Makeup has a high-tech new entrant.
BoldHue launches directly on its website Thursday with an on-demand, foundation-blending device, which is meant to offer more personalized solutions with a full spectrum of shades.
The brand was founded by entrepreneur Rachel Wilson, who serves as chief executive officer, and Karin Layton, a former aerospace engineer who is BoldHue’s chief technology officer.
The machine has a built-in diagnostic tool that consumers spot test on their faces for shade matching, which uses a proprietary algorithm that then dictates the right blend of pigments for an exact skin match. In one minute, the device then dispenses a formula for consumers to blend and apply, with each batch meant to last roughly one week.
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The device can generate millions of different shades, Wilson told WWD, and took five years to perfect.
“This was a COVID baby,” she said. “We are fully patented, we created our own app, everything that we do is in-house. We want to be the leaders in shade matching.”
Layton, who is also a painter, combined her learnings of color theory with her engineering background to create the technology. “It’s taken us 11 prototypes to get to this. And from a formulation standpoint, we went through chemist after chemist after chemist. We came up with this cartridge system to dispense and mix as if you’re just pulling it off of a shelf.”
“This device was born out of frustration. not just because my own foundation shade changed frequently, but because so many in my community felt excluded from the beauty industry entirely,” Layton added via email. “We can’t accept that our needs take a back seat to the industry’s standard of mass-produced foundation bottles. BoldHue proves prioritizing inclusivity with technology is the way of the future. I created this device because makeup should fit us, not the other way around.”
The formulas are dermatologist-tested for sensitive skin, and have a clear base of emulsifiers and skin care ingredients, such as rice bran and snow mushroom, which later is combined with varied quantities of five different pigments. “Our blue pigment is what makes it very special, because that’s how you get this rainbow of deep and rich tones all the way down to fair ones. You need a good neutralizer,” Wilson said.
The BoldHue device is priced at $295, while cartridge refills range in price from $15 to $20.
“We’re going to launch in a two-pronged way. We’re starting with direct-to-consumer and anyone can have it shipped to their doorstep,” Wilson said. “And we’ve partnered with Sir John, who’s going to help us appeal to the makeup artists and how this can prop them up in the industry, and we’ve developed a bulk program for pros where they can purchase large quantities at a significant discount.”
After garnering a core consumer base, Wilson wants to partner with brands on custom cartridges of their own formulas to be used with the device.
“What got me is the fact that all these brands who can’t scale in large ways will have an opportunity,” said Sir John, who is the brand’s artistic director, nodding to the costs associated with creating dozens of shades. “Complexion is an intimate category and you can be the same color with completely different undertones of someone else. It’s this mosaic of identifying everything in between that I’m dialed into.”
Industry sources think the brand will reach the $30 million sales mark by the end of 2026.
The business is also well capitalized, with backers like Mark Cuban and Kevin Huvane bringing the total amount raised to $6 million. The lead investor, Lucas Venture Group, contributed $4 million of that.
“This product is going out the door in a way that’s thoughtful,” said Sarah Lucas, managing partner of Lucas Venture Group. “From Day One, I thought it was genius. It’s a tech device, it’s trademarked for all forms of makeup, it has applications far beyond that and there’s potential for the b-to-b business here. It’s joyful, it’s happy, it’s inclusive.”
The brand sees opportunity in retail, but is in listen-in-learn mode with its website platform first.
“We’re going to layer in retail. We think there’s a strong position here for in-store,” Wilson said. “We do want to be thoughtful about how we do it, ensuring we’re favorably positioned, and that takes data in order to show the retailers that. We’re thinking about that for year two.”
