Ieró means “sacred” in Ancient Greek. 

For Nick Gavrelis, a MAC Cosmetics alum of greater than 18 years who most recently served because the brand’s senior vice chairman of worldwide product development, the concept of beauty as a sacred practice, or an act of self love, was integral to the genesis of his latest brand, Ieró Beauty. 

Launching this month is the brand’s first Moonkissed Collection, which consists of 4 products that range in price from $32 for a pH-reactive lip treatment, to $72 for a restorative serum-oil. 

Pairing plant-based ingredients resembling rosa damascena water with essential oils and crystals including amethyst and hematite, the vegan, cruelty-free line goals to supply consumers with a soothing, multisensorial experience. 

“Ieró helps you anchor and be present so you’ll be able to reveal the absolute best parts of yourself,” Gavrelis said. “That’s how we approach the product development, the packaging and even how the patron goes to make use of these products.”

The founder worked with a spiritual healer to codevelop rituals that correspond with the appliance of every product, resembling pouring a sachet of pure amethyst crystals into the Serene Essence Replenishing Mist before use. 

By engaging in these rituals, Gavrelis wants consumers to feel more connected to the products they’re applying, and more in tune with their very own selves — a message echoed by the bottle design itself, which is plastered with the flower of life symbol. 

“I needed to ask myself, ‘What can I do in beauty that will be different?” Gavrelis said. “I began to daydream, do research and begin this mindfulness journey of my very own with meditation, breathwork, yoga and going back to my cultural roots by way of Greece.”

With wellness more firmly anchored in the general public consciousness than ever before, spiritual beauty has risen in each popularity and prevalence. With Ieró, Gavrelis seeks to not only tackle consumers’ skin (and eventually, makeup) concerns, but emphasize the advantages of mindfulness in beauty, which he says exist beyond just the product application process.

“I knew I desired to deliver something that will treat the entire self, not only the skin, and that will be uplifting in a time of turbulence, of conflict, of fear,” Gavrelis said. 

The enterprise marks Gavrelis’ second brand launch so far, with the founder having previously run a cosmetics line called Pretty Pretty from 1999 to 2001 in partnership with fellow makeup artist, James Vincent.

Ieró is launching direct-to-consumer to begin, with Gavrelis eyeing potential retail and category expansions within the near future. The founder and chief executive officer didn’t specify sales expectations for the brand, but industry sources expect Ieró to do $500,000 in retail sales by the top of 2022, and estimate it could reach $2.2 million by the top of 2023.

“We see Ieró Beauty as a tremendous opportunity to transition, as a life-style brand, into other categories,” Gavrelis said. “There could possibly be fragrance in our future, home decor and tools which are designed to deliver [crystal-]infused makeup artistry with mindfulness.”