Makeup Name Ideas

Where did it all get started? The history of makeup, for women and men, can be traced back to Egypt c.4000 BC. Black kohl was widely used to enhance the eyes, and various herbs, chalks, and paints were applied to whiten the skin, as white skin denoted wealth and the absence of the need to labor under the hot African sun. The Roman Empire embraced these trends, adding rouge for a look of health, and even depilatories for body hair and pumice to whiten teeth.

At various times during the middle ages and the Renaissance lead paint to whiten the skin became a deadly addition to cosmetics for the wealthy. While it covered many flaws, in particular, the devastating pockmarks from smallpox, the mercury in it proved lethal. The Georgian era of the 18th century flaunted again the heavily made-up faces of the wealthy for both men and women, but the use of makeup waned until the Victorian Age, at which point, for the next eighty decades, it was considered scandalous and the mark of prostitutes and actresses.

After the first World War, however, the Western world was tilted on its axis, with newly empowered women choosing a less dictated and oppressive future for themselves. They also chose Jazz, the Charleston, slinky, corset-free knee-length dresses, and make-up. Since that time, cosmetic fashions have changed with the seasons, but their core purpose and pleasure - to enhance and delight the user's confidence - has not.

A helpful and fun way to gain insight and inspiration for your makeup name ideas is to take a look at makeup brands that are already established. We all know the great names of the cosmetic businesses of the last century - Max Factor, Chanel, Revlon, L'Oreal, and many more. Let's take a look, though, at some of the exciting new makeup names of the 21st century, and in particular, let's examine how those names represent and contribute to their brand success.


MAYBELLINE
Over a century ago, Mabel Williams' homemade mixtures to enhance her eyebrows and lids made such an impression on her brother, a chemist, that he founded Maybell Laboratories to produce her eye makeup products on a grander scale. Her recipe? Mixing Vaseline with coal dust. Eventually, Maybell turned into Maybelline, a gesture of acknowledgment to the Vaseline that made the blacking stick. Today, Maybelline produces a multitude of makeup products, but their Great Lash Mascara remains their signature offering.



KAJA BEAUTY
Korean skincare has revolutionized the skincare industry. The burgeoning popularity of Kpop and Kdramas highlighted "Korean glass skin" and created an instant, clamoring desire for Korean skincare knowledge and products. Kaja, meaning "Let's Go" in Korean, worked with Sephora to introduce the next step of beautiful skin with its bite-sized and cruelty-free colors for all skin types and tones. The name Kaja brilliantly reflects both the mission and the fun of Kaja Beauty.



RANGE BEAUTY
This quote from Range Beauty's website underlines not only their name but that name's connection to their raison d'etre and the value Range Beauty adds to the seemingly oversaturated makeup market. Black-owned and run, Range makeup fills a need for clean, non-toxic, quality, and affordable beauty products for all.



NABLA COSMETICS
Nabla Cosmetics is a clean, independent, cruelty-free, and mostly Vegan brand committed to high ethical standards and rich details in their products and packaging. The name Nabla is a Greek symbol used in physics to describe nature and creativity and encompasses many of this cosmetic brand's ideals.



SHISEIDO
The Japanese brand Shiseido is one of the oldest and largest companies in the world, celebrating its 140th birthday in 2012. The name Shiseido derives from a Chinese expression meaning "praise the virtues of the earth which nurtures new life and brings forth significant values". In 1917, Shiseido, reflecting its fusion of East and West, introduced Rainbow Face Powder, with seven colors instead of the lone white face powder still prevalent in Japan, and changed the face of cosmetics in the East forever.



NYX COSMETICS
In Ancient Greek mythology, the goddess Nyx represents the night, power, and beauty. She was portrayed as one of the most beautiful goddesses on earth, and NYX Cosmetics uses her name as their mission statement of vibrant color and long-lasting beauty.

There are many effective ways to come up with great name ideas for a business. Here are a few that we at BrandBucket use often, along with BrandBucket name ideas that are ready to purchase immediately, or use as inspiration.

Try Word Association

To generate makeup name ideas effectively, first brainstorm words related to the industry you are in. This will help you broaden your horizons when it comes to naming possibilities. The best way to do this is to come at the subject from different angles, which will give you the greatest diversity of results.

Having helped thousands of entrepreneurs find the perfect name for their business, we have a good idea of what people are looking for in a name. Here are some name ideas for makeup-related words that are popular right now. The words I came up with are inclusive, ethical, natural, beautiful, and colors.

The name ideas you come up with will depend on the specific type of makeup you are creating. Here are just a few of the endless makeup niches today, along with some name ideas for each niche.

Senior Makeup

Desire, creativity, and 21st century knowledge and discoveries have given older women and men makeup designed to heal, protect, and beautifully enhance the different needs of older skin.

Vegan Makeup

Vegan, cruelty-free makeup products are no longer on the fringe. Even consumers who are not vegan in their diet are seeking and even demanding products that are clean and plant-based.

Eye Makeup

Makeup lines are becoming more and more specialized. At least one-quarter of makeup dollars belongs to the many-faceted eye makeup business.

Playful Makeup

Sometimes, maybe all the time, makeup is simply fun. Fun to put on, fun to experiment with, fun to wear. Makeup can allow us to try on different aspects of our rich and multifaceted personalities, so why not just play?

Makeup name ideas you can purchase instantly

You can use this list of top-tier brand names as inspiration, or you can purchase instantly with just a few clicks. All of our names come with a matching .com domain name, and a professionally designed logo, so you will have a fully realized brand name right out of the box. Purchase the name you like by clicking on it, or browse more names to find your brand idea.

Browse All Available Names

Know your Brand

Before you start generating name ideas, you want to have a clear picture of what your brand is all about, and what you want it to convey. You can accomplish this by answering a few key questions about your business's purpose, your target market, and your brand's intended style and tone. The answers to these questions will form a succinct version of a brand brief. Use this brief as a reference when coming up with name ideas.

• What does your company do? (Describe your business and the products and/or services that you will provide.)
• Who is your target market? (Who is the intended customer for your product/service?)
• What is Your company's mission statement? (Don't just put "to sell x products. This is your company's raison d'etre, its overarching purpose or mission, not specific to a single product)
• What are your brand's style and tone? (What is your brand's personality/voice? Is it fun, innovative, hip, classic, etc..)
• What does your brand aspire to? (Hopefully, your brand will grow over time. What do you envision it becoming when it is fully realized?)
• What is your value proposition? (What is the key factor that differentiates yourself within your industry? Among your competitors?)

Think Outside of the Box

A common trap many first-time entrepreneurs fall into when naming their business is that they come in with a preconceived set of ideas about what their name should be. This usually results in some dry, over descriptive name ideas, often containing a single keyword the entrepreneur has fixated on.

For instance, there is nothing wrong with using the word "makeup" in your name if it's a really good fit, but every name idea you generate shouldn't be just "makeup"+ random word. Having all your name ideas revolve around a single word leads to repetitive, unoriginal names that can stifle your naming process from the start.

Plus, overly descriptive words just aren't the naming standard among successful companies. According to Crowdspring, 72% of the top brands are named after made-up words or acronyms.

Does that mean your brand name needs to be made up to be successful? No, many brands are successful with keyword names as well!

It just means that you should think outside the box when it comes to the styles and types of names you are open to considering. Casting a wider net name-wise will exponentially increase your options and your chances of finding the perfect name for your business along with it.

Follow Business Naming Best Practices

Every business name is unique, but the great ones do share some common linguistic traits. Here are a few that we think are important.

Great business names are:

• Super catchy and memorable - Your name should capture attention immediately, and stick in people's heads for as long as possible.
• Easy to pronounce and to spell - This makes it easier for people to understand and recall your name, and to tell their friends about it.
• Unique yet familiar linguistically - You want your name to stand out in a crowd, yet not be so different that it confuses people.
• Right fit for your specific industry - The vegan industry has a different style or tone than the tech industry, and you want to take that into account when naming your business.
• Speak to something important to your brand identity - Make sure your brand name speaks to some aspect of your brand. This could be as simple as the vibe you want your brand to have, or it could highlight your business's differentiating characteristics, value proposition, etc.

Make Sure Your Name Can Expand with You

Great brand names not only highlight your business's initial products or services. They are also broad enough to grow with your brand as it expands.

For instance:

The founder of "Popeye's Chicken'' almost failed with his now wildly successful fried chicken restaurant. It seems customers weren't enticed by a place to eat chicken called "Chicken on the Run."

"Amazon" started as an online bookstore, but their brand name doesn't limit them to their beginnings. Rather, it points to their aspirations to become an e-commerce solution with vast scale and an amazing variety of products.

These broad names are generally harder (and pricier) to acquire than longer, more specific names like "Emmett Hill's Breakfast" You may be thinking "I'm just a small, local breakfast place, why do I need a fancy expensive name?"

Firstly, don't sell yourself or your business's potential short. Why limit your options? You don't know where you are going to be in a few years, how you'll expand, what new areas of a business opportunity may reveal themselves over time. Your brand name will be with you forever if you do it right. If you don't, you'll have to rebrand, which is almost always much costlier than just picking the right name in the first place.

Secondly, businesses that aspire are more likely to catch fire. Humans aspire, and they want the companies they align themselves with to aspire as well. So even if you don't have big plans for your business, you want to give your customers the impression that you do, and show them that you are on the same level as your competitors, who do.

The fact is that thinking expansively and dreaming big when coming to your business name is just a good brand strategy, and you should incorporate it regardless of your immediate plans for your business.

Make Sure the Matching .com Doman is Available

If you plan on doing business online, you'll want a matching .com domain for your business name. Dot-com domains are often more expensive to acquire than other domain extensions, but they are worth it. Why do you need the .com, as opposed to another domain extension such as .net or .shop? Here are a few reasons why:

Reputability -One of the first indicators is your domain extension. If they see a TLD they aren't familiar with, they are less likely to trust the website, and the business it represents.

Authority - Dot-com domains are perceived as a status symbol because of their scarcity and relatively high price tag. Having a .com domain signals to your customers that your business is established enough to have a valuable asset (the .com version of your brand name) representing it.

Familiarity - .com is the most intuitive domain extension. When the internet launched, the ".com" became a defining term in the zeitgeist and has stuck, so much so that it is almost a brand in itself. When you tell someone the name of your business, they will automatically assume the domain extension is .com.

BrandBucket's marketplace has a truly humongous selection of business names, and ALL of them are great. No more momentum-crushing bad name ideas. No more dead-ends. No more second-guessing. You'll find the perfect name for your business in no time, and even enjoy the creative process.