Celine ventures into beauty. Is it too late to the party?

Subscribe to our Jing Beauty to get the latest news on China's world of beauty and wellness. What happened On March 12, Celine announced the launch of Celine Beauté, the brand’s first cosmetics line. In Celine’s Fall/Winter 2024 fashion film released via its official social channels, models wore Celine’s La Peau Nue lipstick, a preview from the upcoming Le Rouge Celine series; the full set of 15 shades will launch in 2025. While Celine plans to introduce its first lipstick, Rouge Triomphe, as early as Fall 2024, the brand has ambitious plans to expand its offerings across multiple beauty categories in the seasons ahead, including lip balm, mascara, eyeliner, loose powder, and nail polish. Joining a prestigious cohort, Celine enters the competitive landscape of luxury beauty, where esteemed houses such as Chanel, Dior and Gucci have made significant strides in recent years. Additionally, brands like Prada and Hermès have successfully ventured into the realm of beauty. Notably, in 2024, Miu Miu entered into a partnership with L’Oréal to develop its own line of beauty products. Amid an increasingly crowded market, how viable is another luxury beauty brand? The Jing Take In recent years, the beauty and fragrance divisions of luxury brands have emerged as pivotal drivers of revenue growth, rivaling the success of their ready-to-wear and handbag counterparts. Chanel, a pioneer in this space, has demonstrated the immense potential of expanding into cosmetics and fragrances. These segments now contribute nearly a third of the group's total sales, with figures doubling in 2022 alone. In 2019, Gucci relaunched its makeup line through a partnership with Coty Group. Gucci’s lipstick sold more than 1 million units in the first month. According to Coty, a store in Asia sold 33,000 units in one day. Yet, brands are facing an increasingly sophisticated beauty market that requires more than brand allure. Simply selling dreams is no longer enough. Today's consumers seek tangible benefits and are informed about the technological innovations underpinning each product. Dubbed as skintellectual, these consumers leverage readily available online resources to scrutinize ingredients, formulas, and claims before making purchasing decisions. Days have gone when consumers purchased brands over products. The rise of homegrown labels in China that offer similar products as big brands at much more affordable prices poses a growing threat to premium beauty names. In the released pictures of Celine’s latest lipsticks, the brand’s classic Triomphe logo can be seen on the lipstick's golden metal shell and on the creamy stick. But how much intrinsic value is left if the logo is obscured? While the cachet of high-end designers can initially attract attention, sustaining consumer interest in a saturated market demands continual innovation and a distinct value proposition. For newcomers like Celine, the ability to captivate audiences and cultivate enduring appeal amid ever-evolving consumer preferences is paramount. The Jing Take reports on a piece of the leading news and presents our editorial team’s analysis of the key implications for the luxury industry. In the recurring column, we analyze everything from product drops and mergers to heated debate sprouting on Chinese social media.

Celine ventures into beauty. Is it too late to the party?

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Published March 25, 2024

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Celine ventures into beauty. Is it too late to the party?