Beauty brands are over the moon for astrology – Glossy

On Mar 15, 2021

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When beauty influencer Manny Gutierrez, aka Manny MUA, started his makeup brand Lunar Beauty three years ago, there was no question that it was going to be celestial-themed.

“I knew from the jump that this was the concept I wanted to go with,” he said. Gutierrez sports a tattoo on his arm of his family’s astrological signs and attributes his happy outlook to the fact that he’s an Aries. “I’ve always loved anything to do with the sky, astrological signs. I wanted to carry that into my brand because it was already very part of me.”

Gutierrez is one of many founders taking inspiration from the cosmos as astrology-themed brands, products and social content proliferate in beauty. This has paralleled astrology’s widespread popularity with millennials and Gen Z on Instagram and other social platforms. Astrology meme accounts, influencers and apps have seen growing interest as these generations turn away from organized religion, yet still seek out spiritual guidance. According to a 2018 study by the Pew Research Center, 29% of all U.S. adults believe in astrology and 37% of women do.

Zodiac beauty products have multiplied over the years. Sephora’s zodiac lip collection that launched in February has “become one of Sephora Collection’s top-performing launches of the spring season,” said a Sephora representative. It followed the launch of Milk Makeup’s astrology tattoo stamps, BH Cosmetics’ zodiac palette, Bite Beauty’s zodiac lipstick collection and Kylie Cosmetics’ Leo lip kit in to name a few from the past three years.

In addition to zodiac signs, the moon has become a major astrological theme in beauty. Beyond Lunar Beauty, there are brands such as Moon Juice and Pink Moon, as well as products like Pacifica’s Moon Moods fragrances and Graydon Skincare’s Fullmoon Serum. Self-care brand Moon Bath sells botanical bath teas that align with different phases of the moon, a lunar calendar and a new book about moon cycles written by its founders Dakota Hills and Sierra Brashear. Hills was inspired to start the brand in 2017 after creating a homemade scented herbal bath mixture for the Scorpio new moon.

“When Dakota came to me with this idea, I was getting into these women’s new moon circles. We would get together and have deep reflection moments together,” said Brashear. Held to coincide with the new moon, these circles would include readings by astrologers like Chani Nicholas, as well as sacred smoke and musical meditations.

The focus on the moon may be tied to its cultural association with feminine properties. Astrology app Sanctuary’s user base is 90% female. The app Co-Star has been downloaded by nearly 28% of women ages 18-25 in the U.S., according to the company. Other astrology apps specifically for women have been launching, such as Stardust, which tracks users’ menstrual cycles in tune with the moon phases.

Another brand embracing the feminine moon concept is skin-care label Kypris, which is named after the goddess of love and beauty in Greek mythology and prints a moon meditation on its Beauty Elixir III: Prismatic Array serum.

“If you look at cultures before Hellenic invasions, the…