Estée Lauder’s Collaboration With Sabyasachi Celebrates Indian Heritage

There’s a reason they took us so long to create. From the scent of the bullet to narrowing down the finish–balancing satin and matte–and how each lipstick feels upon application, we relied on science and swatches to find all the answers.

SS: How does this collection set stand out in a highly saturated beauty market?

SM: I would say the trifecta of quality, clarity and color—practices that comes from my label as well. It’s what you put in the formulations of these bottles, much like the karigari in my lehengas, that matters. Stephane De La Faverie, executive group president of Estée Lauder Companies, and I went through the wringer trying to balance shades, like the classic red with brown, yellow and blue. He kept saying, “Let’s add 2 percent more blue to it? Can we reduce the brown by 1 percent though?” in our ongoing conversations, until we arrived at a shade we all agreed on.

For the packaging we traversed deep into Mrs. Estée Lauder’s exclusive archives, which were filled with inspiration boards and objects from the brand’s history. Looking back at old Bollywood and Hollywood films, I also found reference images where the materials used were primarily Bakelite and gold, hints of which you can see in the gilded cases that are adorned with 24K gold plated accents and emblazoned with the Bengal tiger [Sabyasachi’s insignia].

SS: Do you see the lipsticks as modern heirlooms that will sit as keepsakes in vanities across the world?

SM: Since we didn’t want to create anything disposable, the answer is yes. If you’re not creating modern heirlooms at a time when there is so much waste, you’re not adding any value to the world. I just wanted to make sure that either we did it right, or we didn’t do it at all.

SS: With conversations around inclusivity and self-acceptance in beauty—what was your vision when crafting these lipsticks? Do you think you achieved what you set out to?

SM: I wanted to create a band of universally-liked colors above everything else. Some people will look at them and say, “Oh, there’s nothing for us because he’s not done a navy blue or an emerald green,” but they need to know that this is not the brand for that. What you will find is a shade that suits every skin undertone because the whole line has been created that way.

As this collection comes to fruition, if even one woman tells me, “This is the lipstick I want to wear for the rest of my life.” I will think of it as a job well done.”

Sign up now to pre-order the Estée Lauder x Sabyasachi Collection here. Available to purchase at select Estée Lauder counters and esteelauder.com beginning 4 March 2024.