The beauty industry has skyrocketed in recent years, with leading cosmetics brands now bigger than ever.
Their ubiquity is both a blessing and curse; while granting access to quality products at competitive prices, they’ve become so mainstream that variety can be lacking.
In a competitive world of beauty and fashion, many cosmetics brands stand out from the crowd. When seeking something truly unique, customers are wise to look beyond the curtain of conformity. But which brands have we grown to trust, love and rely on for our everyday beauty needs?
Cosmetics encompass a wide range of products – from creams and foundation to eyeshadow and lipsticks. Millions of people around the world are loyal fans of specific cosmetics brands. With clever marketing strategies, each brand has its unique way of targeting customers and delivering results.
From traditional classics to new up-and-coming brands, let's explore some of the most popular leading cosmetics brands in the world today. We will compare their prices, ingredients, effects on skin, celebrity collaborations and more.
There are so many makeup brands in the world market—not to mention so many new ones launching daily worldwide that it can make even the most experienced beauty brand.
The fantastic thing is that there are more products and formulations available than ever before; no matter what type of cosmetics you’re looking for, there’s a brand out there that has anything you ask for in cosmetics. To make the search somewhat more accessible for you and get to know more about cosmetics brands.
Here are the Top 10 Leading Cosmetics brands in World in 2023
1. Armani Beauty
This international fashion house has had an important role in the luxury beauty scene, and since it first launched in 2000. The makeup takes a cue from the fashion, with the same timeless, classic vibe, not to mention incredibly amazing formulas. Armani Beauty is a high-end label specializing in women's cosmetics.
And yes, Mr Armani himself is in fact very engaged. Celebrating the recent 20th anniversary, they also added 10 new shades to the market, bringing the total up to 40.
- Company USP: Providing quality, sophistication & style-timeless values with global appeal products.
- Branding strategy: Armani adopts a premium pricing strategy. This strategy takes into account the product quality and prestige associated with the Armani brand.
- Features: Armani beauty cosmetics provides cutting-edge formulas, is born backstage, and pushes innovation forward.
2. Hourglass
Since 2004, Hourglass has been a brand that created a cruelty-free product from the very beginning, long before it was the “it” thing to do. The brand also even goes one step further, donating a part of its profits to an organization seeking to secure basic rights for animals.
They have a long list of celebrities and beauty editors—fans and continuously come out with luxurious, unique products across every segment. It’s not shocking that new launches are always sold out within 24 hours.
Company USP: The brand is known for its dedication to producing high-performance, vegan and cruelty-free products.
Branding strategy: Hourglass has leveraging influencers as part of the branding strategy. Representatives for the brand declined to share specifics on whom the brand is working with, but a select group of influencers will post their own versions of the campaign on social media, posting close-up photos next to their dogs, cats or other pets.
Features: Hourglass is a vegan and cruelty-free beauty brand redefining luxury cosmetics through innovative formulas, cutting-edge performance and covetable packaging.
3. Fenty Beauty
Rihanna is a mega beauty boss, even more than a music superstar. She introduced Fenty Beauty back in 2017, inspired by the shortage of shade inclusivity in the industry.
Fenty Beauty focuses on a wide range of traditionally hard-to-match skin tones, developing formulas for all skin types, and pinpointing universal shades.
Fenty doesn't rely solely on branding to win over its global target audience. Fenty Beauty developed products centred on customers' experience, always putting consumers' desires first. Customers are continually looking for diverse beauty products that promote inclusivity.
- Company USP: Complexion products are a principal for this brand and come in a huge range of colours; the foundation made crucial news when it launched with 40 varieties of shades.
- Branding strategy: Fenty Beauty uses models from many ethnicities allowing the brand to become known as “the new generation of beauty.” Rihanna focused on all women and now all women can't stop buying her products.
- Features: High-quality products. Simply put, Fenty Beauty produced a higher quality product than its competitors.
4. L’Oréal Paris
Let slip the beauty industry, L’Oréal Paris is one of the biggest brands in 2023, a global brand with haircare, skincare, and makeup lines. The cosmetics are rife with cult-classic favourites and all kinds of trendy newbies, in any case at affordable prices.
L'Oréal best caters to the beauty demands of women of different cultures through constant research and innovation.
- Company USP: With superior quality, efficacy, sincerity, and safety of products. Brand also focuses on decreasing the costs and consequently being able to decrease the price when necessary while increasing the perceived value.
- Branding strategy: L'Oréal has chosen a unique branding strategy which is universalization. It means globalisation that captures, understands and respects differences. This lets you target middle, upper-middle-class, and high-income audiences.
- Features: L'Oréal has six values at the heart of everything: passion, Innovation, Entrepreneurial Spirit, Open-mindedness, Quest for excellence, and responsibility.
5. Pat McGrath Labs
Pat McGrath is a legend, debatably one of the great prolific makeup artists till today. A home for fashion shows around the world, she collaborated with many brands before deciding to launch her eponymous line in 2015 back then.
This is a brand for females who love makeup and who always want that same edgy, editorial look McGrath is recognised for itself.
Company USP: High-quality eyeshadows, beautiful cohesive colour stories, elegant quality substantial packaging & the Pat McGrath name as she is a renowned world-famous MA.
Branding strategy: Pat McGrath has branded herself as a source of major fashion and beauty inspiration which is their branding strategy. The Pat Mcgrath Labs website barely appears to be selling anything, as a section dedicated to inspiration acts more like a dreamy Pinterest board than an eCommerce component.
Pat McGrath is the most influential and sought-after makeup artist in the world. For more than two decades, Pat McGrath has been conceiving, launching and developing luxury cosmetic brands, countless runway shows, breakthrough advertising campaigns and editorial spread.
Features: The ingredients of Pat McGrath Labs products and found to be hypoallergenic and free of Fragrance, Coconut, Nickel, Top Common Allergy Causing Preservatives, Lanolin, Paraben, Topical Antibiotic, MCI/MI, Soy, Oil, and SLS.
6. Kosas
This relative newcomer is an all-rounder in many things and does the job well. The brand is known for quick, easy, uncomplicated beauty; its products tout skin-loving ingredients, erasing the line between skincare and makeup in mixtures of formulas that are chosen for people who like to keep their routine basic and streamlined.
The offerings also show unique, comfortable textures, think a tinted face oil and liquid shadow unlike we’ve ever seen. Something about this brand is that they’re a clean brand and outlaw over 2700 ingredients.
Kosas leverages social to elevate its product's benefits and effectiveness to remind customers why its brand stands apart from the competition.
- Company USP: Clean, comfy & clinically tested makeup that improves the quality of bare skin.
- Branding strategy: Kosas leverages social to elevate its product's benefits and effectiveness to remind customers why its brand stands apart from the competition. Their branding strategy ties their core ingredients, (i.e. Arnica and Caffeine), to their key benefits (i.e. soothing and brightening), to explain how effective and safe their products are.
Kosas also shows customers their branded unboxing experience through TikTok, getting potential customers excited to receive their goodies. To create multiple ways for customers to engage and advertise the brand, earlier this year they launched a branded sticker pack and showcased this through a TikTok video.
- Features: The breathable, silky-clean formula products feature 15 skin-nourishing ingredients that moisturize, soothe and protect.
7. Exa by Credo Beauty
Being a newbie they made big beauty announcements as their first private line launched by Credo, he is an unquestionable leader in the clean beauty era. And also everything is cost-free of over 2700 chemicals, and there’s a powerful highlight on sustainable packaging. They’re so excellent that we felt this small but mighty brand has the qualities to gain a spot on this list.
- Company USP: Clean, high-performing makeup products are provided by the brand. Credo Beauty recently launched a new clean foundation with 43 shades. Makeup and skincare are riddled with plastic packaging and applicators.
- Branding strategy: A branding strategy that shatters expectations and breaks open ceilings—redefining what clean beauty can be and who it is for. Smart on strategy, sustainable in packaging, super stylish in storytelling—and so so so many shades matched.
- Features: Exa's range is big, their impact is bigger and they're at the max on inclusivity. Exa takes the world’s most potent plants and magnifies their elements to create clean beauty that’s positively charged. Exa believes in clean makeup with extended frequency in colours for every human with packaging that's designed to be as eco-as-possible.
8. NARS Cosmetics
What was brought up from a bunch of 12 lipsticks put up for sale at Barney’s suddenly turned into a genuine beauty brand juggernaut.
Recognised for the iconic black and white amazing packaging and cheeky product names (Climax mascara, Orgasm blush), NARS has been a staple of the prestige beauty scene for decades, yet remains fresh and innovative. However, it's raising awareness of the overall brand profile that's driving the company's branding strategy
- Company USP: NARS is a fashion-forward cosmetics brand known for its adventurous colour, rich textures, cheeky product names and artists.
- Branding strategy: Nars introduced a powerful branding strategy through its own social channels (including Instagram, TikTok and, in China, Douyin) by posting regular content and the Nars website this year, with the view of further character-building in 2023.
- Features: NARS products are super buildable and breathable with a natural finish, and it's oil-free so it's great for all skin types – but especially combination skin.
9. Charlotte Tilbury
British makeup artist Charlotte Tilbury is a red-carpet staple, known for the amazing glamorous, feminine looks she creates for her A-list customers.
She came up with her eponymous line in 2012 as a way for real women everywhere to have access to that same type of glamour looks. The packaging is so chic, for sure, but the formulas never disappoint, with each launch getting us more excited than the last.
- Company USP: Charlotte Tilbury makeup products are famous for the premium quality they offer. The products give skin a natural-looking glow, and they never look cakey.
- Branding strategy: The company branding strategy uses social media as a business that drives e-commerce to tease launches. Building up excitement ahead of product or collection drops.
The brand knows the power of good quality video content. Which embraces Instagram Reels to their full potential by creating content that shows off the products in digestible, and informative videos.
- Features: It's very lightweight and hydrating, which is great for dry skin. Its makeup products are famous for the premium quality they offer. The products give skin a natural-looking glow, and they look flawless.
10. Urban Decay
In 1996, Urban Decay became a massive brand. Bold and unapologetically brash, it was the full opposite of the many more demure, feminine makeup lines.
That edgy vibe remains at the heart of the brand today (their tagline is, “beauty with an edge”), as is an aim on innovative formulas and statement-making colours and textures.
- Company USP: Urban Decay products are 100% cruelty-free and ALWAYS have been. They contain precisely ZERO animal-derived ingredients or animal by-products. Urban Decay is the go-to place for beauty lovers of all ages, sizes, colours and genders.
- Branding strategy: Urban Decay's branding strategy leverages social media to generate word-of-mouth buzz by empowering core consumers and encouraging them to become brands.
- Features: Urban Decay's current popular products focused on lip, eye, complexion and body products. They are most well-known for their Naked collection, which includes twelve different eye shadow palettes.
Summary
Cosmetics have played an important role in people's lives. They have been a part of people’s life since prehistoric periods. Initially, they used to come solely from natural sources, but now they can also be produced by chemical compounds or a combination.
Skincare, personal care, makeup, scents, and other products are included under the cosmetics sections and they preserve, enhance, and protect the body. And in this article, we mention the top 10 leading cosmetics brands in the world
FAQ's on COSMETICS BRANDS :
Many makeup brands are in the market such as Armani, Nars, Fenty, Urban Decay, L’Oreal Paris, NYX, Iman, Bobbi Brown and many others. The best brand of makeup for you is the one that meets your skin care needs, matches your skin tone, and gives the types of products and looks that you love.
High-end makeup uses best-quality ingredients without fillers, provides elements that improve and treat skin concerns, and tests for efficacy and safety.
The number one most purchased makeup brand is L’Oreal Paris as of 2022.
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