Astra Make-up

Astra Make-up is an Italian cosmetics brand founded in 1988 in Todi, a town in the Umbria region of central Italy [2]. It was started by Giuliano Settimi, a chemist and pharmacist who set out to build his own cosmetic label [3]. The brand is owned and manufactured by Giufra S.r.l. and is positioned in the affordable, mass-market end of the makeup category, with a product range that spans makeup, skincare and a small selection of accessories and fragrance.

The company describes itself as making "affordable cosmetics with Italian excellence since 1988" and frames its work around sustainability, inclusiveness and a direct, personal relationship with its customers. According to the brand, its products are now sold in more than 50 countries across Africa, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Asia [4].

Astra Make-up traces its beginnings to 1988, when chemist-pharmacist Giuliano Settimi founded it in Todi. A trade directory describes the brand as born from his ambition "to setup his own cosmetic brand" [3]. The company has remained a family business: it is now run by Settimi's son, Simone Settimi, as general manager, and by Lucia Menghella, who is described as managing director [3].

The brand keeps a strong tie to its home region. It calls the link with its local territory "an essential value" that it wants to pass on to consumers as part of building what it describes as an authentic relationship between the brand and people.

The brand is owned by Giufra S.r.l., the Italian company that designs, develops and manufactures Astra products in Todi [3]. The company's own homepage lists its registration as established in Perugia [2]; Todi is a town within the Province of Perugia in Umbria, so the two locations describe the same area rather than conflicting ones. No acquisition history is recorded for the brand.

Astra positions itself as an affordable Italian makeup and skincare brand built around sustainability, inclusiveness and what it calls "authentic people-to-people interaction." Its stated mission is to pursue commercial goals alongside a clear focus on environmental, social and governance issues.

The brand's marketing leans on a set of short slogans — "Beauty is therapy," "Feel good in your skin," "Discover your nature" and "Be your beauty." On the inclusiveness side, the company says it works with small creators who share messages of diversity under a "#BEYOU" theme, and it describes a "multicultural approach, beyond all barriers." It also refers to its online following as a community it calls the "Astra Lovers."

Astra's catalogue centres on color cosmetics, organized into eyes, lips and face, alongside an "Astra Skin" skincare line covering cleansing, treatments, masks, sunscreens and sets, plus accessories such as nail polish, brushes and a perfume offering. Products the brand highlights include Aperitint, described as a long-lasting lip oil stain, the Transformist Foundation + Concealer, the Professional Lip Pencil, Lip Creamynal and the Long Stay Concealer.

On quality and testing, the company says all products undergo safety testing before going to market and are either "dermatologically tested" or "ophthalmologically tested" on healthy volunteers [5]. It states that its products comply with European cosmetics regulation EC 1223/2009, that heavy-metal levels are monitored, and that efficacy claims are supported by clinical or instrumental testing carried out in accredited Italian laboratories. Astra also reports holding several management certifications, including ISO 9001:2015 for quality, ISO 22716:2007 for cosmetics good manufacturing practice, and ISO 14001:2015 for environmental management.

Sustainability is a recurring theme in the brand's public materials. Astra says one of its main commitments is to sell products without secondary packaging, cutting outer cartons to reduce waste [6]. It frames sustainability as part of its wider corporate strategy rather than a side initiative, and says it factors environmental impact into investment decisions.

In 2022 the company adopted the Vegan Quality certification, which it explains as guaranteeing the absence of animal-derived ingredients in both the product and its production chain [5]. Astra states that it aims to become completely vegan within the next few years. The company explicitly limits this to a vegan claim and does not assert cruelty-free status on its certifications page.

Astra Make-up is an active brand. It operates a current multilingual e-commerce site, maintains current product lines, and takes part in international beauty trade fairs such as Cosmoprof, Beautyworld and Beauty Istanbul [4]. Its most recent dated milestone in the available sources is the 2022 adoption of vegan certification.