Hourglass founder Carisa Janes returns with new prestige brand, Outside In
After reshaping the face of luxury cosmetics with Hourglass, Carisa Janes is back with a new venture, Outside In, launching at 5pm today with three products.
The first launch, available DTC, will be made up of three core face products: the Silk Serum Foundation (£61) in 25 shades, a Floral Reserve Facial Oil (£69), and a foundation brush (£50).
The idea for Outside In first took shape nearly a decade ago but was revived during the pandemic, according to The Business of Fashion. This is when Janes, based in Palm Desert, finally had time to explore new creative directions.
Janes founded Hourglass in 2004. In 2017, she sold up to Unilever Prestige but continues to lead the brand. Recognised for its iconic Veil Mineral Primer and ambient lighting powders, Hourglass Cosmetics epitomises modern beauty and remains a staple in the beauty industry today.
This time around, with a changing beauty landscape, Janes had to rethink how she went about founding a new consumer brand. The luxury beauty sector has become crowded with eye-wateringly pricey launches and celebrity lines, while consumers demand greater efficacy, transparency and meaning from the brands they buy. Still, Janes is betting on the continued strength of the premium beauty segment, which has proven resilient despite the challenging economic backdrop.
Outside In’s positioning reflects a quieter kind of luxury - tactile formulas, refined textures and minimalist design. This format aligns with Janes’ long-standing focus on craftsmanship and ethical integrity, principles that helped define Hourglass as a pioneer of the "conscious prestige" category.
Alongside Outside In, the founder recently acquired and relaunched Nature of Things, a body and fragrance line rooted in wellness and ritual, in September.
Her return also mirrors a wider trend in beauty: the resurgence of founder-led reinvention. Much like Bobbi Brown, who sold her namesake brand to Estée Lauder in 1995 before returning decades later with Jones Road, Janes is part of a growing wave of beauty veterans reclaiming creative control to build more personal, purpose-driven brands.
Janes’ new chapter underscores how the industry’s most seasoned founders are using their legacy credibility, and the lessons learned from building empires, to shape the next evolution of modern beauty.
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