TEN BEAUTY: INTO THE MATRIX

Meet Hyrular, a new beauty brand that’s steeped in sci-fi aesthetics.

Amid the current bombardment of same-same beauty launches, it can be easy to feel a bit… fatigued. Then something comes along that stops you in your tracks. Something novel, high-concept, daring. And would you believe it’s a lip balm?

Founded by visual director Bryan Huynh (known for the arresting imagery he has created in collaboration with Grimes), beauty advertising veteran David José, and makeup artist Mollie Gloss, Hyrular is a new brand that positions itself as “the antidote to the homogeneity of luxury beauty.” It was born from the trio’s love of science fiction films, digital fantasy, and CGI world- building—as well a growing feeling of disenchantment with the unimaginative clean-girl aesthetic that has come to dominate the market. “We wanted to create a beauty brand that was a little more out-there, a little more avant-garde, something that felt strange and spectacular,” says José.

Hyrular’s debut, Nebubalm, which has been three years in the making, is a multi-chromatic lip balm that shifts in the light, and reads differently depending on the environment and the wearer’s skin tone. Available in four shades that metamorphose between grungy purples, galactic pinks, and inky blacks, the presentation— impactfully illustrated in the brand’s hyperreal video clips— is sleek, futuristic, and boldly niche without being alienating. “We spoke to a lot of friends and contacts on Instagram and discussed what they thought was missing and what they wanted,” José says. “Nebubalm ticked all of the boxes. A lot of brands that touch on gaming go overboard and end up with looks that are too costume-y. There was a real space for something that was everyday wearable but could make you feel empowered and unique.”

Though Hyrular is still in its infancy, the trio foresees the brand expanding into ever-more-groundbreaking beauty territory. “We have a lot of ideas,” says José. “But it’s all rooted in our shared love of escapism and desire to see the world differently. This is a journey of passion—to create an approach to beauty that makes you feel larger than life, or like a more powerful version of yourself.”