Editor's Letter: How Women Reshaped the Beauty Industry in 2018

Michelle Lee
Updated

When you spend an hour with Pat McGrath, you wonder why you can’t have more of this warm, funny, magical woman in your life. With the help of one of her many assistants, she’ll be demonstrating on your forearm the otherworldly reflection of a new highlighter or telling you a story about this past season in Milan or shooting looks in a bathroom with a new Instagram muse — and it’s all “so major” and “gorgeous” in the way that only things in Pat’s orbit can be. And you want more.

It’s part of the infectious genius of her major, gorgeous line, Pat McGrath Labs, which, according to the company, has projected sales of $60 million in 2018. Raised by a single mother, McGrath made her way up the ranks of high fashion — with no formal makeup or fashion training — to become the most celebrated makeup artist in the world. She is the epitome of self-made.

<h1 class="title">Pat McGrath Pat McGrath Labs: Ed Letter</h1><cite class="credit">Courtesy of brand</cite>

Pat McGrath Pat McGrath Labs: Ed Letter

Courtesy of brand

And it’s hard to reminisce about the year in beauty without immediately hearing a million birds chirping Feeennnntttyyyy. Launched a mere 13 months ago, Rihanna’s 40 shades of foundation changed the industry forever. Fenty Beauty disrupted an already crowded market, not with technology or scientific invention, but with ideology.

<h1 class="title">Rihanna Fenty: Ed Letter</h1><cite class="credit">Courtesy of brand</cite>

Rihanna Fenty: Ed Letter

Courtesy of brand

What made the brand truly innovative and influential was the intention behind everything. There was real thought put into what its inclusive shade range represented — and that sense of purpose was evident in every Instagram post, every marketing campaign, every event, every model casting. Nearly overnight, the paradigm had shifted. And if you weren’t riding the wave of inclusive beauty, you were being wiped out by the inevitable force of change.

<h1 class="title">Victoria Tsai Tatcha: Ed Letter</h1><cite class="credit">Courtesy of brand</cite>

Victoria Tsai Tatcha: Ed Letter

Courtesy of brand

After decades of being outside the upper echelon, there’s finally a groundswell of female founders who are killing it in beauty right now: Emily Weiss at Glossier, Alli Webb at Drybar, Victoria Tsai at Tatcha, Huda Kattan at Huda Beauty, and, regardless of how you may feel about them, Kylie and Kim. Throughout history, there have certainly been iconic women in beauty: Bobbi Brown, Estée Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, Lisa Price. But until recently, the C-suite at big beauty brands was still dominated by men. Just two years ago, the figures were uneven at best. Women occupied only 34 percent of board seats and 24 percent of executive positions at personal-care companies, according to research by LedBetter.

<h1 class="title">Emily Weiss Glossier: Ed Letter</h1><cite class="credit">Courtesy of brand</cite>

Emily Weiss Glossier: Ed Letter

Courtesy of brand

To see women — two self-made women of color, no less — leading the charge in such a game-changing way is simply wonderful, and it’s the reason why they deserve pride of place in this, Allure’s 22nd annual Best of Beauty issue. Let’s hope their success is a catalyst for more openness in other industries as well. So major indeed.

A version of this article originally appeared in the October 2018 issue of Allure. To get your copy, head to newsstands or subscribe now.

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