Colorful packaging, formulas between skincare and makeup and easy-to-use beauty products… This London brand created almost 30 years ago is today a dream for our teenagers. Zoom.
27 years ago, a small beauty brand was founded in London. Founded by Petra Strand, a Swedish makeup artist who wanted to bring Scandinavian principles into cosmetics from the late 90s: functionality, purity and harmony with nature. But at the time, the context was very different: it was difficult to imagine that a brand could combine moisturizing care and makeup as the visions were so radically opposed. Makeup is heavy, and aims to hide imperfections instead of enhancing the natural beauty of the face. Moisturizers, serums and the like do not have as advanced formulations as today. In short, nothing predicts that the two worlds will eventually meet.
Petra Strand does not budge: there is room for a new concept in the beauty market. After all, she is particularly known among makeup artists for her propensity to dilute foundations and primers, mixing in oils to make them lighter and more airy. “So, Pixi was literally born from discussions around her kitchen table, where everything revolved around skin. It was no longer a question of separating skincare from makeup, quite the contrary.“, says Amanda Bell, global director of education and artistic creation at Pixi Beauty. In 1999, Pixi Beauty was born with modern formulations, easy-to-use products, all at an affordable cost. Far from the Internet phenomenon that we know today, the brand occupies a small boutique in the Soho district of London. A little less than ten years later, it is distributed in Target stores, known for their selection of products at reasonable prices.
Thirty years after its launch, Pixi Beauty has never been popular. Better yet, the brand is known by teenagers. On the shelves of Sephora, it’s hard to miss the green packaging (Pixi imprint). On the program: eye patches, On The Glow moisturizing blush/bronzer sticks or even the famous Glow Tonic exfoliating lotion, the brand’s iconic product. But then, how can we explain this particular success with the young generation, which is nevertheless known to be difficult? “You can’t impose anything on Generation Z. I have the feeling that they have a very independent spirit; we can almost no longer “sell” them a product in the traditional way“, assures Amanda Bell.
Pixi sees this new wave as a real confirmation of its philosophy. For the brand, the plural approach of Gen Z is not a challenge, but a strength. “There is room for everyone,” analyzes Amanda Bell, “from those who are content with a few skincare essentials, to those who are truly passionate about formulations and see makeup as a form of creativity.“This ability to speak to all profiles is not the result of a recent marketing calculation, but of an agility anchored in the company’s DNA. As an independent and family brand, Pixi was able to understand before anyone else that the era of absolute control over image was over. Thus, the London brand made a bold bet: “We were very quick to support content creators, years before many understood their importance.“
Thirty years after its creation, the brand therefore did not need to disguise itself to attract new consumers. She simply waited for the beauty world to catch up with her vision. As Amanda Bell concludes: “Pixi has always been this sort of “unicorn”: we have always been “cool” enough, in a way, to appeal to the younger generation.“
