Among the many hundreds of lipsticks featured on social media, one mystic spiral-shaped object can’t help but stand out. Queen Musia originally launched the lipstick in its DTC program supported by the brand’s namesake social media darling (a cat who gained social media fame with several viral videos on TikTok and Instagram). Although Queen Musia never actually wore makeup, she became known on the Web as “the cat that wears makeup,” inspiring a line of fresh beauty.

Unsurprisingly, given the brand’s intriguing aesthetic, the co-founders of Queen Musia, Valentin and Thomas Roxwicke, share a background in tremendous art and a deep understanding of color and shape, which they credit to the success of their currently sold out Matte Crème Lipstick. The brand has been featured by celebrity makeup artists, including Ash K Holm and Paris-based Andreea Ali. The brand’s camera friendly lipstick can be loved by in-house makeup artists of assorted daytime talk shows and news networks.

“I used to be classically trained in portraiture before going to get a level in High quality Art in London and desired to create something that’s each artful and scalable and will resonate with many individuals of various backgrounds,” said Valentin. “We predict that our visual aesthetics uniquely evoke nostalgia and an optimistic outlook toward the longer term. We’ve got a transparent vision for our brand and release products once we are absolutely sure that they’re of the very best level of quality.”

It is obvious that the brand aspires to create unique, high-quality products which are protected to make use of and fun to take a look at. The brand’s one-of-a-kind design is seen across Queen Musia’s offerings, which currently include a matte crème lipstick in six colours (each uniquely named after great literature or art) and a mascara with lash growth extract.

A “must” for the brand, said Thomas, is to face out. “Social media has made us hyperaware of the sheer amount of beauty brands that exist today. We strived to create products that may be visually inimitable and recognizable.”

Though beyond the brand’s avant-garde look, setting itself apart as a beauty brand means creating every thing from scratch and taking the time needed to develop each formula and color story. Creating products that were cruelty-free was a given for the brand, but the corporate also works to be sure that the products are consciously crafted, fragrance-free and use the safest ingredients. Valentin shared that “development for the Matte Crème Lipstick alone took two years.”

Queen Musia’s founders also told Fairchild Studio that the brand currently has several products in development and is planning to tap into skincare in the closest future. “We consider that our vision allows us to expand right into a broader range of products, including skincare and makeup hybrids that proceed to achieve in popularity,” said Valentin.

Developing an attentive audience before even considering a beauty brand allowed the corporate to deliver DTC sales straight away and ultimately be more thoughtful about searching for true partners in retail. “We would really like to partner with retailers that consider in our vision and understand the worth of our creative approach. For that reason, we’ve declined offers from retailers here within the U.S. and abroad,” said Thomas.

“It’s been almost a yr since we launched, and we’re grateful for the love, support and positive feedback that we received from our community and are much more excited for 2024 to bring more products to the market,” said the co-founders.