Louis Vuitton’s La Beauté will launch on August 29th—and the French fashion house, owned by LVMH, finally revealed photos of its luxurious packaging. There will be 55 shades of lipstick, in refillable packaging developed by industrial designer Konstantin Grcic. 

Dame Pat McGrath created Louis Vuitton’s La Beauté collection. McGrath signed on as Creative Director earlier this year, and her influence is clearly evident. The collection’s high-pigment formulas, including eyeshadow and lip color, feature a range of textures. There are metallics, glitter, matte finishes, and more.

A $160 LV Rouge Lipstick is the ‘Star’

The “star” of the new Louis Vuitton’s La Beauté collection is its extensive lipstick line, LV Rouge. With its $160 price tag, the luxurious refillable lipstick case is ultra-prestige. The luxurious, monogrammed refillable case is a keepsake, and refills will cost less.

The decision to include 55 colors in the lipstick collection was intentional. Since “LV” written in Roman numerals is 55, it corresponds to the number of shades. There are 27 satin formulas and 28 matte.

LV Rouge Lipstick’s formula contains shea butter and hyaluronic acid. Perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud created its scent, which features mimosa, jasmine, and rose.

The lipstick 896 Monogram Rouge is a burnished red hue, with an interesting backstory. The color is reminiscent of Louis Viutton’s historic brown Monogram canvas, combined with a classic blue-red lipstick, Harper’s Bazaar reports.

McGrath Redefines Luxury Beauty

The team at Louis Vuitton turned to McGrath to bring together luxurious packaging with bold color for its first-ever cosmetics line. McGrath is known for her bold, statement-making runway makeup looks, in addition to leading her own namesake brand. Behind the scenes, McGrath has collaborated with numerous major brands, including Gucci, to help launch their collections.

What’s Louis Vuitton’s La Beauté unique point of view? “La Beauté Louis Vuitton is the absolute highest level of craftsmanship,” McGrath tells Vogue. “With product development, I have always been obsessed with the smallest of details and the perfection needed in product texture… the precise application methods, just the right amount of pigment pay-off, and how products should make you feel.”

Looking at the design details on the refillable lipstick case, the craftsmanship Louis Vuitton is known for is evident.

There’s more to the La Beauté collection than lipstick. Eight refillable eyeshadow palettes will launch next. They will retail for $250, and $93 for refills. The round gold cases include a mirror, and four eyeshadow colors.

More About the Packaging Designer Konstantin Grcic

Konstantin Grcic, an industrial designer, created La Beauté’s packaging. Trained as a cabinet maker in London, Grcic opened his design business in Berlin.

Grcic has collaborated on numerous projects in fashion and architecture—but La Beauté is his first step into the beauty world.

More Details

La Beauté Louis Vuitton launches this month in 116 Louis Vuitton stores globally and online.

Read Next

As sustainability becomes a global priority and e-commerce booms, refillable packaging is predicted to grow —so what’s key to successful refillable packaging? Componentry that features a ‘simple, intuitive’ gesture, brands and suppliers say. Read more in the feature story: Beauty Shifts Into ‘Refill 2.0’