PARIS — Chanel has appointed Lucia Pieroni as its creative makeup director.

“Being chosen to join Chanel is a great honor,” Pieroni said in a statement. “I am thrilled at the opportunity to share my artistic vision with this unrivaled creative team at such a particularly exciting juncture in Chanel’s journey. I am excited to work with the teams to bring to fruition a new chapter in makeup for this iconic brand.”

“Lucia Pieroni is one of the most respected, talented and accomplished creative directors, working at the highest level of international makeup creation,” said Alain Wertheimer, global executive chairman of Chanel, and Leena Nair, global chief executive officer of Chanel, jointly. “Her expertise and intuition will bring a new perspective, reinforcing the vitality of Chanel makeup.”

In her new role, which began Sept. 14, Pieroni works alongside Chanel’s Makeup Creation Studio reporting to Simona Cattaneo, the house’s president of fragrance and beauty.

Cattaneo was impressed by Pieroni’s vision of makeup.

“For Lucia, makeup is never about correcting or transforming a face; it’s always about revealing its singularity, its energy, its personality, its features, and this vision is very consistent with the vision of beauty for Chanel,” Cattaneo said.

She referred to Gabrielle Chanel’s quote: “Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself.”

“So there is a consistency in Lucia’s authentic vision of beauty with Chanel’s,” Cattaneo continued. She added Pieroni is very passionate and believes makeup can be both an intimate gesture of self-revelation and at the same time a wonderful space for creativity, play and freedom.

“This is another big point in my choice,” Cattaneo said.

Pieroni is no stranger to Chanel. She has worked alongside Matthieu Blazy since his first collection as artistic director of fashion activities for the house in October 2025, creating with him Chanel’s runway beauty.

“This is incredibly exciting because she understands our vision of beauty,” Cattaneo said.

She also lauded Pieroni, who has been in the industry for 35 years, for her mastery of light and texture, and sophistication.

“At the same time, she’s more than able to bring to the table flamboyant creativity,” Cattaneo said. “In that case, color and material become — through means of expression — almost craft.”

Pieroni’s versatile artistry is known to range from dewy complexions to bold lips, and textural and graphic elements.

Hers has been “a very interesting journey,” according to Cattaneo.

British-born Pieroni, a trained painter, discovered her métier in London after a makeup artist failed to show during one of the shoots of her model sister, and Pieroni stepped in to pinch-hit. She then settled in New York and worked with some of the biggest names in the business, rising to the top of the editorial stratosphere.

Her makeup creations have appeared in images lensed by the likes of Mert Alas, Marcus Piggott, Craig McDean, David Sims and Mario Sorrenti, in addition to covers for magazines such as Vogue, Vanity Fair and i-D. Pieroni has over the years been tapped by fashion houses like Prada, Givenchy, Chloé, Alexander McQueen, Calvin Klein and Giorgio Armani to create the looks for their campaigns.

The celebrities with whom Pieroni has worked include Madonna, Cameron Diaz and Vanessa Paradis.

Between 2006 and 2019, Pieroni served as creative director of makeup at Clé de Peau Beauté, part of the Shiseido Group. There, she reshaped the brand with her eye for light, shadow and color, which was channeled into sophisticated makeup palettes and other products garnering cult followings.

Following Clé de Peau Beauté, Pieroni kept working with photographers and designers, creating looks for fashion shows, editorial coverage and campaigns.

Prior to her, Chanel in October 2022 appointed a trio of global creative makeup partners to steer the creation of Chanel color cosmetics. They made up the Comètes Collective, comprised of emerging talents, who were supported by the Chanel Makeup Creation Studio.

The Makeup Creation Studio has always developed color cosmetics for Chanel, and its direction has been spearheaded by others, too. Lucia Pica was the house’s global creative makeup and color designer for six years, starting in 2015. Peter Philips drove Chanel makeup development between 2008 and 2013, while Dominique Moncourtois and Heidi Morawetz helmed the brand’s makeup division together for nearly three decades.