FashionNova has shifted its focus from fast fashion to fast beauty. On June 14, the company is set to release NovaBeauty, a 48-piece collection of lipstick, lip liner, and lip gloss.
Fashion Nova CEO Richard Saghian told WWD, “Beauty is an integral part of the Nova look,” According to the executive, the most-requested category from customers over the last two years has been makeup, specifically lip gloss and lip liner.
NovaBeauty will be priced between $10 and $12, which is comparable to most drugstore brands. According to WWD, the line will be expanded through “frequent drops,” a model similar to Fashion Nova’s approach to clothing (a nightmarish strategy, at least from a sustainability standpoint).
NovaBeauty’s announcement highlights the continued rise of “fast beauty,” a genre that describes brands that develop and release products at breakneck speed in order to stay ahead of trends. ColourPop, Makeup Revolution, and Kylie Beauty are some well-known fast beauty retailers.
Fashion Nova is not the first fast fashion company to capitalize on cosmetics. Zara debuted a lipstick, blush, eyeshadow, and nail polish collection in 2021. Since 2015, the Swedish retailer H&M has sold makeup, hair care, and beauty tools.
While some argue that fast beauty produces less waste than fast fashion, the ultra-low prices of Zara’s $9 nail polish and Fashion Nova’s $10 lipsticks encourage a buy-try-throwaway mode of consumption. Buying a cheap product (most likely packaged in plastic), using it a few times, and then discarding it is not exactly eco-friendly.
Beauty, like fashion, is facing a “slow” reckoning. The same thought that goes into our clothing purchases can — and should — go into our makeup bags as well.
