Meet Valdé: One of the Most Luxurious (and Expensive) Lipsticks Ever!

According to founder, Margarita Arriagada, “These refillable lipstick ‘armors’ are an extension of the woman who carries it, an external manifestation of her inner strength and beauty.” Arriagada, who spent more than a decade as the chief merchant at Sephora, created Valdé to honor her mother. “She had no hang-ups. She saw herself as beautiful.” Part of

Arriagada’s mother’s confidence stemmed from lipstick. She wore it every day until her last.

With Valdé Beauty, Arrigada is pioneering a new category of modern luxury: Couture cosmetics. We speak to the Peruvian-born founder about:

• Her inspiration: creating a lipstick as an homage to her mother
• Sustainability: “Twenty percent of the cost of producing a lipstick is in the formula; eighty percent is in the packaging,” says Arrigada. Hear how she mindfully made vessels aim to reduce waste.
• Ethical beauty: the importance of honoring the craftsmen and women who ethically source, mine and mold the materials that compose the vessels into true works of art, adding transparency to the supply chain.
• Commitment to clean beauty: Valdé formulates without 50 ingredients common in the makeup industry, including synthetic fragrances, sulfates, phthalates and parabens. The line is 100% cruelty-free and vegan.
• Beauty in the Metaverse: Valdé was one of the first to launch inside the metaverse and be sold as NFTs.