Lipstick With A Vision: Gregoris Pyrpylis Makes His Mark At Hermes

Do we really need another lipstick?

It’s a question that comes to mind not only because of the increasingly erratic state of the world (nope, we’re not debating the lipstick index theory here). The fact is – for all its diversity – the beauty industry has reached peak product overload. Nearly every day, there seems to be a new launch or cosmetics company – chug a shot if it’s by a celebrity or an influencer. According to a report by Retail Asia last August, more than 25 per cent of all new brands introduced in recent years are in the beauty and personal care space.

“I’m someone who believes that there’s a place for everyone and everything in this world, but it has to be done correctly. It has to be respectful to the consumer and to the environment. Before launching a beauty brand today, you have to take into consideration a lot of things,” says Hermes Beauty creative director Gregoris Pyrpylis. “If it’s just a way for you to make money and you’re not thinking about its impact, and the amount of time, development and effort needed to deliver the very best of your formula, I’d be a bit more sceptical … Consumers are increasingly smart today and really care about the impact of their purchases.”

What the 38‑year‑old thinks holds significance. After all, Hermes remains a relative newcomer to the beauty scene: This metier in particular was launched in 2020 and Pyrpylis’s appointment as its creative director was announced two years later.

He has helped to expand its existing collections since: the Rouge Hermes lipstick and Les Mains Hermes nail enamel, to name a few. However, it was not until two months ago in March this year that the brand unveiled its first product that he created from scratch: the Rouge Brillant Silky lipstick. In short, all eyes are on him.

Meeting us in his airy, sun‑soaked office in Paris’s Madeleine district ahead of the launch party held during Paris Fashion Week, Pyrpylis shares that in conceiving new products, he’s guided not by what’s missing from the Hermes Beauty stable, but by what consumers want.

“I’ve been a makeup artist since 2006, so my approach to colour and beauty is very much linked to this background,” explains the Athens native, who has an industry reputation for being masterful at enhancing the appearance of skin. “Through my experience and expertise, what I can tell you is that what people appreciate more and more are textures and formulas that are enriched with skincare ingredients, extremely comfortable, and that take care of you.

“For me, it was more about what I can bring to the lip category that is extremely contemporary, and the answer was a hybrid formula linking the high performance of a lipstick with the well‑being aspect of a skincare‑based formula. And I wanted to combine these two elements to create a lipstick for everyday use not because it’s a trend, but because of how times have evolved. I think makeup is very strongly linked to innovation and with new formulas coming out all the time, it was really obvious for me to go towards a lipstick for every day that would be easier to wear.”

Taking “a bit more than three years” to develop, Rouge Brillant Silky is packed with active ingredients: raspberry leaf extract that has a moisturising and plumping effect; sesame seed extract that smoothens and softens lips; nourishing abyssinian oil, which is rich in Omega‑3 and Omega‑6 fatty acids; as well as white mulberry, which is known for its anti‑ageing properties. A base of plant oils and butters creates its “melting” texture – light yet creamy and ultra feel‑good, as inspired by the caress of silk on one’s skin – and 85 per cent of all ingredients in its formula are of natural origin.

As Pyrpylis puts it: “Do you want to spend your money on something that is trendy, yet you don’t really know what goes inside of it? What, for example, a lipstick formula could do to your health when you apply it, then have your lunch and inadvertently consume some of it in that process?”

He has been equally thoughtful about the range of colours Rouge Brillant Silky comes in: a tight edit of 14 buildable mainstay hues that impart a natural, healthy‑looking luminosity. Some are house signatures, such as the vibrant and classic red Rouge Amazone or the burgundy‑brown Rouge H, while others are new. Pyrpylis singles out with a smile the likes of Rose Himalaya (“a fresh and delicate pink”); Rouge Brique (“a beautiful terracotta red that looks very light at first, but can be built up to achieve something more statement and sophisticated”); and three alternatives for beige (from darkest to lightest: Brun Sellier, Brun d’Ambre and Beige Tan) so there’s something for every skin tone.

Stressing that his inventions should never complicate the life of customers but instead “make things much easier for them”, the affable and unassuming Pyrpylis makes a bold promise: “I can assure that whichever shade you pick – even with your eyes closed – it’s going to look beautiful when you apply it. Whether you like the colour or not is another story, but it’ll look beautiful.”

Beauty as a quality is another thing synonymous with Hermes. Designed by Pierre Hardy – creative director of Hermes Beauty objects as well as the brand’s shoe and jewellery collections – the metal casing that Rouge Brillant Silky comes in takes after that of Rouge Hermes except that it is more slender and elongated. Resembling a mini modernist sculpture, it boasts a white lacquered cap while its body is finished in a combination of black lacquer and permabrass – a matte, champagne‑toned metal. This exquisite design is meant to last: Said object is refillable and comes in a canvas pouch so – in the words of Pyrpylis – “you can protect it and keep it for as long as you wish”.

“I think what sets the Hermes Rouge Brillant Silky apart is that it follows all the values of what makes a Hermes object,” says Pyrpylis. “Once you try the lipstick and the more you use it, you’ll see that it’s something you’ll want to apply and reapply throughout the day because it takes care of you. This is a very strong part of what makes it a Hermes object: Hermes’s vision is to accompany our clients in their everyday lives, providing comfort and practicality. As we say, beauty arises from use.”

Do we need another lipstick? If it makes day‑to‑day living a joy, we say yes. Ahead, more excerpts from our exclusive conversation with Pyrpylis about the Hermes Rouge Brillant Silky, the Asian beauty market and the influence of Gen Z.

OF ALL CATEGORIES, WHY A LIPSTICK FOR YOUR FIRST INNOVATION FOR HERMES?

“There were many factors. To begin with, it has been five years since Hermes Beauty was launched as a metier and I wanted to celebrate this moment – everyone first came to know of Hermes Beauty through lipstick (the first product was Rouge Hermes, known for its ultra‑rich hues inspired by the brand’s leathers and the expansive colour archive of its silk atelier, and came originally in either a matte or satin finish). Secondly, I wanted to create a new lipstick that is a different gesture or expression for the lips from the one Hermes Beauty debuted with. This got me thinking about how I can make a lipstick that is less about making a strong statement, and more for the everyday and would facilitate the life of the wearer.”

TELL US MORE ABOUT THE STORY BEHIND ROUGE BRILLANT SILKY, WHICH – AS ITS NAME SUGGESTS – PAYS TRIBUTE TO SILK.

“In thinking about how I can make this lipstick become one with the person who’s wearing it so that it can be considered a partner, a companion or a confidante, I was reminded of the memory of when I first felt the texture of silk against my skin. It was back in the early 1990s, when I was around five, six or seven years old, and my mum would pick me up from school. She used to wear very long silk chiffon scarves and because I was this height (he gestures towards his waist), her scarf would fly into my face when we walked together. I’d play with it and try to wear it as a mask so that its translucent texture would colour my vision. I also remember vividly how soft and supple it felt against my skin, and thought it’d be interesting to translate this sensorial experience through this new lipstick.”

WHAT WERE YOUR MAIN CONSIDERATIONS WHEN WORKING ON A NEW EVERYDAY LIPSTICK?

“There’s the active ingredients that’d be put into it because if you wear a lipstick every day, you want it to take care of your skin and don’t want it to dehydrate you or to feel uncomfortable. You also don’t want a lipstick that’s going to make you feel less beautiful even if it makes you look beautiful. This relates to the sensory part of the formula and is one of the reasons why I wanted to create a more considered collection with just 14 shades. Thanks to the transparency of its texture, Rouge Brillant Silky elevates and enhances in a natural way, and doesn’t overwhelm.”

THE BEAUTY MARKET IS SO COMPETITIVE NOW, ESPECIALLY WITH THE RISE OF BRANDS FROM ASIA, MANY OF WHICH OFFER PRICES THAT ARE FRIENDLIER TO THE YOUNG. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON THIS?

“When I travel to Asia, I’m always trying new beauty discoveries. Friends who visit will also bring me such items as gifts. Some are done very nicely while others are quite gimmicky. I’m someone who’s very factual and lives in the real world. I understand that not everyone can offer themselves a Hermes lipstick, and that it’s normal for someone to want to spend only $10 on a lipstick. If that’s your price range, just make sure you check – do a small survey and research what you should be spending the money on.”

HOW ADVENTUROUS ARE YOU WHEN IT COMES TO BEAUTY?

“I don’t know if I’m adventurous. I don’t think I’m that brave, but I’m curious, I would say. When a former colleague and I visited Singapore, Japan and South Korea when I first joined Hermes, for example, we bought a lot of sheet masks. You know, some markets are more into brightening while others are more into lifting – we came back with so many boxes and this ex‑colleague told me she hasn’t stopped using them since, and it’s true: her skin looks very glowy.”

DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE BEAUTY CAPITAL?

“London is a beauty capital that I appreciate for the way people there see makeup and beauty. They think first about self‑expression, and do their makeup to express how they feel, who they are and their personality, and to empower themselves. And they don’t really care about how others look at them. If you think about other places – Paris, New York, Tokyo – people tend to be less daring with makeup as compared to London, which really invites one to go out of his or her comfort zone.”

WHAT ABOUT GEN Z CULTURE HAS INTRIGUED YOU AND INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU WORK?

“If it has influenced me, it has been in a subconscious way. Gen Z is the next generation. I’m a millennial. I see a glimpse of Gen Z’s influence on me when I get dressed in the morning and find myself wearing more oversized silhouettes or clothes it might find cool, for example. When it comes to beauty though, and I have this guideline in my head that I’m working not for my personal brand, but Hermes, my goals are to reflect the beauty and DNA of the house, and to create collections that are contemporary in terms of innovation, formula and texture. This is how I’d respond to the needs of Gen Z, and I believe 100 per cent that Rouge Brillant Silky will be validated by Gen Z.”

WHAT’S ONE BEAUTY HABIT OR ADVICE THAT YOU HOPE WILL BE PASSED DOWN TO YOUNGER GENERATIONS?

“I think that because of social media, younger generations are trying harder than previous generations to follow trends and certain aesthetic rules and, in the long term, this will make each person lose what makes him or her unique – that inner star … Older generations were more individualistic and this is something the young should try to understand: You have to be good in your own skin and 100 per cent in harmony with yourself. With makeup, for example, you’re not supposed to look like all the others. You should go the opposite direction, and celebrate your own personality and features.”

THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED FOR BREVITY AND CLARITY.

This article first appeared in the May 2025 Travel Edition of FEMALE