Do It Yourself – deutsche Make-Up-Marke hat den Markt erobert

In 2021 haben wir über Lethal Cosmetics berichtet. Was daraus bleibt? Eine vegane Make-up-Marke aus Berlin zeigte, dass eine Nische groß werden kann, wenn Produkt, Haltung und Community zusammenpassen.

The Gap Was Concrete

The old article positioned Lethal Cosmetics against big names like Chanel, NARS, L’Oréal Paris, and Estée Lauder. The point wasn’t to diminish these brands. It was about a clear observation: those seeking vegan makeup found little choice in the German market for a long time. Anna-Maria Jäger, herself a vegan, didn’t limit this stance to food. From this arose the 2016 decision, with Kai Jäger, to found their own vegan company.

This founding story feels credible because it doesn’t start with an abstract brand vision. It begins with a problem in everyday life. That’s often a stronger foundation. Lethal Cosmetics aimed to broaden vegan makeup in Germany. The products, as stated, were made in Berlin, 100% vegan, and cruelty-free. That’s all the first thesis needs.

The first steps were tough. Equipment and expensive raw materials were paid for out of pocket. Both founders kept their day jobs. Free time in the evenings or weekends was scarce; sometimes they worked up to 16 hours a day. This isn’t shiny founder folklore-it’s the dry core: a good niche doesn’t do the work for you.

Vegan becomes strong only when it doesn’t look like sacrifice, but like a clear product choice.

TikTok Was No Coincidence, But Also Not a Marketing Campaign

The article cites a notable 2021 figure: one million followers on TikTok without advertising. At one point, the official account @lethalcosmetics was even the most-followed German account on TikTok, surpassing Mercedes-Benz and Prime Video. Whether you like TikTok or not, this reach shows beauty content there doesn’t work casually. It thrives on repetition, closeness, color, and an algorithm that quickly rewards good product moments.

Interestingly, Lethal Cosmetics initially experimented with challenges and memes, realizing it didn’t fit the brand. Later content was closer to the product and reached the right people. That’s the lesson: organic reach doesn’t happen because you’re accidentally funny. It happens when format, platform, and buyer align.

The article mentions only two collaborations, which relied more on friendship and worked without payment. That fits the narrative. Lethal Cosmetics didn’t appear as a brand buying reach, but as one finding a community. That’s valuable in beauty, where trust breaks faster than powder in a travel case.

Vegan Makeup Matured

The text placed Lethal Cosmetics within a larger market. More people wanted to live sustainably and greener. Maybelline and NYX began developing individual cosmetic products without animal ingredients. Meanwhile, few companies sold exclusively plant-based, cruelty-free products. Jungglück, Merme Berlin, Fine Cosmetics, and Toned Cosmetics (on the market since 2020) were named.

Today, the article reads like a moment when vegan cosmetics grew out of the niche. Crucially: vegan alone isn’t enough. Products must work, colors must be right, textures must impress. The old text doesn’t state this technically, but its logic leads there. A brand can gain attention through values. It only endures if products hold up in the bathroom and the bag.

Lethal Cosmetics stands in this archive piece less as a trend than as a consequence. Berlin, vegan, cruelty-free, TikTok without ad budget, founders working from their own pockets. That’s not softened. It’s a clear setup.

Why the story is more than just beauty

Lethal Cosmetics also tells something about German D2C brands. The path didn’t lead through a large corporation, but through a sharp recognition of a gap, personal effort, personal risk, and a platform where short videos can suffice if the product is visually strong. Makeup is particularly well-suited for this. Color, application, texture, and before-and-after moments can be shown in seconds.

The article also makes clear that vegan cosmetics doesn’t have to be soft or docile. Even the name Lethal Cosmetics doesn’t sound like a natural cosmetics shelf in pastels. That’s smart. Connecting veganism with a strong visual identity reaches people who want values but not a pedagogical insert. That was exactly the market gap: products that are clearly ethical yet still look like makeup, not like compromises.

The TikTok number looks impressive, but the real performance lies in the fit. According to the article, challenges and memes weren’t the right way. Only when the content better aligned with the brand did the right people come along. It’s a quiet lesson for every brand: reach alone is not community. Community begins when the right people understand why you exist.

The founder work also remains visible. Up to 16 hours a day, jobs on the side, raw materials out of their own pockets: that removes the element of chance from success. A million followers might look like a leap. The foundation was handwork.

More in the same tone: Anna Wintour’s Nike collaboration remains a fashion symbol and The MBFW 2018 showed how fashion becomes public.

The article remains relevant because it doesn’t dismiss demand as mere fashion. People wanted to live more sustainably and began evaluating cosmetics accordingly. Makeup is close to the body. Those looking for animal-free and cruelty-free products aren’t seeking a footnote-they’re looking for consistency in daily life.

That’s what makes the brand so cleanly readable in this archival piece: it doesn’t occupy everything, but rather a clearly recognizable gap. Vegan, cruelty-free, Berlin, social-first. That’s all a good positioning needs at the start.