NARS is a luxury cosmetics brand founded in 1994 by Francois Nars, a French makeup artist and photographer who moved to New York City in the 1980s to pursue a career in fashion beauty. Nars initially launched with a collection of twelve lipsticks and has since grown into a comprehensive prestige beauty brand. NARS is owned by Shiseido, the Japanese beauty conglomerate, which acquired the brand in 2000.
The brand's product range encompasses complexion products, lip color, eye makeup, cheek products, and multi-use products. NARS is known for its dual-named product system, with items carrying evocative or provocative names such as Orgasm (a universally popular peach-pink blush), Deep Throat, Super Orgasm, and Laguna bronzer. The Orgasm franchise has become one of the most commercially successful single shades in the prestige beauty industry, expanding across blush, lip products, highlighters, and more. The brand's formulations emphasize buildable, blendable textures and a modern color palette. NARS also produces the Audacious collection of high-impact lipsticks and the Radiant Creamy Concealer, one of the bestselling concealers in the prestige beauty market.
NARS is distributed globally through its own boutiques, Sephora, high-end department stores, and its e-commerce platform. The brand operates in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Pricing places NARS in the premium luxury tier of prestige cosmetics, with individual products typically ranging from $20 to $65.