A snapshot of lipstick | Photo Credit: Joshua Navalkar
The setting is the Mumbai Hermès store. Although it’s a weekday afternoon, energy levels are high and the space is bright with color. An artist paints renditions of attending guests’ lips on a card, meant to be a very personal take-home gift, while assembled journalists await details on the much-anticipated launch of Hermès Beauty in India. The luxury brand launched its first line of beauty in March 2020 with Rouge Hermès, which includes 24 shades of lipstick (from ₹6,100 onwards) in vibrant, saturated colours. All hand assembled, in true Hermes style these are designed to make a statement. , and to last too (with refillable bullets). Now, the collection is finally out in India.
“The launch of Hermès in the country comes three years after its initial roll-out, and that can be blamed on the pandemic,” says Gregoris Pyrpillis, creative director, Hermès Beauty, who was in Mumbai for the event. Nevertheless, the brand promises that its entire range of products will now be available in the country. “I feel the Indian beauty market is getting bigger by the day, consumers are more aware of ingredients and impact on the environment, there is a strong quest for skincare benefits in a makeup product,” says Gregoris.
The launch included four collections ranging from lipsticks to nail enamels, among other products. Gregoris insists that the focus is on natural beauty, “not in terms of nude colors; I am talking about bringing out the innermost nature of every personality and expressing every aspect of it. He adds, “Hermès is known for its expertise in colors as the house of color, design and creativity.”
Mumbai Store | Photo Credit: Joshua Navalkar
“The same essentials for Hermès Beauty, only this time I use my expertise and experience in the art of makeup that allows us to create shades that work beautifully on every skin tone.” This extends to the fact that the brand is not driven by trends but draws inspiration from its storied past. So its lipsticks – the Rouge Hermès range – draw inspiration from shades found in its Silk (75,000 shades) and Leather (900 shades) library. “When it comes to makeup, we don’t just copy-paste color and transfuse it into makeup formulas. “We adjust it so that it reflects the beauty of the symbolic color and elevates the hue,” says Gregoris. Saying that the 24 shades of Les Men’s Hermès nail enamels refers to the house’s address at 24, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré in Paris.
Taking the Rose Indian lipstick as an example, Gregoris says, “It’s a shade that we can find in Rouge Hermès but also in Les Mens Hermès. It’s an intense and vibrant blue-pink. One of the Fantasy Indien scarves The color symbol recalls the frescoes of Rajasthan. The collection also includes a hybrid set of skincare and make-up, like the Plein Air range that sits somewhere between a foundation and a tinted moisturiser. The products also happen to be an SPF 30 sunscreen.
A snapshot of the new range | Photo Credit: Joshua Navalkar
When asked about how to bring the two worlds together, Gregoris says, “Beauty for me is about well-being, it’s a reflection of how we feel. The better we feel, the more we shine. I don’t think there is a divide between makeup and skincare. I think it’s a fusion. Let us not forget that both makeup and skincare are highly related to technology, and technology today allows us to integrate the properties of skincare into make-up formulas that are high performing.
Describing how their hybrid formulas differentiate the brand’s beauty offerings, Gregoris says they “combine the care and protection of skin with the high performance of make-up.” And for a brand that celebrates longevity over changing trends – their Birkin is a legacy bag – it helps that Hermes focuses on creating products that are durable, reusable and classic.
The range is available on order at the Mumbai store at Horniman Circle, Fort, and can be bought directly from the New Delhi store at The Chanakya.