Hourglass solely celebrated its twentieth birthday final yr — however within the magnificence trade, it would as nicely be 200.
To have fun, it launched a pop-up area that paid homage to its first retail associate, Barneys New York, throughout New York Vogue Week final September. On March 27, Hourglass reopened the area as a everlasting flagship. Forged in a quarry of earth tones, it’s a extra muted, intimate setting for the shiny make-up label; a grown-up Hourglass.
It’s additionally the newest instance of a model leaning on its historical past — be it 20 or 2,000 years outdated — to tell its newest strikes, broaden its footprint and usually shore up its place within the crowding up to date magnificence market.
“Some folks have simply found us, after which different individuals are like, ‘You’re a heritage model,‘” stated Carisa Janes, who based the upscale cosmetics line in 2004 after creating merchandise for City Decay. “I by no means thought I’d be right here lengthy sufficient to listen to that.”
Due to the relentless tempo of magnificence tendencies and launches, the place an era-defining look appears to rise and fall each different week — slugging, Kontouring, blueberry milk nails — manufacturers are reaching heritage standing extra rapidly than ever.
With a lot newness, magnificence labels throughout classes have struggled to take care of their core message whereas concurrently evolving to adapt to right now’s prospects. The proof is in current campaigns, from the 50 year-old MAC Cosmetics (that includes Julia Fox and intercourse schooling) or the 110 year-old Neutrogena (that includes John Cena and meme-driven advertising and marketing.) Hourglass just lately solid nepo pop star Gracie Abrams because the face of its Phantasm Priming Moisturiser.
The duty for heritage manufacturers throughout classes is to protect their historical past whereas updating it for right now’s magnificence dialog. The Hungarian skincare assortment Omorovicza, impressed by the seventeenth century mineral water spas of Budapest, is present process a change to extra eco-friendly packaging (with new colors taken from the palettes of bathhouses). Björn Axén, the namesake label of the Swedish Royal Household’s hairdresser, is utilizing their seal of approval to interrupt into markets round Europe and past.
“Each time I inform the [brand’s] historical past, folks get fascinated,” stated Johan Hellström, chief govt and proprietor of Björn Axén. “I believe so many manufacturers right now attempt to create a narrative, moderately than even have one.”
Flexing Your Roots
How outdated can a model’s heritage be? For the UK-based skincare line Omorovicza (pronounced oh-more-o-veet-za), the story stretches again to the Late Cenozoic interval, 34 million years in the past.
That’s when the convergence of tectonic plates beneath current day Hungary induced the formation of the Pannonian Basin, residence to plenty of mineral-rich scorching springs. From the Roman empire into the current day, Europeans have flocked to Hungary to take the waters as a type of preventative drugs — a spa tradition that endures right now on a world scale.
Stephen de Heinrich de Omorovicza, whose household owned and operated a shower within the sixteenth century, hopes to protect that tradition within the line of masks and muds he and his spouse Margaret launched in 2006. This yr, the model is present process a digital refresh and packaging redesign to convey extra of its previous to its current, beginning with a color scheme that recollects the interiors of sixteenth century Hungarian baths. These pinks, beiges and pale sages are expressed by means of a extra sustainable palette of supplies, together with recycled paper inventory and post-consumer recycled caps. “We need to do extra wordless storytelling,” de Heinrich stated.
The model contracts a laboratory in Szeged, south of Budapest, to ferment its spring water right into a proprietary Therapeutic Focus, earlier than distilling it into a variety of 48 SKUs and sending it to department shops like Neiman Marcus and Selfridges or resort spas on the 4 Seasons or Oberoi properties.
A couple of thousand kilometres north, the Swedish hairdresser label Björn Axén is cultivating its personal cultural export. The model, which was based in 1963, enjoys a 92 p.c consciousness price in its residence nation, in keeping with Hellström, due in no small half to its eponymous founder’s function because the official hairstyle of the Swedish Royal Household. (The crown issued a Royal Warrant to Axén in 1984, the yr he launched his line, and his merchandise bear the court docket’s seal right now.) Axén handed away in 1993, prepared his model and enterprise to his one-time assistant, Hellström, who now runs it with Peter Hägelstam, an Axén acolyte and hairdresser of Sweden’s Queen Silvia.
Hellström knew Axén for a number of years, after, as an 18 year-old, he assisted the hairstylist for 2 weeks. However he remembers the late founder’s deal with residence care as important to sustaining salon-quality hair, an axiom that defines the model’s mission right now.
Considered one of his current priorities is worldwide growth, and the model now ships to 17 nations. Its residence nation’s rising refugee inhabitants has lifted the model’s profile in uncommon methods, with Hellström noting that Ukraine has develop into their largest export market.
Every part Outdated Is New Once more
Hourglass hopes its new area will hearken again to its luxurious retail roots. Within the new Soho area, some extent of sale is discreetly positioned out of sight, the place gross sales associates course of transactions as if in a luxurious boutique.
Hourglass’ first retail boutique in Los Angeles’ Venice Seaside opened in 2014 however closed through the pandemic, and the model’s 14 extant boutiques in China mirror a previous aesthetic period, all lacquered in black and chock filled with digital interfaces. (The model additionally has storefronts on apps like Douyin, Tmall and Xiaohongshu.)
“Plenty of screens,” Janes stated, nearly shuddering.
Against this, the brand new retailer favours occasions and in-real-life connections over digital interfaces. It would additionally play host to unique launches, an alternative choice to the model’s specialty channels at Sephora and Ulta Magnificence.
The format is centred on a modular set of marble blocks that show the model’s gold-plated cosmetics. The fixtures might be rearranged to refresh the surroundings, or re-stage the area for occasions like a grasp class with Billie Eilish’s make-up artist. Two seating areas invite buyers to sip on espresso or champagne as they pore over palettes.
The optimistic response to final fall’s Barneys pop-up, notably its in-store occasions, fed the strategy to the shop’s creation.
“Having the ability to do issues that aren’t essentially going to be proper for Sephora may be proper for this area,” Janes stated.
Because it was acquired by Unilever Status in 2017, Hourglass has develop into the keystone within the model’s portfolio because of well timed product launches and huge wholesale distribution. In fiscal third quarter earnings final October, the model was referred to as out for main the division’s “robust double-digit progress” because of hero merchandise like its Vanish Airbrush Concealer (launched in 2020, and expanded its shade vary in 2025) and Veil Hydrating Pores and skin Tint (launched in 2023).
Janes stated Hourglass is concentrated on getting its merchandise into the fingers of recent prospects. The shop could also be screenless, however the model has made a concerted effort to market on social media; in 2024, consciousness elevated by 200 p.c, whereas TikTok searches quintupled, in keeping with a consultant from the model.
“We all know there’s a giant alternative for consciousness with our model,” Janes stated. “There’s nonetheless a lot of work to do, and prospects to introduce Hourglass to.”
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