Rouge Dior has just gotten a big makeover, and we’ve got the inside scoop on the big revamp from the man behind the update, makeup artist Peter Philips.

Rouge Dior is a cult favourite—an icon in its own right. Beloved for its high-performance application, skincare-infused formulation and sleek design, it has been a staple in the makeup bags of pro makeup artists, beauty and fashion superstars and makeup aficionados alike for decades. So, how do you improve on a true classic? Well, Peter Philips, the Creative and Image Director of Christian Dior Makeup, has some ideas. “We relaunch all our products on a regular basis because we always want to improve,” he begins. “There are also always new challenges, new legislations, new ingredients or key ingredients that we cannot use anymore. There is an evolution in packaging design. It’s constant growth.” 

“So, it was simply time to take on Rouge Dior again—to improve it in a way that our loyal Rouge Dior consumer will still recognise her product, but see improvements that she is willing to embrace,” he continues. The result is simply stunning. 

The new Rouge Dior is better than ever, and we’re delving into the details right from the source. Ahead, we speak to Philips to glean his insights into the five reasons why you should add the new Rouge Dior revamp to your cart now:

 

Reason #1: Same high-performance formula with twice the benefits

“The formula was already very strong—all the makeup products we’ve introduced year after year have caring ingredients in the formulation. So, for this lipstick, we again fell back on our heritage; on all the research that has been done over the years on floral extracts and the power of flowers, what it can do for you not only from a creative point of view but also in terms of caring ingredients, fragrance—everything that is linked with the Dior Beauty DNA. 

“So, we doubled our concentrate on red peony caring ingredients. Red peony is there to enhance and revitalise the skin of your lips. We combined omega-9 and omega-6 fatty acids, and the richness of these acids protects your skin from losing hydration. It’s like a barrier that we’ve created. We also added three oily extracts from flowers: pomegranate extract for a plumping effect; pricky pear flower extract to optimise the hydrating effect (it goes hand in hand with the red peony); and hibiscus flower which really guarantees this smooth effect on application and a long-lasting comforting feeling. 

“Despite the fact that Rouge Dior has a really strong colour payoff, it’s such a smooth, soft formula that you’ll forget you’re wearing it.”

 

Reason #2: A sleeker, chicer look

“The current packaging is beautiful with the little belt, the logo in the front, and the refill concept has really been much appreciated by our clients. But the new packaging feels much slimmer—a bit more elegant. It’s the same contour, still high-quality, but it’s a little bit taller than the last. We also made the belt thinner and put the iconic cannage motif on top of the bullet in silver as a little special detail. We also kept the refillable concept but made it a little more luxurious. 

“Overall, the new packaging has all the codes of the house that are associated with Rouge Dior. We are very proud of it. It has been much appreciated by the people who have seen it because it’s just a beautiful object of desire. The revamp hasn’t changed the code too much, but still enough to reinvent.”

 

Reason #3: A shade range for everyone

“We have 70 shades worldwide. A huge range of shades. What I wanted was for the shades to reflect the naturality that we find in the formula. The formula is such a rich gem, filled with natural ingredients that are there to benefit the skin in a caring and cosmetic way. All the shades are strong colours, but they have a natural feel to it. There’s no shocking pink and no chemical coral—but they aren’t boring. They are strong and have range but all of them have this beautiful, natural feeling to them which makes it easy to blend into whatever kind of make-up you want to do. 

“There is a huge desire from women now to, in their makeup, be able to project an ease; a relaxed feeling in their makeup. It’s the type of colours that are setting the trend and they can find all of them in our collection. Plus, the perception of nude has evolved over the years. Nude lipstick used to be a beige lipstick or a pale rosewood, but nude is now a colour that looks nude on you as an individual. For some women that’s a rosewood, for others, it’s a beige—and if you have a deeper skin tone, it could even be a chocolate or deep burgundy. 

“That’s why our range of shades has become much bigger—to reflect this new concept of nude. It’s a very inviting range of shades in terms of colour and texture. Everyone can find one shade that will please them and complete their beauty routines.”

 

Reason #4: Perfectly versatile finishes

“We have two finishes for Rouge Dior: the velvet finish and the satin finish. It kind of made it simpler to put Rouge Dior into two categories. The velvet is a combination of the previous matte and velvet, so it is like a matte with a luminous touch to it. If you take the lipstick, it’s such a smooth, buttery application—it’s pure joy to apply the lipstick. 

“And the satin finish is a beautiful gem. It’s luminous, the colours are strong and you can blend them out, play with them, and do whatever you like with them. If you want a perfectly drawn lip with a nice shine or a lip stain, you can achieve that with Rouge Dior. The formulas are really exquisite and they are the perfect tools to do whatever lip style you want.”

 

Reason #5: Long-wearing formulations

“For a perfectly drawn lip, I love to work with lip liner because it helps you to map out your lip—you can correct the shape of your lip if you want to, lift the corners and add an extra under or overliner. Whatever you want to correct or enhance, the lip liner is the perfect tool. I often use the lip liner all over the lip because it acts as a colour primer and helps to set the base colour-wise. Then, fill in the lip with your lipstick within the lines. If you want to go traditional, take a tissue to dab off the excess and go in with another layer before sharpening the edges with foundation or concealer and a flat brush. 

“If you want a blended lip, I would just put lip liner in the centre of your lip where the top and the bottom lip touch each other—really deposit a lot of pigment there strongly, push it in by smacking your lips together. Then, apply a little lipstick all over and massage it in, before using a Q-tip to soften the edges for a beautiful lip stain effect.

“But the formula is already so long-lasting that you don’t need the old tricks. You don’t need to dust it off with some powder and follow up with the whole routine because the formula is already so hard-wearing. But these are ways to maybe help it last even longer.”

 

The new Rouge Dior is set to launch in January 2024. For more makeup insiders like this, click here.