Haus Labs

SUMMARY

Haus Labs is a vegan, cruelty‑free makeup brand founded in 2019 by Lady Gaga and businessman Ben Jones. It emphasises “clean artistry” — high‑pigment, high‑performance cosmetics infused with skincare benefits — and aims to combine creativity, inclusivity and innovation in the beauty industry. The brand made its debut as an online exclusive and later relaunched with broader retail distribution, gaining strong media visibility and consumer traction in a short time.

HISTORY

Haus Labs has its roots in Lady Gaga’s early relationship with makeup as a form of self‑expression and identity. Prior to Haus Labs, Gaga had previously launched fragrance products under the name ‘Haus Laboratories’ in collaboration with a major beauty company; the brand pivot into colour cosmetics in 2019.

In July 2019 the brand announced its launch, with pre‑orders through Amazon. The first official products went live around September 2019 in multiple countries. From the launch, Haus Labs emphasised bold colour, self‑expression, packaging and a digital‑forward model. “Colour is completely transformative — it’s powerful, it’s beautiful, and it’s how I found my voice with makeup” the singer told BoF. “I discovered myself, but also other people discovered me, for me, through the way that I was expressing myself.”

Haus Labs

In the subsequent years Has labs expanded its product range and launched high‑profile collections. For example, it introduced an eyeshadow palette inspired by Gaga’s music album, and in 2022 the brand launched its first complexion line with 51 shades foundation. In June 2022 the brand underwent a significant re‑launch (or rebrand) from “Haus Laboratories” to “Haus Labs by Lady Gaga”, shifting its retail partner to Sephora and emphasising “cleaner” formulations by removing around 2,700 so‑called “dirty” ingredients.

International expansion followed: by 2025 the brand had launched in multiple Asia Pacific markets via Sephora and expanded its global footprint. Haus Labs also developed collaborations and limited‑edition releases tied to Gaga’s creative work (such as the “Love for Sale” palette inspired by her album with Tony Bennett) and community‑oriented campaigns (donating to charity via product sales). While the brand remains privately held (and independent of the large legacy beauty conglomerates), its rapid growth and high media value in the celebrity‑beauty category (third highest in 2020 among celebrity makeup brands) underscore its commercial and cultural impact.

VISION

Lady Gaga’s vision for Haus Labs centres on using makeup as a tool of empowerment rather than simply aesthetic enhancement. She has spoken about wanting tools that allow people to express themselves, reinvent themselves and feel brave and kind in their skin. The brand strives to merge artistry and science: high‑tech formulas, skincare benefits, inclusive shade ranges, and cruelty‑free ethics. The ambition is not just to follow trends but to lead trends, delivering products that are both high performance and aligned with conscious beauty values. Haus Labs also envisions being truly inclusive — across gender, skin tone, identity — and to reflect Gaga’s own belief that makeup is for everyone. This inclusive mindset is built into product development and marketing.

MISSION STATEMENT

Haus Labs sets out to “provide the tools for clean artistry, powered by innovation, so that you can colour outside the lines, express your truth, and create your own kind of beautiful.” Underpinning this mission is a promise that every product will be cruelty‑free, vegan, free from unnecessary compromise, and formulated with ingredients that respect both performance and skin health. In practice the mission also includes charitable and social values. For example, donations from certain product sales go to the Born This Way Foundation (Gaga’s non‑profit) in support of kindness, mental health and youth empowerment.

EXECUTIVE BOARD

• Lady Gaga — Co‑Founder & Chair (Board Member)

• Ben Jones — Co‑Founder & Chief Executive Officer

• Ashumi Shippee — Chief Financial Officer

• Kelly Coller — Chief Marketing Officer

• Gloria Ryu — Chief Product Officer

PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Haus Labs offers a wide range of colour cosmetics for face, eyes, lips and cheeks — all under the umbrella of “clean artistry” makeup. At launch the initial line included lip liners, lip glosses, shimmer pigments and kits inspired by ball‑culture themes. Famous collections include the Cosmic Love holiday collection (2019), the Stupid Love eyeshadow palette (2020) inspired by Gaga’s album, the Love for Sale eyeshadow palette (2021) tied to her collaboration with Tony Bennett, and the Triclone Skin Tech liquid foundation line (2022) which launched with one of the largest shade ranges for a new complexion product (51 shades) in the brand’s history. The brand also emphasises service and education: shade‑finder tools online, DTC (direct‑to‑consumer) sales, partnership with Sephora for global retail distribution, and digital campaigns that emphasise community, self‑expression and art.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Haus Labs has received several notable awards and industry recognition. For example, its foundation line Triclone Skin Tech Medium Coverage Foundation was voted “Best Breakthrough Product (Colour Cosmetics)” in the BeautyMatter NEXT Awards 2023, and “Best Clean Makeup” in the Allure Best of Beauty Awards 2023. Earlier, as “Haus Laboratories,” the brand won “Best New Brand” in the 2020 Allure Readers’ Choice Awards, and its Edge Precision Brow Pencil won “Best Brow Pencil” in the 2021 Allure Best of Beauty Awards. The brand is also recognised for its rapid media visibility and ranking: it achieved the third‑highest media value among celebrity makeup brands in 2020, behind only two larger celebrity brands.

REFERENCES

1.  “Lady Gaga: Breaking Ground on Her FAME”. Vanity Fair. 
2. “Lady Gaga unveils new Steven Klein artwork for Eau de Gaga”. Yahoo! News. 
3. “Lady Gaga just gave fans another sign that she is launching a makeup line in 2019”. Business Insider. 
4. “Haus Laboratories: All the facts about Lady Gaga’s new beauty brand”. Vogue India.
5. “Lady Gaga Named MAC Spokesperson — AGAIN!”. Seventeen. 
6.  “Revealed: Lady Gaga’s New Beauty Line”. The Business of Fashion.
7.  “Could Lady Gaga’s New Make-Up Line Be The Next Fenty Beauty?”. Vogue UK. 
8.  “Attention: You Can Now Preorder Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs Makeup Products Online—TY, Amazon Prime Day!”. Cosmopolitan.
9. “Inside Lady Gaga’s “Haus Party” to Unveil Cosmetics Line”. Hollywood Reporter. 
10. “After Launching On Amazon, Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs Shifts To Sephora. What Does The Move Say About Beauty Distribution Today?”. Beauty Independent. 
11. “Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs Enters New Chapter at Sephora: ‘The Future Is Beautiful'”. Billboard.
12. “Lady Gaga Goes Scientist-Chic While Promoting Haus Lab’s Relaunch”. W Magazine. 
13.  “Everything You Need to Know About Lady Gaga’s New Haus Laboratories Collection”. Vogue.
14.  “Lady Gaga’s Chromatica team reveals the history and future of her new era”. Entertainment Weekly. 
15.  “Lady Gaga’s Haus Holiday Collection Is Here”. Paper. 
16.  “Lady Gaga releases new Stupid Love video with Drag Race stars Aquaria and Alaska”. Gay Times. 
17. “Lady Gaga stuns in Haus Laboratories gel eyeliner campaign”. Fashion Gone Rogue. 
18. “Fenty Beauty, Kylie Cosmetics Top Celebrity Brand Rankings”. Women’s Wear Daily. 
19. “Lady Gaga’s Haus makeup launch on Amazon bombed and triggered a ‘mass exodus’ of talent, former employees say. 
20. “Here’s a Sneak Peek at Lady Gaga’s Haus Laboratories Makeup Launch”. Us Weekly.