H&M Is Breaking Into Beauty

The beauty industry racks up tens of billions of dollars in the US alone, and H&M is looking to get a bite of that: starting in September, the fast-fashion retailer will begin carrying house brand beauty products, spanning everything from primers to lipsticks to nail polishes with an initial launch of 700 pieces, according to Style.com. Seven hundred pieces! There are definitely some items in there I do not know how to use.

H&M the corporation is already in this game, of course—its sister brand, & Other Stories, carries an assortment of nail polishes, fragrances and lotions, and while I’ve only tried the latter, I’ve found it to be quite nice. (I’m currently using an $11 hand lotion in “Tangier Tales” which, despite the corny ad copy—“a veil of dark amber lingers over sultry pear”—is silky and not overpowering, scent-wise.) But you can bet that its flagship beauty line, which is set to expand to 1000 pieces and fall in a price range of $2.99-$24.99, will be positioned against drugstore brands and competitors like Topshop (already well established with its house beauty brand) and even Sephora, which has helped normalize the availability of higher-end beauty products in specialty shops outside of the department store.

But, the main question: will it be quality, or will it fall apart in three wash cycles like that one H&M tank top I bought? Time will tell, but Style.com reports they’re already working on a subsidiary line of eco-friendly joints, for those living in fear of phthalates and formaldehyde and whatnot.