After Three Years On The Market, Veil Cosmetics’ Automatte Mattifying Balm’s Sales Spike 1,000%

“This is what pro makeup artists use on set most of the time,” says Rose Siard, a digital creator and half of the founding duo at makeup brush brand Rose and Ben Beauty in a video that’s drawn over 510,000 views on Instagram and nearly 70,000 views on TikTok about mattifying balms and, in particular, Veil Cosmetics’ $39.95 Automatte Mattifying Balm. Siard raves, “This is not going to disturb your makeup, and you’ll notice that it even blurs.”

The video is part of growing social media and retail momentum for the 3-year-old product. Its sales have spiked 1,000% in the last few months and greased the wheels for Veil to launch at Canadian online retailer Well.ca. The spotlight on Automatte, which resonates with oily skinned people who tend to be younger, has also broadened the demographic reach of the brand to deepen its pool of consumers aged 25 to 45 years old. Its sweet spot to date has been consumers aged 35 to 55 years old.

“She [Siard] just did the video out of the blue without me even knowing about it. I heard that it was blowing up. We had tons of new followers, and my business partner [Parker Stene] called me and said, ‘Automatte is selling like crazy,’” says Veil CEO and co-founder Sébastien Tardif, formerly a global makeup artist at Bobbi Brown. “That took Automatte to another level, but it had already started gaining a lot of traction. It was all a bit of a crescendo.”

What led to the crescendo began about a year ago when orders of Automatte at professional makeup artist stores Nigel Beauty Emporium and Naimie’s Beauty Center in the Los Angeles area jumped, and makeup artists posted about the product. Courtney Hart, a celebrity makeup artist with Hilary Duff, Candace Cameron Bure and Glenn Close on her client roster, shared on TikTok that Automatte is a “game changer” for keeping makeup fresh and cutting down shine.

With advertising, Veil boosts especially impactful social media posts such as Siard’s post on Automatte. Tardif declines to specify the amount the brand spends on the tactic, but, in general, he estimates it pays anywhere from $20 to $500 a day to boost posts. “We are not L’Oréal or Maybelline where we are putting thousands of dollars behind a video,” he says. “It’s always about trying to see if the algorithm is working and if the audience we pick is working.”

“People have taken a chance on indie brands like ours during the pandemic.”

Tardif is enmeshed in Veil’s social media strategy. Prior to the pandemic, he relied on assistants and others to help guide it. Once the pandemic hit, though, and attention turned more than ever to digital channels, he decided to take control over the brand’s social media. “I do every post. I answer every post. I talk to people,” he says. “I’m a lot more in touch now with everyone who we are following and who likes the products.” He adds, “People have taken a chance on indie brands like ours during the pandemic because people haven’t been able to go into stores and have shopped online. We fell on some people’s radars, and that’s been really positive.”

The result of Tardif controlling Veil’s social media is that he has a good beat on the posts and creators moving the needle for the brand. He keys in on makeup artists with engaged audiences effectively posting about Veil’s products. “I aways keep ties with the professional makeup artist world. I think professional makeup artists understand my vision and products faster than the general public,” says Tardif. “There’s a curiosity there with the professionals, and we all speak the same language. They are looking for impeccable complexion in the medium they are working in.” Veil has a professional makeup artist program offering a 40% discount on purchases through its website.

Tardif’s makeup work has appeared in magazines the likes of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle, and on the runways at 100-plus fashion shows. On photo shoots, he says, “I noticed over time that powder looked grainy, left specs on the skin and enhanced fine lines, and didn’t do anything for blurring the pores. It was a mess. So, I always hated powder.” Referring to Automatte, he continues, “When it came time to release this magical product, I was obsessed with getting a smooth surface without using powder.”

That Automatte wasn’t an overnight smash is par for the course, per Tardif. He figures beauty products tend to reach a critical mass of popularity three to four years after they launch. Following Veil’s debut in September 2012 with Complexion Fix Concealer, the brand waited three years before introducing a second product. “We wanted to send a strong message about this product being a pivotal element for complexion,” he explains, “I know in the industry everyone always asks, ‘What’s next? What’s new?’ If you don’t have a clientele or retailers carrying your product, you are talking to yourself.”

“People are investing so heavily into lasers and all sorts of skin apparatuses. It goes hand in hand with showing off beautiful skin as opposed to masking it.”

Veil isn’t talking only to itself today. Along with Well.ca, several retailers will be picking up the brand soon, according to Tardif. “I will never refuse an opportunity. However, we have always prided ourselves on keeping a low overhead business model,” he says. “So, having to enter stores where you have buy all sorts of visual merchandising and hire staffing, that’s not a business model that really interests me. I’m more interested in expanding visibility online with dot-coms.

About 95% of the brand’s sales are done online at the moment, including roughly 40% via Amazon. Veil was early to Amazon and went live on the giant e-tailer in the brand’s infancy. Its concealer is among the top-selling concealers on Amazon. Outside of Amazon, Veil has a distributor handling accounts in Canada, and a distributor handling them in Australia and Europe. The brand’s site in the United States has international shipping.

In 2019, Veil released Velvet Lip & Cheek Palette. While the product remains in its lineup, Tardif says the shift away from color amid the pandemic rendered its sales not the most stellar for Veil. In response, the brand is doubling down on its complexion business. “I have an idea for a new foundation, and I’m currently working on skincare,” says Tardif. “So, for the 10^th anniversary, expect some skincare from Veil.”

Automatte recently became Veil’s No. 1 stockkeeping unit—it has roughly eight products overall—and Tardif reasons its rise is partially due to consumers’ focus on skin that he doesn’t believe will go away. He says, “People are investing so heavily into lasers and all sorts of skin apparatuses. It goes hand in hand with showing off beautiful skin as opposed to masking it.”