Looking one’s best is a dream many women try to achieve. Whether it’s the perfect nose or a pointed chin, every lady wants to have that extra touch that makes their appearance stand out. However, to successfully achieve this look, you need the right makeup. With several options in the market, finding the perfect brand can be pretty tricky. Two of the leading makeup brands in the cosmetic industry are MAC and NARS cosmetics. These brands have stirred a Nars vs Mac debate amongst makeup lovers recently. They’re both successful brands that have taken over the makeup industry. 

Since their launch, these two cosmetic brands have been on the makeup map alongside other top beauty brands. This article will explore the two brands touching on their history and how they have grown into the leading cosmetic brands they are. Without further ado, let’s take a look at this Nars vs Mac comparison.

Nars vs Mac – Nars Cosmetics Beginnings

Nars was established in New York city by Francois Nars in 1994. This makeup line began with a couple of lipsticks and grew into today’s big cosmetics brand. Francois Nars grew up with his stylish mother, Claudette, a strong influence in his life. She supported him when he chose to develop a career as a makeup artist. He studied at Carita Makeup School in Paris. His talent caught the attention of Polly Mellen, the editor of American Vogue. Through her encouragement and nurturing, he decided to move to New York in 1984. 

It was right here that he grew famous for his love of colors and his unwavering support for modernizing cosmetics. He started working with different magazines like Italian Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, American Vogue, and Elle. Soon, he became famous and became a part of an elite group of creative talents that created modern looks for designers like Dolce & Gabbana, Alberta Ferretti, Anna Sui, Valentino, Versace, and more. He also created advertising campaigns for some clients like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, and many more. Francois also collaborated with top photographers like Steven Meisel, Helmut Newton, and many more.

The Launching

Francois’s approach to modern makeup is revolutionary. He believes that makeup shouldn’t be a mask. Instead, the individuality of each woman should shine through the makeup. He was famous for his classic elegance, natural, outrageous look, and sheer glamour. His makeup transformed the familiar face of beauty. Several celebrities like Madonna, Lauren Hutton, Isabella Rosselini, Catherine Deneuve, and more are testaments to Francois’s excellent talent and ability to create a striking look that enhances women’s beauty and style.

Eventually, Francois became frustrated with cosmetic lines, which he considered limited. Due to this, he created and successfully launched a collection of lipsticks at Barneys New York Store. Nars Cosmetics was born out of Francois’s love of texture, color, and purity. His vision for his makeup line was to encourage self-expression and individuality. Everyone loved this vision, which caused the lipstick to get sold out, and demands continued to grow for more. This overwhelming demand led Francois to create a full line of cosmetics women could use to achieve total beauty.

Over the decades, the Nars brand has become synonymous with modern, chic, and fashionable makeup products. The Nars makeup line focuses on hip women across all ages and offers original, cutting-edge products. The products explore different finishes, tones, and textures like velvet matte lip pencils, dual-intensity eye shadows, and many more. Despite being a luxury brand, Nars has an edge. The blush and lipsticks shades are often labeled with provocative names like striptease, orgasm, and deep throat. However, Francois’s vision for the brand continues to be apparent in the brand, from the campaigns to the minimalist packaging.

Nars vs Mac – Mac Cosmetics Beginnings

Mac started in Toronto when Frank Toskan and Frank Angelo came together to find a solution to the limitations of the makeup industry. Frank Toskan was a photographer, while Frank Angelo owned a hair salon. Both men felt that the cosmetic industry offered limited products and wanted to create a niche for themselves. Frank Toskan realized while working as a makeup artist and photographer that there were little textures and colors for excellent performance in his profession. He wanted products that met the needs and requirements of modern women.

They wanted to create a studio line of makeup that would meet their professional requirements while still being ideal for modern women. These two men started working on their cosmetics in their home in Canada and then sold them at the hair salon. Slowly, their popularity grew, and they started manufacturing products of various colors.

The Launching

It was in March 1984 that the duo officially launched their line. It was from a single counter in a Toronto department store. This store was staffed with professional makeup artists. Mac was able to take the cosmetics industry by storm by offering varying products that blended street with glamorous style. The company also made history by investing in the trainers and education for its staff and the customers’ point of sale experience.

Mac’s focus was creating makeup products that catered to all sexes, ages, and colors. This was a welcome ideology in the makeup industry, and the store soon became a top spot for drag queens, club personalities, and beauty eccentrics. To play up the diversity of the makeup brand, the founders decided to hire unconventional beauties to work at the counters. They chose beauties of different genders with piercings, bold hair colors, and even tattoos. Instead of focusing on sales through traditional advertising, the brand relied on its perfectly formulated products and brand image. The makeup shop catered to different skin tones and gender. This was a much-needed makeover for the conventional face of beauty.

Mac Growth – The Madonna Effect

The brand quickly grew over the decade. Madonna was one of the influencers of the brand’s growth in its earlier years. She requested a lipstick that would last through her entire performance, so Toskan and Angelo got to work to create the Russian Red. They made the lipstick shade precisely for her, and it was an instant hit. Major stars began to visit the store, and Mac became a common name in the media, making their products sold out in a flash. Today, Mac is available worldwide with over a thousand stores. 

Nars vs Mac – The Comparison

These two brands have been in an ever-going clash, during which several top-quality and high-performing products have been released. Customers of both brands find it hard to determine who is the best in the cosmetics industry. Both brands offer makeup kits for everyday women as well as professionals. Both brands provide customers extensive lipstick collections, although Mac seems to dominate the eye-shadow category. However, Nars and Mac are evenly matched in the Nars vs Mac comparison regarding foundation and blushes.

This healthy competition seems to be advancing the cosmetic industry even though there are varied opinions on their products. Most people seem to support Mac for their economical pricing. However, the high-quality standards offered by Nars explain why the brand is more expensive. Both create their products for the modern woman and the modernizing glamour of fashion and style.

Nars vs Mac – Social Media Effect

Beauty vloggers today are continually talking about their favorite beauty brands and offering makeup tutorials. Therefore, YouTube and Instagram are some of the top influencers of change in the beauty industry. Social media doesn’t just work as a marketing channel; it also serves as a sales channel. Social media contributed to lead conversions and purchases in the beauty industry. Therefore, cosmetic companies quickly adopt a digital-first marketing strategy to stay relevant. Thus, in this Nars vs Mac battle, we’ll look at some of both brands’ most successful marketing campaigns and lessons to learn.

Mac Social Media Campaigns

Mac is amongst the top brands making the most of TikTok; it also has one of the best TikTok influencer campaigns to date. The main aim of this TikTok campaign was to celebrate diversity in the beauty industry. However, the brand also wanted to increase its popularity with Gen Z, who made up many TikTok users. The campaign involved a challenge using 18 influencers. The hashtag #YouOwnIt was also created and used during the 2019 New York City Fashion Week. 

This campaign highlighted the power of influencer marketing on social media. The #YouOwnIt campaign generated over 700 videos, and with the use of consumers’ videos, other users found it more reliable. Although the campaign began with a clip Mac produced, most of the content later used was user-generated. 

YouTube Campaign

The brand also launched a campaign using YouTube’s virtual try-on feature. Their campaign showed the interactive features of virtual makeup technology. It allowed customers to try different shades without visiting a physical store. In the Mac YouTube campaign, the brand worked with YouTube influencer Roxette Arisa. As her video played, a button would pop up saying, ‘try it on.’ Once you select this button, it will launch the camera on split-screen. 

Mac helped its users feel like part of a wider community by utilizing user-generated content. One screen would show the Youtube video playing, and the other would show you. Beneath the screens, YouTube would display color swatches of the lipstick shades. Every one you click on allows you to try it on and see how it would look on you. The brand made customers feel valued and opened up room for more brand engagement. 

Nars Social Media Campaign

Mac isn’t the only makeup brand that’s up-to-date with technology and its utilization to reach current and new customers. Nars utilized the Spotify platform to test their interactive audio ads through a partnership. Unlike the traditional audio ads, these allowed listeners to speak to their smart home devices to send them a sample. This feature only worked on smart devices, so the brand only distributed the ads to these devices. By using the ‘Send Me a Sample’ feature, customers would be taken through the signup proves, and they would have to wait for their sample to arrive. With this Spotify campaign, Nars can gain the attention of potential and current customers in engaging ways.

Nars vs Mac – Nars Youtube Campaign

Nars’ video contents were also a part of their paid and organic marketing strategy. It also used a YouTube video campaign which was a part of their Climax Mascara launch. This campaign drove awareness for their product and also increased purchases. The brand grew its website traffic and search interest with different video creatives.

Nars uses a cross-channel approach to engage with their audience. Through these channels, Nars can raise awareness for the overall brand profile. As the brand continues to scale globally, the brand continues to utilize digital platforms in emerging markets.

Final Thoughts

In the Nars vs Mac comparison, it is clear that both brands have a vast number of followers on social media platforms. Both brands also occupy the same space when it comes to products. They utilize different but effective marketing strategies to reach users across multiple touchpoints. We hope this Nars vs Mac comparison sheds insight into how each brand stands out in the battle of the brands.