8 Standout Luxury Beauty Releases to Watch

Today’s luxury beauty offerings are defined by high-performance formulas that bridge aesthetic results with active skincare solutions. This month, luxury beauty’s heritage houses are expanding their portfolios with entries into new categories, prioritising ingredient transparency by utilising natural-origin components such as squalane and plant waxes to ensure matte finishes remain hydrating. Beyond product launches, brands are increasing physical engagement through interactive pop-ups at major transit hubs to offer immersive consultations. From water-based fragrance innovations to refillable, historically-inspired packaging, these releases also reflect a broader industry shift toward sustainable and multifunctional luxury.

Hermès Beauty: Plein Air Luminous Matte Skincare Foundation

Hermès enters the skincare foundation category this month with its first-ever foundation, Plein Air Luminous. Created by Gregoris Pyrpulis, creative director of Hèrmes Beauty, the product aims to function as a second skin rather than a heavy mask. The formula is notable for its high skincare content — 71 percent of the ingredients are of natural origin, and it features an 82-percent skincare base. Key actives include Niacinamide to improve skin texture, Hyaluronic Acid for moisture retention and White Mulberry Extract to protect the skin from oxidative stress caused by pollution.

The collection is inclusive, offering 34 shades categorised into five colour intensities ranging from light to deep. To ensure a precise match, each intensity includes three undertones — cool, neutral and warm — designed based on how light interacts with natural skin pigments. To accompany the launch, Hermès has introduced Le Perfecteur, a bevelled synthetic fibre brush designed for intuitive application. Users can also utilise a new brushed metal palette and a flexible-tip applicator, allowing for the hygienic mixing of the foundation with the Plein Air perfecting primer.

Hermès Parfum: Un Jardin Sous la mer

The newest addition to Hermès’ iconic Les Jardins (“The Gardens”) collection is Un Jardin sous la mer, a fragrance that explores the concept of an undersea garden. Created by Christine Nagel, the House’s Creative Director of Perfumes, the scent is inspired by the Tahitian island of Taha’a. It represents a departure from the collection’s typical terrestrial themes by focusing on the blur between the world above and below the water. The composition is a dialogue between floral and mineral elements, using tiare flower to provide a creamy, tropical warmth contrasted by a mineral coral accord.

The fragrance object itself is a variation of the emblematic lantern bottle, updated with a crystalline blue gradient that reflects the clear lagoon waters of Taha’a. The outer packaging features a hand-painted illustration by Aino-Maija Metsola, depicting an underwater reef as seen from the surface. In line with the collection’s focus on longevity and craftsmanship, the bottle is designed to be refillable and is available in three sizes (30 millilitres, 50 millilitres and 100 millilitres), making it a permanent addition to the Hermès fragrance library.

Chanel Beauty: Limited Edition Rouge Allure Velvet

Chanel has unveiled a limited-edition iteration of its Rouge Allure Velvet lipstick, featuring actress Margot Robbie as the face of the campaign. This release centres on the concept of “unforgettable encounters”, offering eight shades that range from luminous reds to delicate pinks and warm browns. The lipstick is housed in a newly designed version of the brand’s famed click case. For this edition, the case is adorned with golden trim and incised with the crisscrossing lines of the quilted motif, a direct nod to Chanel’s Coco Crush fine jewellery collection.

The Rouge Allure Velvet formula is known for its ability to provide a matte finish that does not sacrifice luminosity. It is rich in pure pigments for high-impact colour but contains jojoba oil derivatives and shea butter to maintain lip comfort and hydration. To complement the lipsticks, the Chanel Makeup Creation Studio has also released matching shades of Le Crayon Lèvres (lip pencils), allowing users to create either a seamless tone-on-tone look or a more defined, contrasting lip colour. These limited-edition pieces are available at all Chanel Fragrance and Beauty boutiques and their official online store.

CELINE Beauté: Le Rouge Celine Matte Lip Balms

Following the successful introduction of its satin lipstick, CELINE Beauté is expanding the Le Rouge Celine collection. The new range focuses on a matte-finish formula designed to mimic the natural texture of the lips while providing significant hydration. Developed by LVMH Research Laboratories, the formula is composed of 94-percent natural-origin ingredients, including squalane, sunflower wax and beeswax. It is further enriched with Black Rose oil extract and hyaluronic acid spheres to ensure the matte finish remains comfortable and non-drying throughout the day.

The collection features eight distinct shades: one universal transparent balm named Incolore and seven tinted options with names like Ariane and Phèdre. These tinted balms offer buildable colour, allowing the wearer to transition from a light veil to a more intense hue through layered application. Each balm is housed in a faceted silver metal case inspired by 18th-century French classicism and Art Deco minimalism. True to the Maison’s sustainability codes, these cases are refillable and come protected in a black velvet pouch marked with the Triomphe seal.

Burberry Beauty: Burberry Brit Matte Lip Veil

Burberry Beauty is highlighting the Brit Matte Lip Veil, a new liquid lipstick that prioritises weightless wear. The product is marketed as a 3-in-1 “veil” because it combines the pigment of a traditional matte lipstick with the hydrating care of a balm and the protective qualities of a primer. The formula is specifically designed to provide a soft-focus or blurred effect, which softens the appearance of lip lines while remaining comfortable for long periods. This make