The stories behind iconic numbers in beauty

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant, $42

Credit: Elizabeth Arden

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Numbers game: In 1930, Canadian-American beauty mogul Elizabeth Arden concocted a multi-purpose ointment that was later coined “Eight Hour Cream Skin Protectant” upon release. It earned the catchy “Eight Hour” moniker when one of Arden’s client’s allegedly applied the balm on her son’s scraped knee, and noticed the complete healing of her son’s injury just eight hours later.

Cult status: Aside from the famous story of its origins, the vitamin E and salicylic acid enriched petroleum-based formula has been the Holy Grail for royals, celebrities and A-list make-up artists alike. The late Queen Elizabeth, Victoria Beckham and Kate Moss are said to be fans of the product. And what’s not to love? The nourishing formula has a list of uses, ranging from a glossy sheer highlighter to a deeply hydrating lotion. Little wonder that it was reported that in 2022, one tube was sold every 30 seconds, making this ointment the brand’s best-seller.

 

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540 eau de parfum, from $461

Credit: Maison Francis Kurkdjian

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Numbers game: Whether you love it or hate it, everyone can agree that nobody who enters the room wearing Baccarat Rouge 540 eau de parfum will go unnoticed. The 540 refers to the Baccarat crystal’s alchemy, where it turns a brilliant shade of red at precisely 540°C when its molten mass and 24-carat gold particles are fused. All these elements allude to French luxury, which Kurkdjian successfully captures within the sweet, ambery juice.

Cult status: Because of its distinct floral-amber notes, Baccarat Rouge 540 eau de parfum has long been the talk of the town since its inception in 2015. It wasn’t until TikTok took the world by storm during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, where the fragrance went viral among the social media platform’s community of fragrance heads. Topics surrounding this It Girl of fragrances include its high price point, polarizing reactions from people, and also possible dupes and alternatives. To date, Baccarat Rouge 540 has garnered over 34.4K hashtags on TikTok, and singer Olivia Rodrigo has even shared her love for its nectary notes.

Chanel N°5 Eau De Parfum, from $205

Credit: Chanel

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Numbers game: When French-Russian chemist and perfumer, Ernest Beaux, offered 10 fragrance samples for Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel to test, she decided on the fifth one to be the first perfume to be launched by her fashion maison. The notoriously superstitious couturière dubbed it “N°5”, as she believed that five is her lucky number. It was also said that it was her way of honouring her astrological sign, Leo—the fifth sign in the zodiac lineup.

Cult status: The original N°5 is a hypnotic blend of aldehydes, powdery notes, and sensual florals which was an instant hit when Chanel first introduced it to her select clientele of society’s elites. Fast forward to 2024, four interpretations of the N°5 have been released, with Jacques Polge’s 1986 launch, N°5 Eau de Parfum, being the most well-received one today, thanks to its modern take with its woodier and more effervescent notes. Celebrity associations from Hollywood legend Marilyn Monroe to Brazilian supermodel, Gisele Bündchen have also helped to cement the fragrance’s status as both an icon and a household name.

Drunk Elephant Beste No.9 Jelly Cleanser, $49

Credit: Drunk Elephant

4/10

Numbers game: Stay-at-home mum-turned-skincare mogul, Tiffany Masterson, is known for being involved in every step of formulating the concoctions in all of Drunk Elephant’s inventory. So much so that it took nine tries before the Beste No.9 Jelly Cleanser finally earned her seal of approval, hence the “9” in the product’s name.

Claim to fame: Drunk Elephant’s bright, bold and beautiful packaging stands out from all the sterile-looking offerings that exist in the market. Beyond its pretty facade, the brand has garnered over 285 beauty awards since 2015, speaking volumes about the efficacy of the famously toxin-free vegan formulas. The ultra-hydrating Beste No.9 Jelly Cleanser is a favourite among beauty editors, as it thoroughly removes every trace of grime and make-up without stripping the skin of precious moisture.

Le Labo Santal 33 Eau de Parfum, from $270

Credit: Le Labo

5/10

Numbers game: Eddie Roschi and Fabrice Penot kept it simple and consistent for Le Labo, their 18-year-old niche New York-based perfume brand. The fragrance naming format is as such: The perfume’s principal essence in French, followed by the number of ingredients used to formulate the scent. Hence, Santal 33 is, as the name suggests, a sandalwood perfume that comprises 33 ingredients.

Claim to fame: Le Labo started off in 2006 with 10 fragrances and a sandalwood candle, Santal 26, which was formulated by perfumer Frank Voelkl. The candle didn’t meet commercial success initially, until it was both used to scent the luxury Gramercy Park Hotel and given away as a beauty editor’s wedding gift for her guests. Despite its surging popularity, a personal fragrance in the Santal note was never created—instead a Santal 26 room fragrance was launched soon after. It wasn’t until both founders were at a bar that they caught a whiff of Santal 26 on a stranger did they realise that it was time that they released a modified version of the Santal 26 as a personal fragrance.

With the help of Voelkl, Santal 33 was finally born in 2011. Famous faces like Justin Bieber and Sophie Turner have been said to be fans of this voluptuous blend of sandalwood, iris, cardamom and violet. In the mid-2010s, cooler-than-thou hipsters further catapulted the unisex fragrance to Instagram fame, thanks to the flacon’s sleek and minimalist architecture.

Biologique Recherche Lotion P50,

Credit: Biologique Recherche

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Numbers game: According to Biologique Recherche’s founder and creator of the brand’s famous Lotion P50, Yvan Allouche, the “P” and “50” in the name refers to the word “Peeling” and the sum of two rounds of our naturally-occuring 25-day epidermal cycles respectively.

Cult status: Concocted in the ‘70s by Allouche, a biologist, and his physiotherapist wife, Josette—the Lotion P50 is often touted as the first acid toner in the market that aims to exfoliate, purify, cleanse, sanitise and regenerate the epidermis. With a blend of exfoliating hydroxy acids, purifying plant extracts and balancing botanicals, the regenerative formula delivers a brighter and more even complexion effectively, making it a cult favourite among skincare experts and A-list celebrities from Jennifer Aniston to Bella Hadid alike

Dior Beauty Rouge Dior 999 Velvet, $66

Credit: Dior Beauty

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Numbers game: Monsieur Christian Dior is yet another highly superstitious figure in the world of fashion. The French couturier created shades #9 and #99—a nod to one of his lucky numbers, nine—for his fashion show back in 1953. Through these shades, he hoped to dress his models’ smiles on the runway and also give his female clients the power to express their uniqueness through beauty. The shades were later combined and modernised as Dior 999, also known as the iconic “Dior Red”, which features a warm red heightened with a touch of blue—a perfect colour balance that flatters all skin tones.

Cult status: Combining tradition with modern technology has proven to be the winning formula for Dior Beauty. On top of being a universally flattering shade, the high-performance lip colour is treated with floral science, where peony extract and other botanicals are infused in the formula to comfort and hydrate the lips for hours on end. The lasting staying power seals the deal, earning the lipstick a spot as a favourite among beauty enthusiasts worldwide.

Loewe 001 Man and 001 Woman Eau de Toilette, from $164

Credit: Loewe

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Numbers game: Loewe first released a fragrance back in 1972. But in 2016, Loewe 001 Man and Loewe 001 Woman eau de toilettes marked the first pair of fragrances launched by the brand under designer Jonathan Anderson’s creative direction. Created by perfumer Emilio Valeros, “001” in these perfumes signifies new beginnings, specifically the first crack of morning light after the first intimate encounter shared between a man and a woman.

Cult status: Both Loewe 001’s eau de toilette iterations for men and women may not have peaked as high as the Santal 33s and N°5s of the world on the internet virality chart. But their understated aesthetic and quiet charm are what make them a preferred fragrance choice among the low-key and minimalist creative crowd. The dry down for both fragrances are also short of being boisterous (another tick on the cool kids’ checklist), as they transform into soft, intimate skin scents that leave powdery and musky notes in their wake.

Olaplex N°3 Hair Perfector, $52

Credit: Olaplex

9/10

Numbers game: When it comes to Olaplex’s best-selling N°3 Hair Perfector, the numerals only serve to give order to a system. After treating your hair with Olaplex’s N°1 Bond Multiplier and N°2 Bond Perfector exclusively at the salon, the hair care brand’s safe-for-home N°3 Hair Perfector enters the picture, working as a weekly at-home treatment to be used before shampoo.

Cult status: Formulated with Olaplex’s proprietary Bond Building Technology (also known as bis-aminopropyl diglycol dimaleate), the potent formula works at a deep molecular level to repair broken disulfide bonds, restoring strength and health back to severely damaged hair. Kim Kardashian and Billie Eilish have credited this product for giving them lustrous-looking locks despite them undergoing numerous hair colouring treatments that could have left their hair looking worse for wear.

Shu Uemura Shade RD163, $56

Credit: Shu Uemura

10/10

Numbers game: Kakuyasu Uchiide, Shu Uemura’s international artistic director, was on a quest to discover the perfect shade of red for all Asian women. After running a survey on over 3,000 Asian women, he discovered that the variety of skin tones among Asian complexions is greater than he initially thought. With this in mind, he put the red colour map and the Asian skin tone spectrum together before finding out that point RD163 is where the perfect shade of red lies. It strikes the perfect balance of yellow and blue tones that make RD163 universally flattering for all Asian skin tones.

Cult status: Besides being the go-to shade of red for Asians, the versatile shade also comes in a myriad of finishes. From matte to metallic, there’s always an RD163 that’s suited for any occasion.