The Makeup Museum is set to open in New York in May, writes Jenny Berich.

The museum’s opening will be heralded with an immersive ‘Pink Jungle: 1950s Makeup in America’ exhibition that will explore the entrepreneurs, icons and artefacts of the decade.

Announcing the opening, executive director Doreen Bloch said it would be “a critical institution for the cultural landscape in New York because makeup has a 10,000-year history”.

“There is so much that the Makeup Museum wants, and has, to explore,” she said.

“The 1950s is however a perfect time period for the Makeup Museum to start with in the debut exhibition because the 1950s is the birth of the modern cosmetics industry.”

The museum is being founded by Bloch (the CEO of beauty research company Poshley Inc), Caitlin Collins (former editor of Makeup.com) and Rachel Goodwin (celebrity makeup artist) with advisors including Gabriela Hernandez (Besame Cosmetics CEO), Kate Hawkins and Carr Chadwick (And Or Forever), Christine Schott Ledes (American Influencer Association president) and Annie Lundsten (museum specialist).

To be located in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District, the museum aims to be “the world’s leading institution exploring the history of beauty and its ongoing impact on society” and will be “dedicated to empowering all people to learn about and have fun with beauty”.

It will bring “beauty to life through large-scale exhibits, events, and interactive and shoppable programming” and “create an immersive experience that presents vintage artefacts and robust educational information alongside aesthetic spaces and unique events.”

According to Bloch, brand sponsors will play a special role in presenting never-before-seen in public elements of makeup history, such as Erno Laszlo’s collection of facial products used by Marilyn Monroe and Greta Garbo.

Kristy Watson, CMO at Erno Laszlo (one of the sponsors of the Pink Jungle exhibition) said the company loves “looking back and being inspired by our rich heritage as we move forward”.

“Erno Laszlo was founded by the world’s first skin doctor and we’re often associated with cultural icons like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, both of them his clients during the 1950s”, she said.

“We are delighted to be partnering with the Makeup Museum to share our rich history with beauty enthusiasts from all over the world.”

“We want to encourage the makeup community to come together in a big, meaningful way with both physical and digital touchpoints,” said Collins.

“Makeup is the past, present and future. Now is the time to make the Makeup Museum a reality.”

Tickets for the Museum’s debut exhibition go on sale in March.

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