story), is once again putting forth products supportive of a livable planet.

The soul of Rouge G: luxury born of French craftsmanship.
The raw material is moulded and cut by hand, before being shaped into bullets at the speed of light. Creativity, rigour and technical excellence, captured in a single object of desire.#Guerlain #LipstickDay pic.twitter.com/OghRIld55w
— Guerlain (@Guerlain) July 30, 2023

Aside from refillable treatments dedicated to protecting the bees that provide their honey, the luxury name just announced in July that customizable Rouge G lipsticks are also circular.

High-end giants front of mind, it seems that climate-minded beauty is taking hold of the industry, one rethought move at a time.

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