There has long been an intimate connection between the worlds of beauty and art. Artists, or art institutions, have been making their mark in the beauty industry with special capsule collections that are set to add an artsy touch to one’s dressing table. Not only is it truly inspiring to see the artists’ worlds come to life in makeup palette or fragrance form, but the result is also worthy of an exhibition.
Ahead, take a look at some of our favorite artistic beauty collaborations from the past and present.
Lancôme x Louvre
The new Lancôme x Louvre collaboration features six products to help emulate any of the four muses that inspired the collection: Hygie, Hermaphrodite, Nymph with Scorpion and Nymph Echo. From a five-pan face palette to four new shades of lipstick with packaging that looks like the art on the walls of the Louvre, every aspect of the collection pays homage to the museum’s timeless artwork.
Louis Vuitton x Yayoi Kusama
In January 2023, the 93-year-old Japanese artist cast her signature polka-dots on Louis Vuitton’s three iconic fragrance bottles. The Maison’s fragrance bottles for Spell on You, L’Immensité and Attrape-Rêves are reimagined with the artist’s playful, vibrant, repetitive dots.
Guerlain x Li Hongbo
Beijing-based artist Li Hongbo worked with Guerlain to incorporate his intricate paper sculptures in a limited-edition version of the brand’s best-selling Orchidée Impériale Black The Cream. Known for its superb regenerative abilities and exotic ingredients such as Peruvian Black orchid, the skin cream just got even more exquisite. As part of the collaboration, the artist also reimagined the black orchid, which has been carefully hand-painted by artisans in 24-karat gold.
Diptyque x Erik Winkowski
For this Summer, Diptyque has teamed up with American artist Erik Winkowski for their limited-edition light, playful summer collection. Inspired by the Mediterranean landscapes, Winkowski created sunny landscapes with painted scenes on the packaging, with his vibrant and stylised illustrations adorning the products. The collection includes the Ilio Eau de Toilettes and Hair Mist, a ready-to-perfume fan and the lemongrass candle.
Pat McGrath Labs x The Met
Pat McGrath made beauty history with the historical Metropolitan Museum Of Art by creating an inaugural collection to celebrate Heavenly Bodies: Fashion And The Catholic Imagination in 2018. Inspired by Renaissance and Baroque paintings, the collection features a special edition of the coveted Mothership V: Bronze Seduction Eyeshadow Palette, along with gloss lipsticks in silver and gold. The brand’s packaging even highlights objects from the exhibition, incorporating eight different jewels, such as a 19th-century amethyst comb.
Estée Lauder x Andy Warhol
In celebration of the friendship between Estée Lauder and artist Andy Warhol, the brand launched its limited-edition fragrance: Beautiful Absolu. The design and packaging were an homage to the brilliance of Andy Warhol, him being the master of all things pattern, colours, repetition and flowers. The colourful pattern of Warhol’s signature flowers makes the fragrance a work of art in itself.