Saie Enters Eye Shadow Category with 1990s-Inspired Collection

Color cosmetics brand Saie, founded by Laney Crowell, is expanding into a new product category with the launch of its SuperSuede Baked Eyeshadow. Modeled after 1990s minimalism, the collection opens with a neutral palette featuring six demi-matte shades (Panna Cotta, Cannoli, Biscotti, Amaretto, Dolce, and Tiramisu) and five low-lit shimmer shades (Sorbetto, Granita, Tartufo, Gelato, and Affogato). Available in-store and online at Sephora and on saiehello.com starting Aug. 18, the collection will be sold in single, spherical compacts for $24 each. Saie's push reflects ongoing retail momentum for clean cosmetics options at major stockists, a trend seen across other high-profile rollouts like POV Beauty's Sephora debut.

“You say it, we create it,” Crowell told WWD. “We’re always in lockstep with our community, and they’ve been asking for eye shadow.”

Without any specific consumer requests for initial formulas, Crowell said the brand experimented with the shadow’s function and formulation during early development. The team developed a lightweight makeup formula infused with jojoba esters, squalane, and ceramides to mimic the soft feel of suede fabric. It can be applied with a finger or with the brand's new dual-ended brush, requiring no eye primer.

“When I think about Saie and our community, what they always come back with is they love how easy, effortless and seamless our products are. When looking through that lens, we wanted to create an eye shadow that anybody could apply,” said Crowell. She added that the matte shades were inspired by the brand’s core baking technology used in its bronzer, blush, and powder lines, engineered for 16-hour wear. The shimmers are designed to be worn alone or layered over the solid shades.

For the campaign, Saie tapped Danish supermodel Helena Christensen. As a defining face of '90s beauty, Crowell noted that Christensen immediately understood the vision.

“It all seemed so serendipitous,” Christensen told WWD. “It’s funny how I feel inside and how I live seem to be encapsulated in the Saie products. I love seeing skin texture. I love seeing freckles. I love the natural shadows around your eyes. I love when things happen this way, where you are in love with a brand and happen to meet the founder of the brand, and she’s a cool, fun, smart woman, and you get along well and end up working together.”

Both the campaign and the product line arrive as beauty market interest in '90s minimalism resurfaces. However, Crowell noted that broader industry movements were not the main driver. “We’ve been working on this category for years, so we had a lot of time to think about the positioning and what eye shadow represents to Saie, and we kept going back to the easy, effortless look, which to me is very inspired by the ’90s.

“Saie doesn’t chase trends,” Crowell continued. “We are aware of a shade that’s fun and exciting, but I would say the majority of the time, we are so focused on serving our community with long-lasting products that will be a hero on their own.”

Addressing how the brand decides which categories to enter, the founder explained that decisions rest largely on consumer demand. “I also think that eye shadow, or the uncomplicated eye, speaks to how Saie has always been on the forefront of makeup innovation, and speaks to the fact that we’re able to create these formulas that are so nourishing for your skin. And to me, that’s the future of makeup.”

While Saie declined to provide formal sales projections, the company described the line as its largest product launch to date. Industry sources estimate first-year sales for the eye shadow line will reach approximately $5 million.

Looking ahead, Crowell signaled additional business developments before the end of the year, teasing, “We have so many things that we’re working on.”