Is Dior Preserving Brand DNA?

Looking at Dior past and present. Is Dior protecting brand heritage, codes, and quality in modern times, or have they lost the plot?

November 2025

Beauty feels like it moves faster than fashion some days. Monthly new releases flanked by variations and special editions can either define or erode a brand's true identity. How brands handle the fast paced and competitive cosmetics space will quickly reveal what they think of you, the consumer.

Is a brand doing their best to deliver quality products they believe in? Or, are they trying to juice you for every cent preying on your status insecurities and cheap trends.

For this specific article I want to put Dior under the microscope. A well know luxury brand Christian Dior, self proclaimed "House of Dreams" had meant to create art of elegance and joy. Dior is a cornerstone of fashion history dating back to 1946. Known for popularizing the "New Look" and redefining femininity in fashion (Dior).

From the beginning, Dior has been centered on the fashion innovation and classic motifs of Paris. The vibe, the colors, the elegance, and sophistication. The Parisian style and ethos was translated for Dior's brand heritage, resulting in values of pushing boundaries of fashion trends and celebrating femininity.

Starting as a fashion house it was not long before Perfumes Christian Dior began releasing products. The first cosmetics were fragrance, again, very Paris.

In 1957 Christian Dior passed away and the business was succeed by his apprentice Yves Saint Laurent who became Creative Director of Dior and began to work in avant guard design inspiration for the 60's. It isn't until 1976 that the official Dior Makeup line is formed with Serge Lutens as creative director (Dior) though the first makeup products were released in the 1950's. Dior has a long history of innovative designers who work to push the edges on popular trends for the current woman.

The first cosmetic products (save the fragrance as part of Parfumes Christian Dior) were a red lipstick and black mascara. Popular at the time, and aligned with the house's vision for enhancing femininity. Today Dior still makes some of the best red lipsticks. Below you'll see one of the first lipsticks juxtaposed with a 2025 edition. Both are giving elegant and sleek style suited for any fashionable handbag.

In 2017 Dior was completely bought out by LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate.) However, Dior has been partially controlled by LVMH since 1984 due to Bernard Arnault's acquisition of Boussac Saint-Frères (a textile house which included Dior.) This is important because without this buyout we might not have Dior today. Artists are great at creating art but not always great at business.

Back to the cosmetics. In 1984 Dior presented experimental color from the hands of Tyen, the new Creative Director at Dior. Using bold colors and blue mascara felt shocking at the time. True to Dior's value of revolutionizing femininity, I think the use of color in the 1980's was appropriate and empowering to the children born of earth toned woman in the 1960's. When thinking of Dior you may mostly imagine classic sophisticated colors like black, cream, and champagne. When actually looking at past and current ad campaigns we are seeing colorful creative inspiration of bold in makeup.

Some 45 years later viewing the 1984 and 2025 ads next to each other the feel has lost its Parisian feel but the femininity and bold expression has remained constant.

When you think of what makes a recognizable Dior product what comes to mind? Unfortunately for me I simply think of the "Dior" text logo. I'm not sure I could identify a product as Dior if it didn't say it on the product. This notion is what is known as a brand code.

In 2009 Dior released the first iteration of the Dior Lip Addict Lip Polish Smoothing Lacquer (retailing for $29.50.) The images I found of these on The Beauty Look Book show the early days of a Dior code, the signature Lip Addict packaging component.

This is significant for the line moving forward as the Lip Addict line came to represent a shift from bold and daring looks, to just simple everyday essentials. Dior was able to offer products to people who were not looking to be seen but rather people who just wanted to carry a bit of the Dior lifestyle with them. Stepping back and looking at the bigger picture the Lip Addict line is, in practice, very chic and very Parisian. This brand code is essential to the success of the Dior brand in Sephora, the high end lipgloss is an important product for the aspirational luxury customer.

Another recognizable, though inconsistent Dior brand code is the quilted compact. In my opinion YSL does this better and the design is more natural in their merchandising. The quilted compacts are cute and meant to read as luxury but, compared to the YSL quilted compact these feel cheap. YSL version feature sophisticated colors, real fabric, stitching details, actual quilting. Where as the Dior versions are completely hard plastic.

In 2018 we saw the official launch of the Dior Backstage line (contrasting Dior Forever) championed by Peter Phillips. Meant to create cosmetics that were easy to use at home, this brought a shift "buildable coverage" better known as a decline in overall quality and craftsmanship. Cheaper packaging and faster releases, the Dior Backstage line has released some of the most insulting products to the house of Dior.

I am being a bit dramatic but, may I present to you Summer 2025's release of the $42 Dior Lip Glow Butter Hydrating Gloss Balm. A 10ml lip balm in the cheapest packaging possible. Adorned with a plastic Dior charm that would be stolen off all testers in Sephora stores.

Another product I lust after but refuse to pay the price for is the $54 Backstage Glow Maximizer Face Palette. When new shade 003 Pearly Peach Glow was released I picked up the tester in store to feel mildly disputed with the lightweight plastic casing. I mentioned this disappointment to the Dior brand representative stating nearby to which they replied, "well, it is the Backstage line, so it's going to be....cheaper." Does it still read Dior?

In Fall 2025 Miss Dior makeup was launched, a limited run of color cosmetics to flank the signature Miss Dior fragrance family. Why? The world may never know. A weak echo of a trend rumored to be popular in 2025 fashion. Why did they drag Miss Dior into this? The fragrance is elegant and timeless. What was reimagined for Fall 2025 was not elegant or timeless. It was cheap, and in my opinion, insulting to the classic Miss Dior. The Dior Essence fragrance (Fall 2025) however, I feel is an appropriate update on the fragrance and the brand should have stopped at that.

Overall, (despite my hot takes) the Dior cosmetic line is doing great work at welcoming in the aspirational customer while, simultaneously trying it's best to preserve the brand's heritage and DNA.

All new products, even the Backstage ones are still heavily embossed with logos and custom components that make them unmistakably Dior. However the bold line between Dior Forever/ Dior Backstage (sold in Sephora and department stores) and Dior Prestige (often boutique or online exclusive) is widening the gap between customer groups. This creates unique and valuable experiences for both the mall shopper and the boutique shopper, who may never cross each other's paths. The strategy of catering to two distinct markets may ensure the brand's financial health long term but, will the aspiration shoppers of Sephora ever be translated into fashion and accessory purchases? And if so, when that aspirational customer reaches the Dior boutique will the prestige Dior style even resonate with them?

Thank you so much for joining me on this exploration of Dior past and present brand DNA. Please take time to subscribe to the email newsletter so you can enjoy articles like this straight to your inbox.

Additionally enjoy my other recent posts like my article on Natural vs Bioengineered cosmetics, a review of the Danessa Myricks Lightwork VII Eyeshadow palette, or a look into my favorite Fugazzi fragrance.

Cheers,

-Katt