Nars Cosmetics

Nars Cosmetics is a high-end cosmetics company. It was founded by François Nars, a French makeup artist and photographer. Nars products are sold at high-end department stores, such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Selfridges.

François Nars started his company out of dissatisfaction with available cosmetic lines. In 1994 he launched his first product line: a set of lipsticks.

Overwhelming demand led to the development of a full cosmetics line, then, in 1996, an ad campaign which Nars photographed himself. According to Sephora, all of Nars's advertising campaigns are shot by François.

This company is famous for its provocative product names, such as "NARS Orgasm," "Deep Throat" and "Sex Machine." Despite these provocative names, the packaging is invariably sleek and smooth, usually black with only the brand name printed in white.

Recently Nars started a skincare line, as well as a line of makeup primers and foundations. Many of their lipsticks from the mid-90s are still being sold today.

Nars is a Shiseido-owned cosmetics company. It is ambiguous whether they tests on animals or not. According to Nars' website, "NARS Cosmetics does not and never has conducted any animal testing of any kind." Its parent company, Shiseido, tests animals in "exceptional cases." It's possible that Nars outsources animal testing to another facility, thus decreasing their liability and making that statement possible.

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