Carte Blanche will launch its debut Multi-Hyphenate Brightening Skin Tint Mineral SPF 35 at $68 across nine shades on Sept. 17, opening direct-to-consumer and exclusively at Violet Grey. Industry sources project first-year gross retail sales above $2 million.

What does the launch put on shelves?

Multi-Hyphenate Brightening Skin Tint Mineral SPF 35 was developed over roughly 18 months. The lightweight formula offers sheer, dewy coverage and targets hyperpigmentation, sun damage and uneven tone over time, the founders said.

Key ingredients include non-nano sheer zinc oxide, flax and licorice exosomes, vitamin C and tomato extract. Each shade uses individual micro-pearl blends that Tallman designed to deliver a lit-from-within effect without emphasizing skin texture.

"If you applied these formulas with your eyes closed, you wouldn't know that there's actually a makeup payoff," Tallman said.

Who is behind the brand?

Tallman brings 25 years of product development experience across Estée Lauder, Prada and Ralph Lauren Fragrances. Hirsch served as creative director at Saie. The pair met during Saie's founding period and kept talking about category gaps after leaving.

"We thought maybe one day we'll do something together if we could crack the code on some white space that really felt like there was a need for," Hirsch said.

Their shared frustration was the hybrid category: products that promise makeup performance and skin-care benefit but rarely deliver on either. "There are skin care brands that have a couple of skus that have a makeup payoff, and there are a lot of makeup brands that have a sprinkling of skin care ingredients," Tallman said. "But we want to actually have our skin care move the needle with clinically proven results, and we still want to look great."

Carte Blanche will operate with labs in the U.S. and abroad, building proprietary formulas with contract chemists and sourcing packaging components globally.

How does Carte Blanche plan to scale?

Carte Blanche positions itself as "narrow and deep." Founders plan to build the so-called "Carte Blanche face" through a hero-product strategy spanning multiple categories, each launch rooted in the same skin-care-meets-makeup philosophy.

Debut packaging uses deep oxblood-colored glass with silver detailing, a deliberate nod to the discovery-and-desirability feel Hirsch associated with Barneys New York. The approach aims to give each SKU a distinctive, collectible presence on shelf and screen.

"We just want women to feel really beautiful when they use the products," Tallman said. "It's a two-timeline product. It's beautiful immediately, and over time, you see improvement."

What does this mean for formulators and buyers?

The mineral SPF angle gives Carte Blanche a clean positioning point while chemical filters face ongoing regulatory pressure in several U.S. states and continued EU review. Non-nano zinc oxide remains the dominant mineral route for brands pursuing reef-safe or sensitive-skin claims.

For retailers, the Violet Grey window offers curated distribution without Sephora discount mass exposure. The DTC channel adds margin capture and first-party customer data, two tools small launches increasingly need to fund the next SKU.

Watch for the second Carte Blanche hero launch, expected to extend the skin-care-meets-pigment concept into a new category within 12 months.