This story was published on August 22, 2022 and updated on July 27, 2023
Prada is poised to expand its beauty division beyond fragrance. According to WWD, CEO Andrea Guerra told analysts on Thursday that the brand will “very soon” extend its licensing agreement with L’Oréal with “another milestone — beauty.”
Guerra’s statement seems to suggest that Prada is eyeing makeup and skincare, categories the label launched in 2000 but later discontinued.
Signs that Prada Beauty was bubbling surfaced last summer, when the brand quietly launched a beauty-specific Instagram account. “Enter the #PradaBeauty universe,” a post from August 11, 2022 reads. “A place to reinvent the beauty codes of today, and open new perspectives for tomorrow. Explore how beauty can activate and frame the future. Express yourself and travel beyond your beauty expectations. Engage with the community to invent new possibilities of beauty.”
Days later, the account confirmed that it was launching a new fragrance — Paradoxe, a refillable perfume — fronted by Emma Watson.
Prada also launched a dedicated beauty website, which proclaims: “A brand of perpetual exploration and reinvention, Prada Beauty challenges perspectives and the status quo to serve as a precursor and pioneer.” Scroll down, and you’ll find quotes from both Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons explaining their personal approaches to beauty.
Valentino, Hermès, Dries Van Noten, and Jimmy Choo have all expanded into makeup in recent years, attracting customers that might not be able to afford a Birkin or a Rockstud, for example, but have the means to buy a pricey blush or nail polish.
Personally, I’d be more than happy to paint my face in Prada. Judging from Guerra’s insights, it seems Miuccia and Raf-designed eyeshadow palettes are coming soon.
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