NOTE Cosmetique

NOTE Cosmetique is a makeup brand launched in 2014 [2]. The company presents itself as a European house inspired by Paris, but independent trade reporting places its origin and launch in Istanbul, Turkey: trade publication WWD states that "Note launched in Istanbul in 2014" [5], and the business database Tracxn likewise records the headquarters as Istanbul [7]. The brand site, by contrast, names no specific country and frames the label as "European" [2]. It sells colour cosmetics across face, eyes, lips and nails, positioned as skincare-infused makeup at accessible prices, and remains an active, multi-region brand operating country-specific sites and social channels.

According to a Fragrance Direct brand profile, NOTE was founded by a group of European chemists who set out to make makeup that was, in the retailer's words, "luxurious yet affordable" [6]; the founders are not named in available sources. The company describes its inspiration as Paris and "the colours of life and rich notes of nature," and sums up its outlook in the tagline "Note That Beauty — Because Beauty Deserves to Be Noticed."

NOTE frames beauty as something to be noticed and expressed rather than perfected. The company describes its products as "high-performance, skin-caring cosmetics for bold, expressive individuals" and presents makeup as a form of "art, mood, and identity" rather than concealment. Its stated values centre on inclusivity, accessibility and what it calls conscious beauty, and the brand summarises its mission as a promise "to innovate responsibly, inspire inclusively, and listen actively."

Affordability is a consistent theme. The company says it is committed to keeping prices accessible, a positioning corroborated by trade reporting: WWD described a roughly 300-product range priced mostly under $18, quoting then-incoming U.S. president Michael Hawley that "luxury does not have to be expensive" [5]. Independent profiles place the brand in the affordable, mass-market tier rather than prestige.

NOTE's range spans foundations, concealers, BB creams, powders, lipsticks, lip glosses, eyeshadows and nail products, organised on its site into series such as the BB, Mineral and Perfecting lines. Signature items named in editorial coverage include the Mattifying Extreme Wear Foundation, the Full Coverage Liquid Concealer, the Ultra Rich Colour Lipstick, the Chubby Eyeshadow Pencil and the Terracotta Illuminating Powder [6].

On formulation, the company emphasises plant-based, skincare-infused products and says its formulas draw on botanicals, vitamins, minerals and essential oils. It states that its products are cruelty-free and dermatologically tested. The Fragrance Direct profile adds that NOTE products contain "no animal-derived ingredients" and are free of parabens [6]; the brand's own site flags a vegan selection as a product filter rather than describing the entire line as vegan. NOTE says manufacturing takes place in-house at ISO-certified facilities in Turkey.

The brand launched in 2014 [5]. In January 2018 it entered the United States and appointed Michael Hawley, a beauty-industry executive with prior roles at Benefit Cosmetics and several retailers, as president of Note Cosmetics USA, succeeding Jeffrey Ten [5]. At that point WWD reported the brand was sold in around 700 doors across more than 50 countries, distributed in the U.S. chiefly through Ricky's and ulta.com [5]. The company's own materials later describe a presence in "over 80 countries" [3] — a self-reported figure larger than the contemporaneous trade estimate.

Leadership beyond the 2018 U.S. appointment is not clearly documented: business databases and search listings name different individuals as chief executive, and available sources do not settle a single global head. Ownership and any parent company are likewise not disclosed in the sources reviewed.

NOTE Cosmetique is an active, multi-region brand. It maintains a live global e-commerce site alongside numerous country-specific sites and active social accounts, including Instagram and a TikTok channel, with marketing referencing campaigns into the mid-2020s. No Wikipedia entry or formal corporate disclosure of ownership exists for the brand, and several business-database figures for its size conflict and are treated as unreliable.