Tom Ford Beauty Taps Angelina Jolie To Reignite Lipsitck Sales

It’s full steam ahead for makeup at Tom Ford Beauty, starting with a renewed focus on lip and a top-tier spokesperson.

Angelina Jolie, the brand’s first-ever celebrity face for beauty, will front Runway Lip Color, which rolls out globally in full distribution in September with 18 shades — 10 existing, eight new. It replaces the existing Lip Color lipsticks franchise. The refresh also entails Runway Lip Pencils, available in eight shades. Prices range from $46 for the pencils to $62 for the lipsticks.

The push comes at a pivotal time for the business. An SEC filing from parent company the Estée Lauder Cos., which acquired Tom Ford for $2.3 billion in 2023, noted that in the fiscal year 2024, “net sales [for makeup] from Tom Ford decreased, primarily driven by lower net sales from the lip subcategory.”

Fragrance seems to be a brighter spot, though. Lauder’s luxury fragrances — of which Tom Ford is a key player — grew midsingle digits, according to the filing.

Still, the health of the business depends on getting lip back on track. It is among the largest categories of the business overall after fragrance, and the largest of Tom Ford’s makeup offering, said Guillaume Jesel, the brand’s president and chief executive officer, who assumed the top slot last year after nearly a decade working on the brand.

“Tom Ford Beauty remains well on track to achieve $1 billion in net sales annually over the next couple of years,” Jesel said, confirming earlier reports that the brand is nearing the milestone. Jesel didn’t comment on sales for Runway Lip Color, though industry sources anticipate the range to reach $50 million at retail for its first 12 months on the market.

“We’ve demonstrated consistent growth over time. It’s sustainable and it’s highly profitable, especially post-acquisition,” he said. Upon Lauder’s acquisition of the overall business at a $2.8 billion valuation, the beauty giant entered fashion and eyewear for the first time, with Ermenegildo Zegna Group and Marcolin holding the licenses for Tom Ford fashion and Tom Ford eyewear, respectively.

Jesel’s expanded purview has impacted the way he thinks about beauty – and the way the varied products work in concert. “Beauty, fashion and eyewear are the top verticals of the brand,” he said. “The brand is poised to remain strong, and it starts with brand equity. The long-term licensees of Tom Ford understand the shared vision of what luxury means, how to build a brand, and how to scale it.”