Dua Lipa: The new face of YSL

In a move to seemingly blend the realms of music and fashion, global beauty brand Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) have announced Dua Lipa as their newest beauty ambassador. The decision to bring on board the chart-topping artist underscores YSL’s commitment to capturing a younger market.

Stephan Bezy, International General Manager at YSL Beauty stated that Dua’s influence is “a celebration of individuality, a statement of empowerment, encouraging everyone to embrace their unique beauty with confidence.” She has been the face of YSL’s ‘Libre’ fragrance since 2019 but is now expanding her role to support the launch of the new lips collection: YSL Loveshine. This includes a range of lipsticks, glosses, and oils being released from March 15 onwards.

YSL’s decision to appoint Dua Lipa as their beauty ambassador is a testament to the brand’s understanding of the evolving landscape of influence. Dua Lipa resonates most deeply with the younger market, with a majority of her listeners being millennial or Gen Z. As the face of the brand, Lipa will be expected to bring this audience to YSL’s customer base.

Similarly to other designer brands, YSL has gained an exclusive reputation, resonating most deeply with those looking for higher quality and higher priced items. However, many of their products are similarly priced to products of the younger generation. For example, their ‘All-Hours Foundation’ is priced at £39.50, only £0.50 more than Charlotte Tilbury’s TikTok viral Flawless Filter Foundation. Given this, there is little reason to assume that the products are inaccessible for the younger generations, and using pop icons allows the brand to market itself to a new generation.

Further, the partnership between Dua Lipa and YSL Beauty signals a shift in the beauty industry’s approach to marketing. With a large following across all social media platforms (including 88.6 Million on Instagram), the brand can tap into Dua’s influence to forge connections with consumers and stay relevant in an ever-changing social landscape. Along with the announcement, the @YSLbeauty page cited a ‘social media reset’, deleting all posts. Now, its four posts are all dedicated to Dua, rather than existing products.

Ultimately, whilst the partnership allows Dua to tap into the beauty industry, the move is integral for the brand to advertise itself to new audiences.