LETHAL Cosmetics

LETHAL Cosmetics is an independent German makeup brand based in Berlin, founded in May 2016 with its first products reaching customers in January 2017 [4]. Stylised in all capitals as LETHAL, it describes itself as a vegan and cruelty-free brand built around bold colour and customisable, refillable products. The company remains operationally active, running its own online store, a stockist network and a steady stream of seasonal collections and licensed collaborations.

The brand is run by a small team — by its own account 18 people of 12 nationalities — and trades as Lethal Cosmetics GmbH & Co. KG, a structure that signals an independent business with no parent company. Its managing directors are Martin Beaucamp and Friedrich Bückle [3].

LETHAL was founded in 2016 and brought its first products to market the following January [4]. The legal entity behind it, Lethal Cosmetics GmbH & Co. KG, is registered at Naglerstr. 5 in the 10245 postcode of Berlin's Friedrichshain district, with Martin Beaucamp and Friedrich Bückle named as managing directors [3].

The brand's own About page, homepage and legal notice consistently place its headquarters in Berlin [3]. A secondary hint recorded during research placed the company in Hamburg instead; this article follows the brand's own published address and treats Berlin as the headquarters, noting Hamburg only as an unconfirmed alternative.

LETHAL frames makeup as a tool for self-expression rather than concealment. "Makeup isn't about covering up," the company states on its About page; "it's about showing up, as yourself or as whoever you feel like being today." That outlook is captured in its tagline, "Not for everyone. Perfect for you," and in a set of stated values the brand lists as compassion without compromise, freedom to be you, empowerment through excellence, designing with the planet in mind, and always evolving.

Editorially, LETHAL is grouped with European indie makeup. The beauty site Phyrra has listed it among European cruelty-free indie brands and characterised its shade range as genuinely cool-toned, particularly suited to fair, cool skin tones [7].

The brand's range centres on eye makeup, and especially on single eyeshadows that customers assemble into magnetic, refillable palettes through a "Build Your Own Palette" system. Empty palette cases are sold under names such as Lethal 4, 6, 9, 12 and 24, alongside larger formats including Helix, Trinity and Colossal [5]. The catalogue extends to face products such as blushes and highlighters, plus lip products, nail polish, brushes and tools.

LETHAL is best known for its pressed-powder shadows, particularly multichrome and duochrome finishes that shift colour with the light, sold in shades such as Andromeda, Hyperspace, Infinity, Spectrum and Supernova. The review site Temptalia has graded much of the line in the "A" range, scoring multichrome shadows around 91–94 percent and the brand's magnetic face powders as high as 94–98 percent, describing the products as soft, finely milled and long-wearing [6]. Among its more unusual releases is the 1UP Palette, a UV-reactive palette housed in arcade-machine-shaped packaging [7]. The brand also markets an Alchemy eye primer and has produced licensed collections tied to properties including SpongeBob, Avatar, Dexter and The Conjuring.

Ethics are central to how LETHAL presents itself. The company says it is a "100% PETA-certified vegan brand" and cruelty-free, and that all of its products are halal and certified by the World Halal Union [4]. It also lists its products as paraben-free, microplastic-free, gluten-free and GMO-free, noting that the vitamin E it uses is derived from soy [4].

On sourcing and production, the company states that its products are designed and conceptualised in Berlin, with manufacturing carried out by partners across the European Union and in China [4]. For mica — a mineral linked to labour concerns in parts of its supply chain — LETHAL says its contract manufacturers must either belong to the Responsible Mica Initiative or verifiably source the material from outside India [4]. Its broader sustainability statements include avoiding microplastics, reducing plastic packaging, using FSC-certified paper, and a stated commitment to becoming carbon-neutral [1].

LETHAL Cosmetics is active. It operates a direct-to-consumer webshop with current seasonal ranges, maintains a retailer and stockist network, and continues to release new collections and licensed collaborations. Third-party coverage from Temptalia documents new launches through 2023, including the Wildflower Collection and the magnetic face powders [6], supporting the brand's standing as an operationally active indie label.