Never underestimate a makeup enthusiast on a mission to sniff out a discontinued staple. They'll track it vigorously from the depths of Reddit, snag it from international discount sales, barter with third-party sellers offering resale values upward of $300, and even start petitions for brands to resurrect the cult classic. (Yes, really!) Bloodhounds have nothing on a riled-up beauty fan.
I'm now thrilled to report that, for many, all that work has paid off. Over the past few months, a slew of beauty brands have relaunched their old icons, dusting them off from the vault and bestowing OG devotees with exactly what they've been begging for. Beauty trends have always been cyclical (give it a few years, and what's old-fashioned becomes shiny and cool once again), but now, so are the formulas themselves. Mission accomplished, beauty fans—major relics are making a triumphant comeback in 2024.
Take a scroll through Reddit, and you'll likely notice multiple frustrated users (understandably so) wondering why brands discontinue their icons in the first place. If a product is selling like hotcakes, why would they ever give up such a winner?
The answer isn't so cut-and-dried. Some brands choose to pivot ingredient lists, as in the case of Fekkai's Brilliant Glossing Styling Créme. "At the time, we were transitioning toward cleaner, more sustainable formulations to align with the growing demand for eco-conscious beauty," founder and celebrity hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai tells me. For others, production pains played a role, like key ingredients becoming too expensive or supply chain delays (a phrase that has unfortunately become all too familiar since 2020).
"We first launched the Revlon Super Lustrous Glass Shine Lipstick in 2020, and it was an instant hit, going viral on TikTok—but then the pandemic hit," recounts Kelly Solomon, Revlon's chief digital marketing officer. Unable to deliver the product in the same quantities and pace, the brand ultimately decided to discontinue it, much to the distress of Redditers who swore it was comparable to Chanel. (Although, they're in luck: Super Lustrous Glass Shine is officially set to relaunch this November!)
Makeup artist Vincent Oquendo using Super Lustrous Glass Shine backstage at NYFW
Plus, well, the market changes—and so do makeup routines. Urban Decay, for example, decided to build upon its beloved Naked eye shadow palette with similar iterations—such as Naked2 Basics and Naked3 Soft Pinks—while the original 12-pan palette was phased out in 2018. "We did underestimate the love for it from our fans and community," says Arnaud Kerviche, Urban Decay's VP of marketing, but at the time, it made sense the team would evolve the palette as the shoppers themselves did.
What they didn't expect were the countless comments begging the brand to bring back the original or photos of users proudly displaying their decrepit 13-year-old palettes. (While using eye shadow that's older than members of Gen Alpha is questionable, I do applaud the dedication.)
But all that buzz raises the question: If the market has been craving a relaunch for years, why finally bring back those relics in 2024? Well, some brands choose to honor a long-beloved icon as they experience milestones themselves (such as Fekkai's 35th anniversary this year), while others only release those favorites for a blip of time.
Urban Decay, for example, has a limited supply of OG Naked Palettes with currently no plans for a restock. "For now, once the Naked Palette sells out, it will be gone!" Kerviche says. (It's still available as I type this sentence, so I'd suggest snagging it while you still can.) Similarly, Diptyque's highly anticipated Archive Sale gives shoppers the opportunity to snag old, limited-edition scents for just one week before they're returned to the vault.
Frédéric Fekkai and Helena Christensen backstage at the Ralph Lauren fall 1992 ready-to-wear runway show
It's also no secret that Gen Z loves everything nostalgic, so there's arguably never been a better time to resurface beauty favorites from the '90s and early aughts. "The nostalgic appeal of '90s beauty and glamour is deeply woven into the Fekkai DNA," adds Fekkai. The brand's original Glossing Crème was actually conceptualized in the early '90s, when Fekkai himself began cocktailing product combinations backstage for long-lasting shine, softness, and bounce. "The demand for this iconic Crème has never faded. … It's a formula that has truly stood the test of time, and we're excited for both our loyal customers and a new generation to rediscover it."
Now, younger generations can rely on the exact products used by their '90s hair icons. Fekkai even reunited with Ronald Uy, the original chemist who created the cult-favorite Crème, to ensure 99% accuracy across both formulas. (The 1% difference stems from removing now-banned ingredients.) Gen Z can also finally understand the bliss of dabbling in Urban Decay's highly pigmented nude shadows, just like the OG beauty YouTubers who came before them—the only difference being creamier, longer-lasting formulas.
Even brands that haven't relaunched old favorites take part by dipping into nostalgic promotional materials. Take Covergirl's Clean Invisible Foundation campaign, for example. The new video pays homage to the first-ever Covergirl foundation by resurfacing visuals and voice recordings from its 1961 ad. It then remixes the assets with newly captured footage to reflect all the necessary changes (cleaner ingredients, more inclusive shades, etc.) that have brought the foundation to its sixth iteration. Maison Francis Kurkdjian also released a video to accompany its new APOM fragrance, a unisex version of the brand's discontinued APOM Pour Femme and APOM Pour Homme scents from 2009. Nostalgic for olfactory films that brands used to pair with new releases, Kurkdjian decided to create a five-minute picture in partnership with filmmaker Cyril Teste.
It's clear that brands are encouraging a stroll down memory lane, whether it's through nostalgic branding or revamped OG launches. So if you've been pining over a discontinued formula like an old flame—Tom Ford Blush Nude Lip Color, I will always love you!—let it be known. The powers that be are listening.
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