Beauty care born in L.A.
Los Angeles has long been a place focused on youth, beauty and all things glamorous. Combine the city’s passion for aesthetics with the entrepreneurial spark of many of its inhabitants, and it’s no wonder the town is a burgeoning hotbed of successful beauty brands. “L.A. is a very creative and innovative environment, specifically for beauty,” says Ron Robinson, owner of Ron Robinson boutiques and creator of the Apothia beauty line. “The health-conscious lifestyle that we are known for here really drives development. And in a culture where looking healthy and glowing is the end goal, it only makes sense that there’s a natural gravitation toward beauty and creating products that help with that desire.”
“L.A. is a city of extremes — beauty ideals are both fresh and casual, sophisticated and glamorous due to the red carpet culture,” says Nicky Kinnaird, owner and founder of U.K.-based beauty retailer Space NK Apothecary.
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FOR THE RECORD
An article in the July 20 Image section about Los Angeles-based beauty-care brands said Nyakio Grieco had been an agent at Creative Artists Agency. She was an assistant at the agency.
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“Angelenos appreciate environmentally sound, natural and also science-based formulas with the proviso that they perform,” Kinnaird says.
Here’s the rundown on some brands that started in L.A. and its environs and are being trumpeted by retailers and makeup artists.
Hourglass Cosmetics
www.hourglasscosmetics.com
Location: Venice
Specialty: Veil Mineral Primer ($18, 0.33 ounce) is consistently the brand’s top-selling product. In addition to making foundation last longer, the primer also is designed to combat redness and makes makeup waterproof.
Back story: Launched in 2004 by Carisa Jane, a former product developer for Urban Decay, the line focuses on scientific ingredients, wearable hues and a luxurious look in its packaging and branding. Jane says she wanted to make an alternative to existing beauty brands.
Where to find it: Barneys NY, Sephora and soon the brand’s first store, scheduled to open on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice this fall.
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Nyakio
www.nyakio.com
Location: Hancock Park
Specialty: Kenyan Coffee Collection, which includes an exfoliating face polish ($34, 3.4 ounces) and body scrub ($55, 10.5 ounces) and was inspired by founder Nyakio Grieco’s grandmother, a coffee farmer in Kenya who applied coffee grounds and sugar cane to her skin as an exfoliant.
Back story: Grieco, a former talent agent with Creative Artists Agency, was inspired to create her line of beauty products after realizing that there was no luxury brand that celebrated African ingredients and culture and that was being marketed to all ethnicities. She drew on knowledge and experience she gained from time spent with her coffee farmer grandmother and medicine men relatives in Africa to incorporate various healing and moisturizing ingredients into what was initially a small line of products. The line has increased to include body lotion, face oils and body wash.
Where to find it: HSN.com and www.nyakio.com
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Location: West Los Angeles
Specialty: Luminizing Moisture Tint ($38, 1.7 ounces) a sheer, multitasking tinted moisturizer that has long been a bestseller and beauty industry award winner.
Back story: As a former model, founder Christina Zilber spent a lot of time in a makeup chair and in 2004 created a collection of easily portable makeup products that women could combine in one compact case. The result was individual eye shadow palettes, blush and powder that could be snapped together and taken on the go.
Where to find it: Nordstrom Santa Monica, Blushington Makeup and Beauty Lounge
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Per-fekt
www.perfektbeauty.com
Location: Hollywood
Specialty: Skin Perfection Gel ($48 for 1 fluid ounce), a gel-mousse formula that provides an alternative to traditional foundation and works as a primer and color corrector on the skin.
Back story: Founder Richard Anderson spent more than a decade in sales and marketing for cosmetics companies including Bobbi Brown and Yves Saint Laurent. In 2005 he created his own line focused on enhancing natural beauty for a no-makeup makeup look. Per-fekt now has perfecting gels for the entire body, lips, eyes, brows and lashes.
Where to find it: Sephora stores and Sephora.com
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Location: West Hollywood
Specialty: A berry lip stain called Arabian Knights ($26), one of the line’s Tinted Lip Conditioners, which hydrate and give the mouth a sheer, but vivid, color.
Back story: Founder Sasha Plavsic was working in branding and package design and felt there was a missing link in beauty between lines that targeted a natural, organic-minded customer and those aimed at a fashion- and trend-driven customer. She created Ilia in 2011, starting with lip conditioners and expanding since into lipstick, gloss, face highlighter and mascara.
Where to find it: Ilia, a fashion-set favorite, is sold at netaporter.com, Beckley Boutique and Ten Over Six.
