In late July, Prada officially announced its (re)entry into the realms of color cosmetics and skin care. Then on August 1 they launched launched the global debut of Prada Skin and Prada Color, alongside its new “Rethinking Beauty” campaign, allowing the public to get a first close-up of what the products, formulas and packaging will look like.
As Fashionista reports, the brand, which holds a licensing partnership with L’Oréal Luxe, has seen success with its recent fragrance launches, so these new categories are seen as obvious next steps. After Prada’s makeup and skin care debut direct-to-consumer via prada-beauty.com and prada.com, they are planning subsequent rollouts at Harrods and Selfridges in London on August 18; then Douglas in Munich, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf, Germany and Rinascente in Rome in October.
According to WWD, the full U.S. retail launch is slated for Jan. 2024.. “After the spectacular launch of Prada Paradoxe in 2022 that reinstated the brand’s leadership in feminine fragrances, the skin and color launch opens a new chapter that will propel the brand to new heights,” Cyril Chapuy, L’Oréal Luxe president, told WWD.
Prada co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons “jointly” said: “Abandoning all the clichés of the past, we believe that beauty today is the representation of one’s personality, freedom and self-confidence.”
The inaugural Prada Color lineup includes two lipsticks ($50 each) with different levels of matte finishes — “Monochrome Soft Matte” and “Monochrome Hyper Matte” — which are each available in 12 shades, including nudes, browns, reds, deep purples, bright fuchsias and more. There’s also a lightweight liquid foundation ($70) with medium, buildable coverage, available in 33 shades. The color lineup is rounded out with six four-pan eye shadow palettes ($100 each), nine makeup brushes ($59-$90) and a blender sponge ($35).
Prada Beauty tapped Lynsey Alexander and Inès Marzat — aka Ines Alpha — to serve as the brand’s global creative makeup artist and “e-makeup” artist, respectively. Both have worked closely with Prada and Simons to develop the line over the past three years. As for the skin-care range, it comprises a face cream ($360), serum ($370) and cleanser ($80).
Overall, the Prada Beauty aesthetic is sleek, futuristic and perhaps a bit generic — but it also oozes luxury, with chrome finishes and a distinct logomania bent. The brand’s attention to detail is present here, with packaging that seems to remind users that they’re not just using any lipstick; they’re using Prada lipstick. Each bullet is embossed with the brand’s logo and a leather-like crosshatch pattern, and comes to a tip in the shape of the brand’s iconic inverted triangle-shape logo. It’s almost too pretty to use.
Most Prada Beauty products — including the lipstick, eye shadow, foundation, face cream and serum — are refillable, allowing consumers to purchase slightly cheaper replacement pods. And that’s smart, not just because beauty shoppers have made their desire for refillables and less wasteful options known, but also because the packaging throughout the line is substantial.
Prada Beauty also released a campaign video for the launch, which was directed by Tim Elkaim, and features models Lucas El Bali, Selena Forrest, Dara Gueye, Greta Hofer, Chenyin Qi and Guinevere van Seenus. As stated earlier, Prada Beauty will be formally launching in the U.S. in January 2024 via an expanded retail rollout.
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