Pat McGrath’s Supreme Lipstick Was Unsurprisingly 2020’s Most Hyped Up Collab

As soon as it was announced in August of 2020, it was well understood that the Pat McGrath x Supreme lipstick would sell out in record time. Not only are both brands among the most iconic in their respective industries, the product also marked the first-ever beauty collaboration for the cult-followed skate-streetwear brand. And now that the launch has come and gone, StockX has dubbed the collaboration its "Breakout Beauty Collab of the year," with the reselling platform citing sales of $225,000 worth of the product in a new end of the year report.

Only made available through Supreme's website on September 10, the lipstick — an updated twist on McGrath's MatteTrance lipstick formula — was originally priced at $38. StockX saw a resale average of $124, making for a significant price premium of 225 percent. Listed amongst Yeezy slides and Nike Jordans on the platform's full end of year report highlighting trends and breakthrough launches in the resale market this year, the Pat McGrath x Supreme lipstick was the only beauty mention. However, according to Jesse Einhorn, StockX Senior Economist, the potential of resale for all industries is only growing.

"Looking at the [resale] category as a whole, we’ve seen the stigma that once surrounded 'resale' all but disappear," he shared with NYLON over email. "This shift has accelerated as more and more brands embrace the 'drop' release model, intentionally limiting the supply of products to the market. The Supreme x Pat McGrath lipstick sold out in less than 10 seconds, leaving the majority of consumers empty-handed, and they turned to the secondary market — and StockX specifically — for access."

StockX saw success with another beauty drop in October of this year, when it partnered with the Kendall Jenner-backed oral beauty brand MOON. Together with designer Heron Preston, the supermodel teamed up with StockX to release a limited-edition MOON toothpaste on the platform through its DropX release method. Like the Pat McGrath x Supreme success, the platform is seeing the line between primary and secondary markets becoming blurred with the right storytelling and brand fusion.

"Partnerships with streetwear and sneaker brands provide established brands — beauty or otherwise — the opportunity to build awareness with a younger shopper and generate the hype that comes from having a sales model based on exclusivity," said Einhorn. "The Supreme and Pat McGrath lipstick brought streetwear-beauty collaborations to a mainstream audience. We expect these partnerships to continue, especially as Gen-Zers increasingly seek out exclusive collaborations and unique, hard-to-find items."