As a woman-owned business, it’s important to uplift and highlight the influential women who have and continue to shape the beauty industry during Women’s History Month and every month. Next up in our blog series celebrating these women is Pat McGrath, also known as the ‘world’s most influential makeup artist’, a title given to her by Vogue and other high-fashion magazines. The world’s most celebrated editorial and runway makeup artist, she’s renowned for her iconic, daring looks and her billion-dollar beauty brand, Pat McGrath Labs.
About Pat McGrath
Pat McGrath was born in England in 1970, where she was raised in a working-class household by her single mother. Pat attributes her eye for makeup and fashion to her mother, who would often quiz her on eyeshadow shades when she was growing up. She was largely inspired as a teenager by 80’s icons such as Boy George and Spandau Ballet. She completed an art foundation course at Northampton University and planned to earn a fashion degree when she met Kim Bowen, who invited her to work on shoots for two popular fashion magazines, The Face and i-D.
Eventually, she left her job to fly to Japan and create looks for Caron Wheeler from Soul II Soul. She met i-D magazine’s fashion director through this opportunity, and was eventually named beauty director for the magazine. Pat McGrath has worked with many widely-recognized brands, including collaborating on a product line with Giorgio Armani in 1999, working as a Global Cosmetics Creative Design Director for Procter & Gamble, becoming a Beauty Editor-at-Large for British Vogue, creating beauty products for Louis Vuitton, doing makeup for a Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and more.
Her most personal contribution to the beauty industry, however, was the creation of Pat McGrath Labs, her own makeup line, which she launched in 2015. By 2019, it had become a 1 billion dollar company. Her products are known for their rich pigmentation, luxurious textures, and cutting-edge formulas. She was the first Black woman to lead a billion-dollar beauty brand. What started as a small collection of innovative, high-performance products quickly became a global phenomenon.
Creating Iconic Looks
In 2024, Pat McGrath broke the internet with one of her most iconic looks, the viral “porcelain doll” makeup for the Maison Margiela Artisanal fashion show in Paris, by Creative Director John Galliano. This was not Pat’s first time working with Galliano, as they had collaborated on iconic looks for Dior in the 1990s, including the signature crystallized lips, a look they revisited together in the 2000s.
Her viral glass doll skin look took the internet by storm and was created by applying a thin layer of water and gel-like masks over makeup. Thousands of people tried to recreate the iconic makeup at home, with varied results.
Known for her unique and innovative techniques, her brand, Pat McGrath Labs, is centered around creating products that have never existed before. The viral doll makeup was a challenge even for McGrath, trying to achieve that perfect, glass-skin without disrupting the makeup underneath. This look was a cultural phenomenon, leading to artists, aficionados, and everyone in between trying to recreate the makeup.
But beyond the artistry, McGrath has played a key role in expanding representation in beauty. Her work celebrates diversity in skin tones, facial features, and cultural expression, long before inclusivity became a mainstream conversation.
Women’s History Month
Stories like Pat McGrath’s remind us why highlighting women and their contributions to the industry matter. The beauty industry is constantly changing and evolving, but it’s shaped by women who dare to think differently, push boundaries, and create space for others. Stay tuned for the next blog post in our series highlighting women who shape the beauty industry for Women’s History Month!
