Fragrance and, increasingly, other categories of beauty such as cosmetics and skincare, are staples of most fashion licensors’ businesses. Conversely, fashion labels are a foundational component of the portfolios of most of the largest players in fragrance and beauty. Yet there are still a few established fashion labels that have just recently signed their first licensee in the category, and well-known beauty companies that have just added their first fashion partners to their rosters of licensees:
- Sabyasachi, the global label of the India-based designer of the same name, paired with Estée Lauder in March 2024 for a limited-edition collection of lipsticks. The brand has licenses in several key categories and is a regular collaboration partner, but this is its first entry into the beauty category.
- Also in February, the Italian luxury brand Etro, which had previously developed all of its beauty products in-house, signed its first licensing deal in the category, with Coty. The agreement, which is set to extend “beyond 2040,” calls for both personal and home fragrances initially and is expected to ultimately extend into other beauty categories. Coty will distribute Etro’s existing fragrances, as well as develop new ones.
- In March 2023, e.l.f. Beauty, which is a frequent collaboration partner for other property types, teamed with American Eagle for a denim-inspired makeup and skincare collection, marking its first pairing with a fashion label. The collection included eyeshadow, lip balm, and a clay mask, along with a denim carry-all. American Eagle, meanwhile, has been in the beauty category for some time, launching its first fragrance in 2006.
Of course, as fragrances are typically an anchor of a fashion label’s licensing program, most of the recent announcements of licensing agreements between fashion labels and fragrance and beauty marketers represent a change in licensee rather than an inaugural entry into the category. These transitions, which occur for a variety of reasons, ensure the continuation of long-running beauty programs and perhaps inject some new energy to raise those programs’ performance.
Several brands signed new fashion licensees along these lines in February 2024. Miu Miu signed a license with L’Oréal for fragrances and other beauty products, joining its sibling brand Prada. Its first fragrance license, signed in 2013 with Coty, recently ended. Marni signed with Coty for fragrances and beauty products, after the conclusion of a partnership with Estée Lauder that began in 2012, with the first products planned for a 2026 launch. Donna Karan New York introduced its inaugural fragrance collection with new licensee Inter Parfums, after the latter took over the rights from Estée Lauder. The timing coincided with the relaunch of the brand’s fashion business. And Bottega Veneta launched a fragrance with Kering Beauté, taking the Kering-owned brand’s fragrance in-house through the corporate parent’s new beauty division, with the same strategy to follow for Balenciaga and Alexander McQueen.
Going back a little further, Lacoste announced last year it would end its six-year partnership with Coty, in a mutual decision, and begin a 15-year fragrance deal with Inter Parfums effective on January 1 of this year, with the first launch set for later in 2024. In November 2023, Zegna signed a new fragrance and beauty license with Give Back Brands, two years after ending its deal with Estée Lauder, which had streamlined its designer-licensing business in 2021, giving up the rights to several labels. And Kate Spade New York paired with Clinique in June 2023 for a limited-edition capsule collection of lip gloss. The brand launched a beauty collection in 1999 with Estée Lauder, which ended in 2014, and has had a fragrance deal in place with Inter Parfums since 1999.
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