Beauty & Wellness Briefing: At NYFW, beauty brands are building relationships on and off the runway 

Christian Siriano is no stranger to working under pressure. In a storyline seemingly straight out of “Project Runway,” the high-pressure Bravo reality show where Siriano first shot to fame, the designer shared a TikTok in August asking for makeup artists for his upcoming fashion show during New York Fashion Week after his original makeup sponsor had pulled out. Makeup giant Revlon saw the plea for help and stepped in to save the day. 

“We loved that he used his social platform to rally his community and to ask for help,” said Revlon chief digital marketing officer Kelly Solomon. “We’re an accessible brand, and we are sold in mass channels and retail and drug [stores] all over the country and the world. We want everyone to have access to super fun finishes and formats and colors.”

The partnership was not only a major opportunity for Siriano, but also for Revlon, which had not participated in New York Fashion Week in a decade. Led by makeup artist Vincent Oquendo, Revlon and Siriano invited 20 emerging makeup artists to work on the show. 

Beauty, while usually playing a supporting role to the clothes at any given runway show, is still a necessary presence at fashion week and can prove to be a valuable marketing tool for beauty brands as much as fashion labels. At Paris Couture Week in February, Pat McGrath’s doll-like glass skin for John Galliano’s Margiela show proved an instant viral sensation, with users rushing to recreate the ethereal look at home. 

But while few beauty brands or artists can hope to achieve that level of visibility on the runway season after season, a fashion week presence remains a crucial avenue for beauty brands to connect with both industry insiders and consumers — if they can leverage the opportunity, that is.    

Skin-care brand Dieux has been sponsoring fashion week shows since 2021, this season working with Collina Strada on a makeup-free beauty look. Providing products for the show is about more than just the runway look, said Dieux co-founder Charlotte Palermino. It’s also a chance to get in the kits of both established and rising makeup artists, develop relationships with fashion brands that may provide clothing for Dieux’s campaigns, and provide gifting to attendees. Guests at Collina Strada’s East Village show on Saturday included Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams and presidential nominee Kamala Harris’s stepdaughter Ella Emhoff. 

“I wouldn’t say that you get crazy ROI from sponsoring a show,” said Palermino. “But you get connected to the people that are placing product on people’s faces that are constantly in front of cameras.”

Nail artist Jin Soon Choi, a regular presence at fashion week who provided manicures for Proenza Schouler and Monse this season, still finds fashion week necessary to keeping her namesake brand fresh. “It’s not just about the glamour, but it’s also about staying connected to the industry and creating impactful moments,” Choi said. “Backstage access also gives us early insight into upcoming trends, helping us develop fresh ideas and share them with our community before anyone else.”

Sponsoring a fashion show, which can cost beauty brands thousands of dollars, is also an opportunity to showcase a new product. Hungarian brand Omorovicza was credited as the “skin sponsor” of Nanushka’s Spring-Summer 2025 show on Monday, with the skin-care line using the opportunity to announce the launch of its $125 Soothing Salve, launching September 23. Likewise, Dieux promoted its newly launched Baptism cleanser and upcoming Barrier Blanket balm at the Collina Strada show.

Even while many designers and brands have grappled with whether or not fashion week is worth the cost and effort in the years since Covid interrupted in-person shows, new entrants are still joining the fray. Makeup giant Tarte sponsored the Alice + Olivia Spring-Summer 2025 show this season, marking its first New York Fashion Week show. Speaking ahead of the Christian Siriano presentation, makeup artist Vincent Oquendo said fashion shows still have the ability to foster careers for emerging artists and move the cultural needle.

“The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show used to be such a ritual, and now it’s coming back,” he said. “Because we would see a little busyness behind the scenes [on TV], and it’s really exciting. And people need that excitement and that distraction and that love of art.”

Executive moves: 

• Chanel names L’Oréal and Coty veteran Simona Cattaneo as the new president of Chanel Fragrance and Beauty, succeeding Anne Kirby. Cattaneo will join the house in October and officially assume the role in January 2025 when Kirby retires after 35 years with the company. Chanel also saw its creative director Virginie Viard step down this June and has yet to name a successor to lead the fashion line.   

News to know:

• Consumers are claiming that Mielle Organics’s hair oil is causing hair loss. Users have taken to Instagram and TikTok to share how the natural hair-care brand’s popular oil treatment has caused irritation and hair loss, with some claiming the brand’s formulation changed when it was acquired by Procter & Gamble in 2023 and expressing disappointment that the Black-owned brand was sold to the major conglomerate. Mielle founder and CEO Monique Rodriguez posted a statement on social media claiming the formulation has remained the same before and after the acquisition. 

• Cult Gaia expands to beauty with a trio of fragrances. Rather than entering a licensing deal with the likes of Coty or L’Oréal, the traditional path for clothing brands to launch fragrance and beauty, the Los Angeles-based fashion brand created the fragrances in-house and will sell them exclusively at Cult Gaia stores for $228 a bottle. Cult Gaia, which was founded by Jasmin Larian Hekmat in 2012, began as a flower crown brand before expanding to handbags and ready-to-wear. It first experimented with scent by launching candles earlier this year. 

• Sabrina Carpenter is the new face of Redken. The ambassadorship marks the pop star and “Espresso” singer’s first hair-care deal, following the recent announcement of her partnership with Prada Beauty. Redken will also sponsor Carpenter’s upcoming Short & Sweet tour in support of her album of the same name. 

Stat of the week:

$1.3 billion: According to Bloomberg, Selena Gomez became a billionaire as her net worth reached $1.3 billion, thanks in large part to her Rare Beauty brand. The cosmetics line Gomez launched four years ago comprises 80% of her net worth, boosted by its viral liquid blushes. The former Disney star’s acting and music albums make up just 1.3% and 1.8% of her overall fortune, respectively, while she’s made 4.8% of her wealth from touring to support her music career. Gomez announced an intention to sell Rare Beauty for $2 billion earlier this year but later rescinded any intention to sell the company. 

In the headlines:

The luxury gyms selling a longer life. The clinic for psychedelic difficulties: where people go when the trip never really ends. Are veneers worth it? The risks of perfectly imperfect teeth. Perfumer Sarah McCartney is making the arts smell good.

Listen in: 

Aknvas’s Christian Juul Nielsen joins the Glossy Podcast to talk about his career working with the likes of John Galliano and Raf Simmons, as well as the founding of his own line and launching handbags at New York Fashion Week.  

Need a Glossy recap? 

The Jacquemus effect: Bags are the big story of NYFW as more designers place bets on their potential. Research Briefing: Gen Zers, millennials report higher optimism about U.S. economy. Isamaya Ffrench and Lashify team up for a limited-edition collaboration. Estée Lauder announces partnership with the Dresden University of Technology to study perfume and emotion. Cetaphil taps Katie Fang for its first influencer-fronted campaign.