Over the past year, the beauty industry has seen a growth of interest in the metaverse and augmented reality. From virtual beauty storytelling worlds to celebrations of diversity, beauty companies continue to push the envelope in new ways to engage consumers As the demand for escapism in online worlds expands, the desire for a “real me vs meta me” is also rising, with virtual versions of consumers allowing individuals to explore endless possibilities as their aspirational selves. In response to changing times, NYX Professional Makeup has launched the first beauty DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization), GORJS. This community-led artist collective intends to “define the future of beauty and makeup in the metaverse.”
According to Matthieu Guerin, VP of Global Digital & Ecommerce at NYX Professional Makeup, “A DAO is a community-led organization that has no hierarchy. It is created based on common goals and values with a built-in tokenization mechanism, allowing members to decide the direction they want the organization to go in. For GORJS, this means building on the future of beauty in a trusted environment.”
Once available to consumers, GORJS will act as a launchpad for 3D art creators across the industry to release NFTs, help with the growth and innovation of their careers, and increase the aptitude for digital makeup. To kick off the launch, NYX Professional Makeup has partnered with three dynamic 3D artists to capture an understanding of beauty in the metaverse, a subject everyone has a unique interpretation of. Artists include @thisiscraves, @smeccea and @curry_tian, all of whom support NYX Professional Makeup's core values of diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility in Web3 environments.
Guerin continues, “We are proud to provide a trusted environment to help shape the cultural conversations surrounding beauty and to connect like-minded people around the world. We want to empower our community to collaborate and make changes based on what is important to them. At NYX Professional Makeup, we proudly champion creativity and diversity and are excited to be on this journey together.”
The DAO is not the first venture NYX Professional Makeup has taken into the metaverse nor the fight for diversity within it, with the brand recently hosting a virtual Pride parade, “The Valley of Belonging,” a collaboration of their People of Crypto Lab (POC) initiative and The Sandbox. NYX Professional Makeup also recently partnered with Crypto Fashion Week and SFX artist Mimi Choi to unveil its debut NFT as part of the official Meta Gala red carpet.
The GORJS strategy was inspired by NYX Professional Makeup's digitally native roots, being one of the first brands to focus on pioneering the development of digital beauty creators and hiring relatively unknown influencers for brand campaigns to help them grow their online presence. To support NFT drops by collaborating artists, NYX Professional Makeup plans to continue the development of their DAO with the hopes to expand to aspiring users in the near future, increasing the community with a broader creator pool.
“NFTs are serving as the catalyst for creating a blueprint for beauty in the metaverse. Knowing NFTs can allow you to personalize your digital identity and express yourself without boundaries. We see this as just the beginning,” says Guerin.
There is currently no official release date for the GORJS DAO; however, previews of NFTs and content, as well as the option to sign up to a waitlist for more information on the initiative, are available now.
