The intersection of beauty, wellness, and home decor has always existed, even if not glaringly obvious. The most commonly cited example of such cross-industry outcomes can be attributed to home fragrance. As evidenced by brands including Earl of East and Control + Chaos, the scent of a room has a significant impact on its aura, playing a crucial role in creating the ambiance and atmosphere of a living space.
Home fragrance can significantly enhance an interior's overall design and feel, complementing other visual aspects, including color, texture, and lighting. For instance, a light citrus or floral scent can energize a bright, airy room, while a rich, woody fragrance adds warmth and depth to a space with dark, sophisticated decor. Home fragrance serves as an invisible layer of design that many may not initially think to focus on, yet it has the ability to strongly influence how individuals experience a space.
Recently, the relationship between beauty, wellness, and home decor has branched out from the home fragrance category, dipping its brush into collaborations with interior paint companies. MAC Cosmetics celebrated its 40th birthday by producing a cohesive lipstick and interior paint shade with designer wall paint company Lick, Olive & June crafted a nail polish based on BEHR Paint Company's 2025 color of the year, and Tata Harper Beauty collaborated with wellness paint business Alkemis Paint to envision a shade for loyal consumers' homes.
These partnerships have begun to redefine the way consumers engage with beauty and color in their personal spaces while highlighting the symbiotic relationship between interior design and the beauty industry. A broader movement towards holistic aesthetic expression has begun through such a convergence, where the shades that cosmetics consumers adorn on their bodies also grace their living space walls.
The Science of Shades
"Red makes you hungry, blue calms you, and yellow gives you a pick-me-up" are frequently referenced when discussing color psychology (the study of how colors interact, mix, and influence human perception and emotions). Color psychology strongly influences how we live our lives and make purchasing decisions, shaping our perceptions, emotions, and, in turn, behaviors.
According to research, brands leveraging colors to produce an effect influence 85% of customers purchasing decisions. What's more, 90% of initial impressions towards a brand or product are based on color alone. Whether it be a soft blue creating a tranquil vibe in a living space or the bold confidence that can be felt when wearing a red lipstick, the colors we engage with on a daily basis impact how we feel and interact with the world around us.
Pantone's annual "Color of the Year" illustrates how color psychology plays a role across multiple industries, sparking trends and defining product creation. Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of the Pantone Color Institute, explains that cosmetics are a major factor in deciding the Color of the Year.
"While we consider various areas when naming the Color of the Year, one area we investigate is the growing popularity of certain colors in cosmetics, although cosmetics is just one part of it. We look at many different influences to determine whether colors are trending warmer or cooler and the reasoning behind it," Eiseman tells BeautyMatter.
The Executive Director points out that from Pantone's observations, cosmetics are often among the first places consumers experiment with Color of the Year if it appeals to them. "It's easy to buy lipstick, blush, nail polish, or even put peach tips on your hair. Experimenting with beauty trends and the Color of the Year is accessible within the cosmetic world," Eiseman adds. "The instant gratification of seeing, liking, and trying the color—whether through lipstick, nail polish, or hair color—is one of the most fun and least expensive ways to experiment."
The easy accessibility to Pantone's Color of the Year makes beauty an ideal starting point for low-commitment color experimentation, often leading to broader adoption in home decor. Naturally, as consumers become inspired by trending colors in cosmetics, they begin to surround themselves with these hues in their everyday lives, which then infiltrate into their living space.
"This influence is sometimes subliminal; when you love a color and live with it in your home, you want to find other ways to use it, like in beauty products. You might experiment with a beautiful shade of lipstick, nail polish, blush, or hair color, fall in love with it, and then think, 'I need to use this in my home.' Before you know it, you're buying pillows or even getting paint in a matching shade," Eiseman says.
On the flip side, home interior colors can often influence cosmetic purchases, too. "If you walk into a beauty boutique and are drawn to a color, you'll likely buy the product. But if you walk into a paint store trying to choose a color for a room, you might also fall in love with that color and want to use it in your beauty routine. So, it works both ways—sometimes you paint a room and then want the beauty products, or you buy the beauty product and then want to bring that color into your home," Eiseman continues.
The heavy use of social media among consumers also has its part to play when it comes to beauty hues making their way into the home. Research shows that 40% of US consumers are influenced by social media when choosing the shades of their living spaces. With platforms like Pinterest constantly providing a refresh of ideas for home decor, as well as producing effective trend reports to instruct loyal followers in the direction of the next "big thing" in beauty, home spaces, and wider industries, it makes sense that a flow of inspiration from beauty to home interiors is becoming increasingly recognized by brands, fueling a new wave of cross-brand collaborations.
Blending Beauty into Buildings
BEHR Paint Company is another color authority business that produces an annual Color of the Year. The company's 2025 Color of the Year, Rumors (a deep ruby red), has found its way into the beauty industry through a collaboration with DIY nail brand Olive & June, which provides a co-branded Rumors nail polish. "Like how a pop of red can impact beauty and fashion, it can also make a statement within the home—so our team was confident a collaboration with a color like Rumors would be a perfect fit with nail polish," Andy Lopez, Senior Vice President and Head of North American Marketing at BEHR, tells BeautyMatter.
Lopez notes the choice to work with Olive & June as a natural fit because the two businesses are "leading color and DIY authorities in their respective industries." During BEHR's Color of the Year research stage, it was revealed that consumers feel red enhances their personal style. Specifically, 63% of women agreed that red walls inspire them to feel confident in a similar way that wearing red does. "Both BEHR and Olive & June collectively love the idea of instilling confidence in our consumers, and with a bolder color like Rumors, we can show the versatility of the color and the elevated energy it brings no matter how you use it," Lopez adds.
The partnership brings benefits to both parties, allowing BEHR Paint Company to tap into a new audience outside of the home and decor space while introducing Olive & June customers to an easy route towards including their beauty aesthetic in their wider environments. In a similar way to Eiseman, Lopez points out that such collaborations are powerful as they allow laid-back investigation with shades through beauty before committing to a long-term wall color. "You can try it on yourself before you try it on your walls. What better way to empower more confidence than taking the color on your nails directly to the paint on your walls," Lopez concludes.
In response to this growing synergy between beauty and home decor, MAC Cosmetics chose to celebrate its 40th anniversary through a partnership with Lick. The collaboration blurred the lines between the beauty and interior design industries through a co-branded paint shade (MAC Black 40) inspired by the MACximal Silky Matte Lipstick in the shade "Caviar." "For 40 years, MAC has empowered people to express themselves through makeup and color. Why not paint our walls the same way we paint our faces," Ipek Ersavaş, Vice President and General Manager of MAC Cosmetics tells BeautyMatter.
The campaign's inspiration came from a MAC brainstorming session when the brand was thinking about dream businesses to collaborate with. "We wanted to surprise and delight our consumers with innovative and exciting partnerships to remind them that MAC is more than a makeup brand; it's a culture," she adds.
Similarly to BEHR Paint Company x Olive & June, MAC's partnership with Lick was created to evoke confidence in both beauty and interior design choices. "Our partnership allows people to embrace color confidence. We aim to guide them in expressing themselves through their choices, whether in makeup or home décor," says Tash Bradley, color psychologist and Director of Interior Design at Lick.
The campaign reimagines the color black—a staple in both beauty and interior design—with both companies hoping to redefine how consumers view the shade. "Joining forces with Lick reframes a historically daunting color in both beauty and interiors as inspiring and accessible," Ersavaş continues.
"I've always been fascinated by the unique role black plays in our lives. In fashion, it represents elegance and sophistication, however, in the world of interiors, many view black as a color that requires a level of bravery and boldness to decorate with," Bradley adds. "We are challenging that perception, showing that MAC Black 40 is the color that everyone can have in their homes. It's the most versatile color; it adds dimension and contrast to any room and will effortlessly accent your furniture and decor, whatever your style."
According to Bradley, the rich, matte hue of MAC Black 40 also absorbs all-natural light. The Director of interior design explains that leaning into the shade in a room that lacks sunlight, such as a bedroom or small space, creates a calming and cocooning effect, as opposed to a bold, daring risk.
The partnership between the two brands not only celebrates MAC's 40-year legacy but also pushes the boundaries of what a beauty brand can achieve through collaboration. By venturing into the home decor space, MAC reaffirms its position as a cultural influencer while Lick gains exposure to a new, style-conscious audience.
Going beyond color, Tata Harper Beauty collaborated with pioneers in wellness paint, Alkemis Paint, to craft nontoxic luxury paints inspired by Tata Harper's signature branded green, which are featured at the beauty entrepreneur's property in Connecticut. The partnership blossomed off Alkemis Paint's co-founders Maya Crowne and Price Latimer's lifelong appreciation of Tata Harper Beauty's shared values of sustainability, innovation, and environmental consciousness.
"We were all fortuitously introduced by a mutual friend/family member, and the idea to collaborate on painting Tata's beautiful Connecticut property was born," Crowne and Latimer tell BeautyMatter. "Both brands prioritize the health of our customers and the planet, so the project was a natural extension of a mutual commitment to sustainability, authenticity, environmental consciousness, and creating safe, luxurious experiences for our clientele."
The collaboration aims to extend wellness and eco-conscious messages to home interiors. Alkemis Paint uses mineral-based formulations, including quartz and earthen pigments, which not only beautify spaces but are also believed to promote wellness by neutralizing chemicals and improving indoor air quality.
"These functional wellness pigments help improve the air inside one's home, absorb and neutralize chemicals, emit positive ions, reduce stress levels, and boost one's mood, all while maintaining a unique, velvet-matte finish that celebrates the world's natural beauty," Crowne and Latimer add.
According to the Alekmis Paint co-founders, "Architectural paint is the biggest contributor of microplastics in the ocean." Every year, 1.9 million tons of paint end up in our oceans and waterways, outweighing all other sources of microplastics. Additionally, plastic-based paint makes up almost 95% of the global paint market. "On top of this, the majority of consumers are completely unaware of the toxic nature of conventional interior paints and their deleterious effects on the environment," they say.
Concerning aspects of the existing paint industry include harmful production practices, dependency on petroleum products, negative environmental and health impacts, plus an end-product that is difficult to dispose of, recycle, and store. Alkemis Paint feels that the conversation about toxins and material health in the home environment has been "sorely lacking."
"Alkemis Paint has been inspired by Tata's leadership and impact in the clean beauty field, so it only makes sense to collectively celebrate and bolster this mission of integrating nature and design into the home interiors sector to create healthier, more intentional, and more eco-friendly spaces,” Crowne and Latimer continue.
This partnership underscores the belief from both brands that sustainability is not just a trend, but a lifestyle that promotes harmony between beauty, nature, and wellness. "The concept and actualization doesn't just stop at beauty and aesthetics; it highlights our aim to bring the tranquility and healing elements of the outdoors in and our mutual belief that sustainability isn't just an option—it's a way of life. We hope that consumers will be encouraged to do the same," they conclude.
The Future of Beauty and Brushwork
The modern-day consumer is seeking more than just beauty products—they long for extensions of brands that align with their personal style and aesthetic across varyious areas of their lives. While most consumers first experiment with the color in their beauty routines before extending it to their living spaces, the increasing momentum of such collaborations shows that the potential for growth in this category is substantial. By offering coordinated color experiences that span from cosmetics to home decor, businesses can create a more immersive and cohesive brand experience. The partnerships between cosmetic and home interior brands are sure to have longevity in the industry, reflecting the evolving consumer desire for cohesive aesthetics that will undoubtedly reshape the way both industries view color.
