We could list all the ways the smart makeup and skincare brand deserves its lauded reputation but here are three to whet your appetite…
Every now and then a beauty brand comes along that shakes up the status quo, rattling even the most jaded beauty editors and smashing its way into our bathrooms to cement itself as a future classic. IT Cosmetics is one such brand.
Founded by former news anchor Jamie Kern Lima in 2008, the ‘IT’ stands for Innovative Technology – and innovative it certainly is, thanks to the dermatologist-developed formulas and impressive clinical results. Lima was inspired to create her line of game-changing products after developing severe rosacea and struggling to find suitable makeup solutions. But getting the brand out there was not all plain sailing and its meteoric rise to fame bears the hallmark of a Hollywood movie; girl puts herself out there, girl is rejected, girl wins over the hearts (and makeup bags) of the audience to emerge as the feel-good heroine.
Before its legions of ‘IT girls’ became hooked, Lima struggled to get her brand off the ground, having been turned down by QVC several times. In 2010 they finally agreed to give her a chance and, in a flash of inspiration, she decided to wipe off the concealer disguising her rosacea on air. The result was so impressive that her products sold out in 10 minutes and IT Cosmetics went on to become a global success story. In 2016, L'Oreal bought the brand, making Lima the first female CEO in the cosmetics giant’s 100 year history.
Here are three reasons to give the brand a try…
Makeup’s remarkable ability to impart a confidence boost is well known. Forget a good hair day, a good skin day is even more likely to prompt feelings of euphoria. Thanks to its results-driven formulas, IT Cosmetics is the makeup equivalent of a topknot when it comes to giving you an instant uplift.
Confidence is the message underpinning the entire brand ethos. IT Cosmetics has always been about empowering women to look and feel their best while changing the conversation about what is beautiful (Lima has called for an end to ‘unattainable images of beauty’ in advertising in the past). It’s a dialogue that speaks to the brand’s loyal customers (they have 1.8m followers on Instagram) and is cemented by a ‘Confidence Community’ of real women that it engages with on a daily basis.
Anything claiming to make our lives easier is a big win and IT Cosmetics offers fuss-free multitasking at its best. Delivering one step solutions to skin issues (most notably, coverage plus care, thanks to the slew of skincare benefits infused into every makeup product), it’s a brand dedicated to the modern woman.
Struggling to find a non-chalky coverage base that would effectively cover redness while respecting her sensitive skin, Lima came up with colour-infused skincare products that tackled both. The star of the show? The inimitable CC Cream.
Type ‘IT Cosmetics’ in to any search engine and you’ll find legions of homages dedicated to the transformative prowess of the brand’s products and the reason is simple: they work. Developed with clinical insights and expertise from plastic surgeons alongside powerful ingredients and practices from dermatologists, they provide real, skin-loving solutions for a whole host of concerns from dark spots and visible pores to redness and fine lines.