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Fragrance and personal care

Balmain launches namesake beauty line

September 27, 2022

An image of Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain. Image credit: Balmain

 

French fashion label Balmain has partnered with U.S. beauty group Estée Lauder to develop a line of beauty products called Balmain Beauty, projected to launch in fall 2024.

As the French luxury maison launches its new line it will also pay homage to its founder, Pierre Balmain. The late Mr. Balmain released a perfume in 1946, perhaps as an allusion to this fact, current Balmain creative director Olivier Rousteing is studying at a Parisian perfumery school.

“For over ten years, my Balmain team and I have been pushing the boundaries of what is possible in fashion,” said Olivier Rousteing, creative director of Balmain, in a statement.

“[...]From the very beginning, the team at The Estée Lauder Companies made it very clear that they support Balmain’s distinctive vision, as well as our goal of disrupting the global luxury beauty paradigm,” he said.

“Knowing that — and knowing that Estée Lauder is the paragon of excellence — well, I can’t wait to start working with them.”

Collaborative cosmetics
Presently, Balmain offers a line of luxury hair care products but the maison has created the momentum to dive deeper into cosmetics.

The new beauty partnership, while in its infancy, is already being speculated about online and gaining social media traction. The two luxury brands have debuted a brief film which was produced by Ocurens, post-produced by Monumental FX and directed by Julien Dhivert.

The "Balmain Beauty" advert film

In the new collaborative promotional film from the French fashion label and Estee Lauder, Mr. Rousteing reveals that he had been in a severe accident from a home fireplace explosion and that his personal pivot towards the beauty industry is informed by that aspect of his past.

"My accident, being burnt, made me redefine the world of beauty," Mr. Rousteing said in the clip.

“I need to face my own fears to feel free, confident,” he said. "This is the world I want to give for the next generation."

While returning to school and becoming a student again, Mr. Rousteing is also mentoring Paris-based fashion students (see story).