Kate Moss' Cosmoss beauty brand closes less than three years after launching
Kate Moss has officially filed to close all operations at her wellness brand, Cosmoss. The supermodel launched the brand to great fanfare in London and Dublin in September 2022, and it was assumed she had a surefire hit on her hands.
Capsule and curated, Kate launched with six products initially: four skincare items and two teas, one for the morning and the other for the evening.
More pieces followed, but it seemed that the publicity around the range dried up, and perhaps that played a part in the brand's demise. And maybe there was more to it than that, did Kate Moss launch at the wrong time with the wrong type of beauty?
Kate Moss' Cosmoss
Kate Moss launching her new beauty & wellness range, Cosmoss, in Ireland. Pic: Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland
Kate Moss isn't the only celebrity with a beauty line. Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Hailey Bieber, Rita Ora, J.Lo, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande —there are just so many out there.
Celebrity Beauty
Pic: Hailey Bieber/Instagram
Take Hailey Bieber, for example, her marketing team have played a blinder with how they marketed her Rhode beauty brand. Not only does Hailey start trends on a global scale, but her brand also makes products to fit the trends, such as her Glazing Milk to get that donut skin she made a thing.
Rhode doesn't do sales during the year; instead, it creates momentum for what's about to launch, and it sells out immediately. Hailey is the model for her brand; she is literally the face of it, without a doubt. And look where it's gotten her. In three years, she has sold it for a billion dollars to e.l.f., and she intends to stay on as Chief Creative Officer and Head of Innovation.
Beauty Trends
Kate's Cosmoss & Druink Elephant Pic: Supplied
Kate Moss launched the following three years ago: The Sacred Mist fragrance, The Golden Nectar CBD & Pro-Collagen Oil, Face Cream, Face Cleanser, Dawn Tea and Dusk Tea. Some fragrance-free versions came along later, along with a Love Letters Book of Affirmations.
Looking at what has dominated the beauty scene in recent years, Kate's products couldn't have competed with the brands that were going viral, such as Drunk Elephant, Sol de Janeiro, Trinny London, and Selena's Rare Beauty. Everything that has seen a surge in sales tends to be big and bold, from colours to packaging.
Bad Timing
Kate launching Cosmoss Pic: Getty
Even labelling has undergone a significant change; we expect to see retinol, peptides, collagen, and everything else front and centre on a product. Kate's nondescript product names won't have appealed to an audience that needs to know everything a product will do before they've even paid for it.
It feels like Kate Moss' Cosmoss launched at the wrong time, despite her products being beautifully made and presented. In a sea of beauty brands, even celebrities need to be the undeniable faces of their brands. Because this should have worked, who doesn't want a little piece of supermodel beauty? It's just a shame that it didn't.
