Fel Beauty is leaning into nostalgia.
More than two decades after Jon Heder complained that his “lips hurt real bad” in “Napoleon Dynamite,” Fel Beauty is bringing the moment back.
The actor fronts the beauty brand’s first collaboration in a social reel, revisiting the memorable scene from the 2004 cult film to introduce its new Kissylips Comfy Hydrating Therapy Lip Mask.
“Our desire here was really just to create a brand rooted in all of this nostalgia and emotional connections to people and moments and unforgettable memories,” founder Jaimee Holmes said of the idea behind Fel Beauty.
Holmes’ two-decade beauty career includes roles at Sephora, Benefit Cosmetics, Too Faced, Kaja, Kendo and Goop. Along the way, she worked on products including Too Faced’s Better Than Sex Mascara and Ole Henriksen’s Banana Bright franchise.
Holmes said she landed on Heder after thinking about familiar cultural moments that could communicate Fel Beauty’s focus on comfort.
“This is a movie that my husband and I love,” Holmes added, noting that they have watched it repeatedly since its release. “There are a couple of scenes in the movie that felt really relatable.”
Fel Beauty also looked into whether the film still resonated beyond the Millennials and Gen X consumers who saw it upon release. Holmes said the brand found that many longtime fans have since introduced it to their children, giving the movie appeal across generations.
The campaign supports the brand’s Kissylips Comfy Hydrating Therapy Lip Mask, a $22 treatment launching online Sept. 18, followed by in-store in the U.S. and Canada beginning Oct. 16.
The formula includes a collagen-boosting peptide and hydrolyzed hyaluronic acid and is designed to support the lip barrier while helping lips appear softer, smoother and more hydrated.
Fel Beauty launched in January with its original Kissylips tinted balms. Holmes said the brand has exceeded its year-to-date forecast by 212 percent and is approaching $1 million in revenue. About 20 percent of customers on Fel’s own site purchase two to three shades at once, while the brand is seeing a 40 percent repurchase rate within 90 days across its site and Sephora, she said.
Next, Holmes said Fel Beauty is developing products in the highlighter and eye categories, while the U.K. and Europe are among the markets under consideration for expansion over the next 12 to 18 months.
“We’re not a brand that aspires to be in every single category there is,” Holmes said. “We will probably always be very intentionally curated by design, so that we can deliver on every single pillar we set out for ourselves and protect what we’ve built.”
