LOWD

LOWD (stylised in capitals; trading as LOWD Cosmetics) is a Swedish makeup brand based in Stockholm and created by professional makeup artist and influencer Felicia Aveklew. It launched on 1 March 2023 after roughly two years of development [1], and is owned by the company BE LOUD AB [2]. The brand concentrates on eye products and lip products, and presents itself as vegan and cruelty-free with a stated focus on sustainability and inclusion.

The brand is named, in part, after its parent company BE LOUD AB, and Aveklew develops the range herself. Its tagline, "makeup-artistens egna necessär" ("the makeup artist's own essentials"), frames the products as the kit a working makeup artist would assemble for personal use.

Felicia Aveklew is a makeup artist from Skåne in southern Sweden who built a large online following before starting the brand. She began blogging in 2011 and earned her makeup artist diploma in 2016; the company describes her as one of Sweden's leading voices in makeup and beauty, citing more than 250,000 Instagram followers, nearly 200,000 YouTube subscribers and over 46 million video views [1].

According to LOWD, the brand grew out of a gap Aveklew noticed while testing new products daily as a makeup artist and influencer: she rarely found one that combined good quality, a reasonable price, and an ethical, sustainable focus [1]. Each product, the company says, was developed by Aveklew herself. Early development included factory meetings in Milan, and the brand launched following a release event in Stockholm, with a first community photoshoot later that month and an early pop-up shop in the spring.

LOWD is operated by BE LOUD AB (company registration number 559302-1099), registered at Odengatan 106 in Stockholm [2]. No acquisitions, ownership changes or sister brands are recorded.

LOWD positions itself as more than a makeup line, describing itself as a community "that begins and ends with you" and emphasising diversity and inclusion across gender, skin colour and background. Its stated mission is "together we create a makeup industry where everyone has a place" [3]. The company says it wants to inspire creativity and self-expression while working to change the makeup industry "from the ground up", with sustainability running through ingredients, packaging and marketing [1].

On responsibility, the brand states that it never retouches its imagery, describing the images as authentic and untouched, and that it prioritises diverse models. In terms of price, the range is positioned at an accessible indie level, aimed at an audience the brand describes as ranging "from beginners to makeup nerds who want high quality without compromising on values or price" [4].

LOWD's range centres on eye and lip products. Signature items include The First Letter Eyeshadow Palette — a twelve-shade palette marked with an "L" that hints at a planned alphabet-themed series — alongside the Gloss 'n Go lip gloss, Mark My Lips lip liners, mascara and makeup brushes [4]. According to the company, all products are vegan and not tested on animals, and its packaging is fully recyclable and made with recycled material, an amount the brand says it works to increase over time [5].

Production is split by category: a Nordic editorial launch report states that the makeup is made in Germany and the brushes in Italy [6]. A review of the launch range noted brushes made from recycled plastic and aluminium with synthetic bristles, and packaging described as biodegradable and made from a mushroom-based material [7].

The First Letter Eyeshadow Palette won Eyeshadow Palette of the Year at the 2024 Daisy Beauty Awards [4]. At launch the brand drew coverage from the Nordic beauty publication Daisy Beauty, whose reviewer called it "a good launch", praising the product quality and the company's focus on sustainability and inclusive representation [7]. The brand's homepage also lists public figures including Zara Larsson, Therése Lindgren and Antonija Mandir among those shown wearing its products [8].

LOWD is active. It continues to run its own direct-to-consumer site and ships across the EU, and in December 2024 it became available through the Nordic retailer Lyko [4], its most recent publicly recorded milestone.