What brand would you be really sad to see close?

Pat McGrath! There is so much potential in the brand, but I’ve definitely been worried about their financial health over the last couple of years due to the frequency of sales they hold.

— Christine

35 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Mariella Avatar

With the comments from others about IT Cosmetics looking like it could be the next “victim”, it is a brand I’d be really sad about. What’s ironic is that eyeshadow is my single favourite makeup product and IT’s offerings in that department aren’t anything to write home about (I only have 2 trios and they came as value deals from the Canadian Shopping Channel) but I really love their CC cream, their concealer and quite a few other (mostly complexion) products I’ve had from them in past and I would be really sad to lose those products!

DonnaL Avatar

I don’t think it will happen but I’d be sad to see Charlotte Tilbury close. They’re my favorite brand.

I don’t know anything about PMG’s financial health but I think they have a lot working against them in today’s environment – some of their prices are exorbitant ($129 for eyeshadow – I suspect you’re paying quite a bit for packaging, $58 for lavender highlighting balm), their unique shadow formulas aren’t something most people make use of on a daily basis (the “special” eyeshadow shades with the glitter) and I’m over all of the super limited releases that generate so much hype they are impossible to get your hands on….until they are eventually released (Star Wars collection). Bases on social media posts I’ve read, many people are tired of her customer service.

Pearl Avatar

Agree about PMG hype. After the build up and frenzied releases of Decadence (someone had Decadence on Mercari for $900!!!) and to a lesser degree, Divine Rose I, I am just waiting for the inevitable sale a few weeks after launch.

Penny Avatar

Totally agree with you on Pat McGrath……Charlotte Tilbury would also be a bummer….Natasha Denona and of course Sydney Grace……There are so many for different reasons…..Armani foundations would make me sad…… Oh, I almost forgot Sonia G brushes!!!

Pearl Avatar

MAC, Pat McGrath, Natasha Denona, Rare Beauty and Danessa Myricks. These are my mainstays. I was worried about MAC for awhile but it seems they are moving forward strategically albeit at a steady clip.

Ana Maria Avatar

Since my collection is mostly MAC, maybe that will worry me. But in the Estee Lauder group they share tons of formulas, I could easily find replacements in Estee Lauder (the brand) or Smashbox. But there are so many companies Estee Lauder group could close first before MAC. Personal opinion, but Smashbox, Tom Ford and Bobby Brown are more in danger… And I couldn’t care less if they would close Too Faced or La Mer (although only J Lo alone keeps that company profitable 😅).

Pearl Avatar

I was thinking Bobbi Brown and Tom Ford also yesterday! I don’t think Tom Ford would concede just yet and BB seems to be re-branding or expanding for skin care from the little that I’ve seen. I feel like Urban Decay and Smashbox might be in trouble.

Z Avatar

Melt Cosmetics.

I’ve been a customer since literally the beginning, before they even had eyeshadow palettes. When it comes to any kind of “industry”, my tastes aren’t popular mainstream – be it makeup style, colors, patterns, clothing cuts, decor, fragrance, material, etc… it’s something I’ve lamented about and been annoyed by A LOT.

Melt comes as close to my makeup aesthetic as possible and their undertones are outta this world for me. Fawn, Voyeur, Old-Fashioned, every matte shade in the Mary Jane palette, Gemini when it was originally (and still, now. People want to compare it to the green palette from kaleidos and they are not the same at all. different formulas, different colors, different quality), etc… They’ve got gorgeous, obviously custom made, shades – especially when it comes to lipsticks – that I can’t find anywhere else.

EVERYONE is running major sales and has been. I can only hope it’s to move old stock and not a red flag in every case.

Ana Maria Avatar

I think there’s tons of sales at this point from multiple causes, not just companies closing. Summer is coming and the companies maybe want to move stock around, so they don’t sell in the summer heat. Memorial Day sales are ongoing. Fulfilment centers are closing and companies need to move stock out of them.
And all the companies not closing are competing with the 50% sales of companies closing. Some will be forced to take an financial hit because in this economy people will buy the cheaper makeup.
I hope that people who can afford
it realize that it’s better to support the brands that are still going on, instead of buying old products from brands closing. Otherwise, everyone’s ship will stink.

JennQ Avatar

I totally second all this! I know it’s not the popular opinion but I love Melt. I wear something from them daily and have since they started. I enjoy Pat McGrath, ND and several smaller Indie brands (Odens Eye, Adept, Unearthly Cosmetics, Kaleidoes, Lethal) but Melt always has the shades and unique undertones I am always looking for 🙂

Ana Maria Avatar

Sincerely, I don’t think I’ll be too sad for any brand. In the end brands are brands, business, some come, some go, personally I don’t put too much emotion into it and don’t care about who does what as long as products are good.
In the end I’ll be able to find other products.

Maybe it’s more sad when small businesses made from passion die. I never purchased Makeup Geek products for example, but I was a little sad for Marlena to see her business close.

Nancy T Avatar

Oh, there’s many that if they went away I would be very sad! MAC, Pat McGrath, Natasha Denona, to name a few favorites. And despite its load of recent fails: Urban Decay. I would really LOVE to see UD get back to everything they were up until these past couple of years. As in; they NEED to bring back the more interesting shade range in their lipstick range, better quality in their eyeshadows, and give us back the Afterglow blushes in order to survive, though.

Lisa C Avatar

In all honesty, I hope PMG does tank. Mainly because of the terrible customer service. Not hearing anything about your order for over a month is totally unnacceptable and I don’t understand how you’re allowed to run a business like that. Also when the price keeps going up and CS continues to be bad. It’s very plain to see where her true allegiance lies and its not with her customers. There are alot of great Indie brands out there just as good and won’t break the bank. That being said, I would really be sad to see Sydney Grace go under.

Nina Avatar

Laura Mercier, Dior and MAC would make me truly sad to see go. I doubt they will ever close, I think they are conservative and safe brands.

Genevieve Avatar

There are quite a few brands that I would be sad to see shut up shop: Natasha Denona, Sydney Grace, Lorac, Give Me Glow and even MAC.
As for PMG – her very high prices, combined with fairly similar pink themed releases over the past couple of years is not helping her financial health at all.
Some of the very crazy and unfathomable decisions by brands’ management makes us in the beauty world shake their heads when they discontinue their most loved, popular and even unique products in favour of something mediocre….I’m looking at you Urban Decay!

beachgal Avatar

MAC, Nars, Clinique, Lancome (for my foundation). I’ve lived through lots of makeup companies going belly up or being bought and absorbed into other companies, it’s dismal thinking back to so many favs gone. I tend to have products I use across lots of lines. Of late, a few of them have changed where their manufacturing is done, only to see the lines trimmed and quality depreciate along the road. I’m happy with MAC eye shadows and hope they don’t go the same way UD eye shadows did in quality. I’m pretty adaptable however. You get that way if you’ve lived into your 70s like I have. Now if my fave deodorant would just stay in the market until I die, I’d be pretty darn happy!

Pat stan Avatar

Agree on Pat McGrath. Additionally, the last several releases featured smaller product sizes and cheaper materials. I really hope she releases mothership X – it should be spectacular in theory but I have a sinking feeling it’ll disappoint, because of aforementioned issues.

Zia Avatar

Bare Minerals for me. They are just a staple brand for me.
Nyx because they really put out a lot of affordable products over the years that were super cool.
Also Shine by SD (my favorite super shimmery shifty shadows) and Oden’s Eye (beautiful shadows and packaging is always gorgeous).
And honestly Clinique because it would be like…. the end of times.

Clare Avatar

Second Pat McGrath. They’d probably benefit from improved customer service, faster international shipping and turnaround times, and releasing fewer of the same, worn pink/gold colour stories. I used to count on the brand for “everyday wearable colour”, like Subversive and Midnight Sun.

Everybody has also been asking for more of her special shades in standalone palettes, and she hasn’t released more since the Blitz Astral collection from years ago.

Jane Avatar

Hi Clare! I’m on fo those on her FB groups and yes! We’ve sent palette color stories and asked for the special colors, and it seems the brand is taking what seems as the easier route to collabs and perhaps mass market tastes (rose color story as an example) versus staying niche (avant garde, sorta what I used to think of as the “Grace Jones” of MUA – beauty brands).

lissa Avatar

MAC. I love MAC. I just wish they’d up their pallet game to compete with these new modern brands. Their bullet lipsticks are hands down the best,

Audrey Avatar

I was wondering that about PMG too! I was able to get their foundation, powder ect for $20 each on a sale a year or so ago and thought the same thing!
I would be sad if my staple brands like NARS or Charlotte Tilbury closed because of having to try to find dupes for hg products, but luckily both seem highly unlikely.

Helene Avatar

MAC for sure. I love so many of their products, I think I could use only MAC if I had to chose just one brand. I’d also be really sad to see Sydney Grace, Clionadh and a lot of other indie brands go.
There are many other brands I enjoy using and would be sad to see go Dior and Chanel comes to mind and Lancome, Clinique, Natasha Denona, even UD, I still have hope they’ll get back to making really good eyeshadows and the lipsticks are still good.
There are obviously many brands I like, I haven’t listed all of them, but still, MAC is number one for me.

zizzie Avatar

Taking from some of the comments, maybe Christine can chime in, since she seems to know all about companies. I have ‘heard’ that some of the reformulations are necessary to conform to some of the new EU standards. I do know that to sell in China companies MUST test on animals which is why so many luxury brands are not cruelty-free. Is the same true with ingredients? Are the reformulations due not so much to market forces as to market standards, and the companies either can’t make the same product, or haven’t figured out how to get a familiar/good product with new ingredients?

Nikki Avatar

I think it makes sense for PMG to have frequent sales. As expensive a brand as they are, they probably figure that frequent sales will tempt potential buyers who’ve been gun-shy over the nosebleed-high regular prices, giving PMG more exposure and potentially more customers. More on-topic, I would hate to see PMG close and their annual 18-pan holiday palettes disappear!

clidre Avatar

I don’t think PMG has health issues. She had frequent sales In 2021, but it’s not the case in 2022. I’m waiting for a sale that includes her Bridgerton 2 palette and I’m still waiting. Last year she had a big sale every couple of months.

Jane Avatar

Concur! I haven’t bought anything for a long time, but it would be such a loss if she left the space. I just hope she’s inspired in a new direction, a real getting back to her MUA pigment, unique colors source (at least as I felt it when she started). I don’t mean going back to doing what she did, just making what she said she used to have to make from necessity because it wasn’t available. Perhaps the issue is time and necessity. You need time for such creativity and sometimes we are inundated with tasks we don’t work in time to such ponder and renew. And since there are so many brands now, and excellent indie ones in the mix, it may be easier when you lack time to source elsewhere and thus not have to “make-it-yourself”. Of course, I don’t read up on Pat McGrath as much anymore, and am giving just my thoughts, so if anyone else wants to add to that, I’m all ears.

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!