December is when we look back. 2019 was a year of consolidation: two of the biggest beauty acquisitions of the decade closed, an entire generation of beauty conversation pivoted from heavy contour to skin-first, and a few brands established themselves as the new defaults. We pulled the year together into one piece — the products, the company moves, and the looks that defined 2019 — so you can walk into 2020 with a clear sense of what mattered.
The acquisitions that defined the decade
Two deals will be in every retrospective written about this year. Shiseido bought Drunk Elephant in October, and Estée Lauder bought Dr. Jart+ in November, for a combined value north of two billion dollars. Both deals signal the same thing: the major conglomerates have decided that the future of prestige beauty is “biocompatible” skincare and K-beauty hybrids. We expect this to accelerate through 2020, and we would not be shocked if Charlotte Tilbury follows a similar path.
The Inkey List was the breakout brand of the year
If we had to name one brand that captured the tension of 2019 — the desire for prestige-quality formulas at non-prestige prices — it would be The Inkey List. Their Hyaluronic Acid serum, Caffeine Eye Cream, and Retinol all priced under fifteen dollars, all carried in Sephora, and all sold out repeatedly through the summer and fall. The brand was effectively the inheritor of The Ordinary’s 2017 breakthrough.
The pivot from contour to skin-first
The Spring 2020 NYFW shows in September made it official: the heavy contour and Instagram makeup of 2014 through 2018 is over. Skin texture, freckles, and a barely-mascara’d eye define the new look. Patrick Ta‘s November launch is the prestige expression of this. Glossier finally has a vindicated thesis — but ironically the Play sub-brand, which leaned into the older heavy-makeup aesthetic, has struggled.
The skincare hero products of 2019
Three products defined skincare conversations all year. Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream took its second consecutive Allure Best of Beauty in moisturizers. Charlotte Tilbury Magic Cream remained the cult prestige cream that everyone admits to using. And The Inkey List Hyaluronic Acid serum became the gateway product to the entire indie skincare conversation. We expect all three to be on shelves five years from now.
The makeup product of the year
One product earned the year, and it was Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk lipstick. It was the most-recommended lipstick in 2019 across every editorial outlet. The Pillow Talk Trio holiday set at Sephora sold out repeatedly through November and December. The Pillow Talk Intense, which we expect Charlotte Tilbury to release in early 2020, will extend the franchise.
What we are wearing on New Year’s Eve
Our New Year’s Eve face this year leans into the gold and bronze conversation that defined fall holiday. Pat McGrath Labs Mothership V “Bronze Seduction” on the eye, Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Original on the lip, Patrick Ta Major Glow Body Oil over the collarbone, and Olaplex No. 7 Bonding Oil run through the lengths an hour before going out. Essie Wicked on the nails. A simple, finished face that looks the same in photos as it does in person.
What we are anticipating in 2020
Three things we are watching as we enter 2020: Glossier Play’s path forward (does Emily Weiss reposition or quietly fold it), Drunk Elephant’s first Shiseido-era launches, and the ongoing wave of celebrity-meets-beauty brands following the model that Fenty Beauty perfected. There is also a quiet rumor that Rihanna has a skincare-specific Fenty extension in development for next summer. We will see you on the first Tuesday of January for the new decade kickoff.