Giorgio Armani Leaves Behind a World of Beauty

Giorgio Armani left an indelible mark on the beauty industry, with his signature blend of sophistication and simplicity.

Since 1988 the Italian designer, who died Thursday in Milan at age 91, developed his beauty brand — including perfume, makeup and skin care — in close collaboration with L’Oréal. That license was among the first in the Armani Group’s portfolio.

“Giorgio Armani was, without question, one of the greatest creators of the last hundred years,” said Jean-Paul Agon, chairman, and Nicolas Hieronimus, chief executive officer of L’Oréal, jointly in a statement. “He didn’t just conceive unique, original and timeless fashion; he was also a formidable entrepreneur, who built one of the most important couture and luxury houses known today.

“Beyond his brilliant, visionary mind, marked by flashes of creative genius and worldly intelligence, he was also a truly charming and humorous individual,” they continued. “Together we have built one of the most desirable beauty bands in the world. We are committed to upholding its legacy in line with the heritage of Mr. Armani.”

The group paid condolences to the designer’s family, friends and colleagues. “His passing leaves an immense void in the world of fashion and beauty,” said L’Oréal, in the statement.

The Armani brand is timeless, but also in tune with the times. That mix birthed blockbuster products such as Sì fragrances and Maestro foundation, plus seduced A-list brand ambassadors like actress Cate Blanchett and Hanni, the lead singer of NewJeans, to make Armani beauty into the sustainable global powerhouse it is today. It is among L’Oréal’s “billionaire” brands.

“It’s an understatement to say what a privilege it was to work alongside Mr. Armani for 13 years,” said Véronique Gautier, who served as Armani Beauty’s global president until January 2024. “A true connoisseur of fragrance and beauty rituals, he had a visionary approach.

“Long before it became a trend, he championed simplicity, inner beauty and quiet confidence, creating a unique vision shaping iconic products,” she continued. “His credo was a powerful guidance: Elegance is not about being noticed, but about being remembered. Beyond his own brand, he leaves behind an immense legacy, one that has elevated the standards of the entire beauty industry.”

Armani first dipped into beauty with fragrances: Armani for Women in 1982, followed by Armani for Men.  The angular shape of the perfume bottles, conceived by the designer, reflected his penchant for geometrics.

Other scents followed, including Acqua di Giò men’s cologne in 1996, which became a runaway perennial success, ranking among the top three men’s scents worldwide for years. The fragrance’s marine notes set a new olfactive trend, and its campaign fronted by a pensive Larry Paul Scott became iconic. 

The 2000s saw the launch of Armani Code and the Armani Privè high-end collection of perfumes, both of which have subsequently been expanded.

The Sì women’s fragrance, out in 2013, was positioned as Armani’s first women’s perfume pillar to be launched since Acqua di Gioia in 2010. It was fronted by Blanchett, who already had a close relationship with the designer.

Not long after, Armani launched its long-awaited makeup collection in fall 2001. That was streamlined and minimalist, just like the designer’s clothes.

“I wanted to create a line that was special in its sophistication and luxury — both as an extension and a complement to my fashion,” explained Armani, in a WWD article dated June 23, 2000. “The new cosmetics line fits into our Giorgio Armani lifestyle.”

The color collection, with 139 stock keeping units and a focus on foundation in both powder and liquid forms, was created in collaboration with makeup artist Pat McGrath. Alongside representing a new product category, the makeup was also meant to push the brand’s beauty business — which until then consisted of fragrance only — to the next level. 

Colors ranged from fresh nudes to highly sophisticated hues, as they do still today. Armani makeup, and especially its foundations, are known for their transparent formulas with a feeling of weightlessness and softness.

After the makeup launch, for the first time, Armani sold its beauty products in shops-in-shop, a concept the designer himself wanted created.

By then, the Armani brand had become a big player in both the men’s and women’s perfume categories. The Emporio Armani men’s and women’s duo, a pair packaged in twin acid-dipped aluminum columns with rubber heads, launched in 1997, were a hit, for instance.

Armani in 2007 entered skin care, with Crema Nera, which translates into Black Cream. The cream itself was white, but the moniker winked to a mineral complex found in black volcanic rocks on the Sicilian island of Pantelleria. That’s where the designer saw firsthand the effects of local mud baths on skin. The Crema Nera line has continued to be expanded from there.

A year after its introduction, Armani launched Skin Minerals for Men, starting with five products with a lighter texture than Crema Nera.

Armani beauty’s high-wattage celebrity power has never dulled and spans generations.

In November 2024, it unveiled “A Few Days in Venice,” a documentary directed by Loïc Prigent focusing on young actors at the 81^st Venice International Film Festival. The 23-minute film starred Camila Mendes, Chase Stokes, Chris Briney, Clara Galle, Isabela Merced, Jackson Yee, Julio Peña, Lili Reinhart, Muhannad Hamdi and Beatrice Vendramin.

Armani beauty’s long-standing affiliation with the Venice Film Festival keeps evolving, and this month the brand is taking that partnership to the next level. In its eighth consecutive year as the festival’s official beauty sponsor, it upped the number of activations for the edition that runs through Saturday. That coincides with the 50^th anniversary of the Giorgio Armani maison.

To mark the occasion, Armani beauty took over the Venice Venice Hotel to set up the Giorgio Armani Cinema Club, a new format that aims to become a hub celebrating the seventh art, fashion, glamour and beauty for two weeks. From the branded facade to interiors revisited as a movie theater, the space intends to offer a gathering point for actors, friends of the brand and influencers to meet, relax and discuss movies during the event, as well as become Armani beauty’s epicenter of content creation.

Along with long-standing Armani beauty ambassadors such as Blanchett, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Sadie Sink, Nathalie Emmanuel and Madisin Rian, actors spanning from Sofia Carson to Shailene Woodley and Riley Keough were expected to attend the curated program staged at the venue in between their red carpet appearances. Dinners, a masterclass and behind-the-scenes videos were also planned. 

Armani beauty has strengthened its bond with the world of cinema through different projects. In Venice, Armani beauty supports and presents the “Audience Award” in the “Spotlight” competitive section dedicated to new cinematic voices and where the public is to select the best movie. 

Other film events Armani beauty partners with include Romania’s Transilvania International Film Festival.