Year of the Dragon soars with flurry of cosmetic launches for Chinese Lunar New Year

08 Feb 2024 --- Cosmetic brands launch limited edition products ahead of the Chinese New Year this Saturday. It is an important event for Asian cultures, which are getting ready to usher in the power of the dragon.

Brands with Chinese New Year inspired products include Guerlain, MAC Cosmetics, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Laura Mercier, Benefit, NARS and Sulwhasoo.

Guerlain’s light and dark play
In its “first-ever” special edition to celebrate the new year, Guerlain takes inspiration from the dragon as a “blazing symbol of power and strength.” The 2024 Millésime leaves a trail of Néroli Outrenoir fragrance, having a scent “rich in contrasts of light and shadow.” Néroli contrasts its darker scent, Outrenoir.

The brand’s classic Bee Bottle is transformed into red and gold with a “sumptuous dragon” created by Parisian jeweler Francesco Truscelli.

Truscelli designed a dragon, gilded in 24-carat gold and decorated with 142 Swarovski crystals with three chains of crystals.

Dragon meets love
(Image credit: Clinique).In conjunction with Valentine’s Day on February 14, MAC also releases a line of makeup products to commemorate the new year. 

Named “Lovestruck Luck,” the collection features Hyper Real Fresh Canvas Cleansing Oil, Molten Metal Highlighter, Powder Blush, Macstack Micro Mascara, Lustreglass Sheer-Shine Lipstick, Studio Fix Pro Set + Blur Weightless Loose Powder and Eye Shadow X 6.

All product packaging is red, in keeping with the two festivals. Red represents love during Valentine’s and good fortune in the Chinese New Year. The products are also embossed with dragon-like scales that resemble hearts.

The “science-backed” and “artist-approved” cleanser is touted to gently remove stubborn makeup and pollutants on the skin. It is formulated with Japanese peony extract, Tsubaki, jojoba and sunflower seed oils and vitamin E.

Moon-lit skin
Clinique introduces limited edition packaging for two dermatologist-developed moisturizers, along with a highlighter. 

The Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel is a face moisturizer said to suit oily skin types and contains a blend of barley, sunflower and cucumber. The brand claims that it revitalizes oilier skin types and provides eight hours of light, oil-free hydration while restoring the skin’s oil-water balance for healthy-looking skin. 

The Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+, which contains the same blend of ingredients, is designed for very dry to dry or dry combination skin. According to Clinique, the moisturizer instantly increases skin’s moisture content by 119% and strengthens the skin’s moisture barrier by 34% in just 4 hours.

(Image credit: Sulwhasoo).Meanwhile, the Lunar New Year Cheek Pop Highlighter is designed to bring a “luminous glow” for a natural-looking “golden hour glow.”

The limited edition products come in red with gold and colorful illustrations on the packaging.

Ginseng-powered vitality
Sulwhasoo sends good wishes with its First Care Activating Serum. With a dragon illustrated on the bottle cap, the serum is touted to “awaken profound vitality of the skin.” The serum is meant to be used as the first step in the skin care routine after cleansing. 

Sulwhasoo claims that after many years of research, it was able to determine the benefits of ginseng for the skin, which it used in the First Care Activating Serum. Lymphanax, the brand’s ginseng technology, reportedly makes the plant even more potent after 500 hours of natural ripening.

Three days after use, the brand noticed an improvement in the turnover of maintaining a healthy outer layer of skin, while damaged skin’s moisture barriers “improved quickly.” After four weeks of use, Sulwhasoo found the serum defended against ten signs of skin aging and activated the skin’s natural abilities.

“Glow with luck”
Laura Mercier launches makeup for a “flawless” year of the dragon. The collection features limited edition Translucent Loose Setting Powder, Velour Puff Set and the Blush Color Infusion.

The Blush comes in “ginger,” a matte plate nude shade, while the eyeshadow sticks are said to deliver “effortless application” that is buildable and lasts up to 12 hours.

All packaging comes in red boxes with a golden dragon in the center. 

(Image credit: Bobbi Brown).Meanwhile, Bobbi Brown offers a limited edition “glow with luck collection,” including a Soothing Cleansing Oil Facial Cleanser, Luxe Eye Shadow and Blush & Highlight Duo. 

The brand says the “water-light oil texture gently dissolves long-wear and waterproof makeup while preserving skin’s moisture.” It contains meadowfoam seed, tamanu and Tsubaki oils. In clinical testing on 14 women, 86% showed improved radiance four hours after application.

The eyeshadows come in nine metallic shades, while the blush and highlighter compact comes in two types: Pink Dawn Glow and Sunrise Glow Duo.

Makeup collections
Benefit launches a limited edition Porefessional Primer for the new year, said to minimize pores and fine lines for even makeup application. The brand describes the product as “silky-smooth, lightweight, translucent and non-comedogenic.”

In an evaluation of 100 participants over a week, 91% said it minimizes pore appearance, 97% said skin looked smooth and 93% said it helped makeup stay put. The product comes in a tan colored tube with pink scales illustrated.

Furthermore, NARS offers three makeup products for the lunar new year. It includes the Quad Eyeshadow, Powermatte Lipstick and Light Reflecting Setting Powder Set. The products come in red packaging.

By Venya Patel