beauty addict

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Behind the scenes at your favorite companies.

Urban Decay: Shock Treatment
By Kai Alexis Smith

Back in the mid-’90s, cosmetics counters bore little resemblance to the dazzling, colorful hotspots we know and love today. Most offered few lip hues beyond prissy pinks and generic reds; eye shades were limited to boring browns and blah beiges; and if you wanted to find that perfect shimmer, glitter, or sheen, good luck—you’d spend weeks searching, usually to no avail. Frustrated by the lack of options, Sandy Lerner and Wende Zomnir started mixing up their own funky eye shadows in Lerner’s Laguna Beach house—a humble effort that soon spawned one of the industry’s most influential brands, Urban Decay.

In addition to developing daring colors and innovative formulas, Lerner and Zomnir marketed their wares for maximum impact. When they launched their first line of high-pigment lipsticks and nail polishes in 1996 (a collection that included bold, then-alternative shades like purple), the two combined an edgy name with packaging pizzazz, in unique medicine-bottle-style containers. And if that wasn’t enough to attract the attention of consumers and beauty editors, they wrapped their press releases in caution tape and built an advertising campaign around “Does pink make you puke?”—a scandalous tagline, to say the least. “It was shocking, and that’s why we did it,” Zomnir remembers. “People loved that it was high-spirited and didn’t fit with other beauty-industry notions.”

In fact, the customer response was so overwhelming that Urban Decay quickly became a household word, and today the trendsetting company boasts 335 U.S. boutiques and more than 240 locations worldwide. Offerings like Lip Gunk, XXX Shine Gloss, and Eyeshadow Primer Potion are standard issue among beauty addicts, and the brand’s innovative formulas and subversive product names haven’t stopped there: Its latest wonder mascara is called Big Fatty, its new lipstick-gloss love child is named Ultraglide, and its uber-popular Deluxe Eyeshadows shadows come in shades like Fishnet, Graffiti, and Zero. Who’s responsible for the wicked and often risqué monikers? According to Zomnir, everyone at Urban Decay is encouraged to contribute their input, from the receptionists to the public-relations department.

When it comes to creating new formulas, Zomnir finds inspiration in everything from fine art to sports, but ultimately, her clients’ spending habits speak volumes. “The most telling feedback comes directly from their wallets,” she explains. “You can learn so much about what people want based on what they buy or don’t buy from you, as well as what they buy from your competition.” For Zomnir and her creative team, that means continuing to push the envelope with higher-quality products and packaging innovation. “I meet with people from all over the world to learn about new technology, materials, and what can be accomplished now in manufacturing,” she says.

Urban Decay is also strongly committed to creating products that are safe and cruelty-free. Vegans, clients with sensitive skin, and curious customers can log on to UrbanDecay.com to view all of the ingredients in the brand’s various formulas. Plus, the website offers step-by-step visuals illustrating how to achieve an array of looks, from vintage glam to punk rock. And perhaps most important, the company gives back: Over the years, it has made significant contributions to such organizations as PETA, the Humane Society, Step Up Women’s Network, and Boarding for Breast Cancer.

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