The Story Behind The 7 Most Iconic Beauty Products of All Time

And how they defined a generations to come…

Some products are so beloved they become cult classics in their own right. Here’s our pick of those that are the stuff of beauty legend…

Chanel No5 Eau De Parfum

Like everything credited to the genius of Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel, her first fragrance re-wrote the olfactive blueprint. In 1921, ‘soliflore’ fragrances – those that smelt of a single flower – were all the rage. But Coco Chanel wanted to push creative boundaries with a scent that couldn’t be attributed to any one thing in nature. Of all the samples created by perfumer Ernest Beaux, it was the fifth that captured her imagination, with over 80 ingredients, made up of notes such as sandalwood, vetiver, May rose, jasmine and aldehydes to add a champagne-like fizz – a first at the time. She called it, simply, No.5, the epitome of low-key elegance and an ode to her lucky number. The fact that it side-steps smelling of any known flower, but is still instantly recognisable, only adds to its universal appeal. Now celebrating its centennial, Chanel No.5 redefines the word ‘iconic’.

Nars Blush In O

First launched in 1999, one NARS O Blush is sold every 20 seconds globally – and with good reason. Despite being matte, this pinky-coral blush is shot with a barely-there golden shimmer that is the make-up equivalent of fairy dust for tired, sallow skin. Not only that, it’s the perfect shade for every skin tone and, like its cheeky moniker suggests, it adds that certain flush for a lit-within effect. Use as a highlighter or as a pop of colour on each cheek and wait for the compliments to pour in.

MAC Cosmetics Retro Matte Lipstick In Ruby Woo

Name a red lipstick more iconic than Ruby Woo. We couldn’t either. And yet MAC’s clever chemists never actually set out to create it back in 1999; instead, they were trying to tweak the formula of the brand’s other well-known scarlet shade, Russian Red. In doing so, they birthed a new version, which was tonally brighter with violet undertones and miraculously flattered all skin tones. It was an immediate hit and now three tubes of Ruby Woo sell around the world every minute. Woo indeed.

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant

Rifle through any make-up artist’s kit, and chances are you’ll find this medicinal-smelling apricot balm stashed among the lotions and potions. Created in 1930, it has stood the test of time as a multi-purpose salve to treat pretty much any skin concern: chapped lips, dry hands, rough heels and even irritated skin. The story goes that Arden first developed it to soothe her horses’ legs, but remarked on how well it improved the skin on her hands, too. When a loyal customer at her Red Door salon claimed that the vitamin E and petrolatum-based cream helped to heal her son’s scraped knee in just eight hours, Arden had a name for her product and a bestseller was born.

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

The tube has changed, but the iconic pink-green colour combo still pays homage to the first version of Great Lash mascara, launched in 1971 – which is all the more impressive given the never-ending lash options out there. As mascaras go, it remains a hero product for three key reasons: its medium-sized brush creates longer, fanned-out lashes; the tube has a wiper so there’s no chance of clumping and it feels far more luxurious than the price tag would suggest. But you know that already as you probably have a tube in your make-up bag.

Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair

Once in a while, a beauty product comes along that’s seriously groundbreaking – a product so good you wonder how you ever got by without it. One such shining beacon launched in 1982 and came in the form of a serum you applied when your imminent destination was bed. Although it has undergone a few transformations since its original formula, and today’s version (called ‘Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex’) now features high-tech peptides, it’s stayed true to its powerhouse ingredients. These include bifida ferment lysate, a type of probiotic that strengthens skin’s defences. It was also the first serum to use hyaluronic acid, which has such impressive hydration capabilities, it’s now a skincare staple.

YSL Beauté Touché Eclat

Legend has it that in 1992, YSL’s then-creative director Terry de Gunzburg changed concealer history when a click pen was accidentally sent to her in a delivery. Inspiration struck and she set about creating the first hybrid of a concealer and highlighter [hence ‘éclat’, the French for ‘brilliance’], dispensed with a click-click of the now-famous golden pen. Together, the brush applicator and luminous formula wage war on dark circles, diffuse redness around the nose and carve out cheekbones. To this day, Touche Éclat remains one of the world’s most in-demand beauty products.

Photo by Bob Beerman, Supplied by Chanel

From Harper’s Bazaar Arabia’s September 2021 issue