Photography by David M. Russell/HBO
We analyzed what the beauty products spotted in the series say about quiet luxury, plus where to shop them.
Date May 24, 2023
This article was originally published on April 12, 2023 and has been updated.
Of all the things that Succession‘s Roy family does best — plotting, scheming, arguing, and being the absolute worst in the very best way — this fictional empire is particularly ace at displaying their wealth through acts of quiet luxury dressing. But a closer look at the beauty products they use proves that the concept of stealth wealth is not exclusive to their fashions.
RELATED: How to Achieve the Quiet Luxury Look On a Budget
In a recent scroll through TikTok, I stumbled upon a video from the @classofpalmbeach account where stylish subjects and socialites in the area are interviewed about their outfits. In the comments, one user writes, “It’s always fascinating to me how obvious it is when someone is rich… the glow lol.” Although the video was full of high-end fashion labels and stylistic details, what truly seemed to signify wealth to this commenter was the rich “glow” radiating through the screen.
It’s a luxury in and of itself to be unconcerned with common struggles like acne or split ends. For an affluent family like the Roys, thousand-dollar procedures and high-end skincare regimens will do all the work, so they can simply spend the dosh and be done with it. Skin that requires minimal makeup is the ultimate luxury, after all. There is no flashy symbol that suggests you’re wearing a $400 face cream, or a blaring signal that shows your hair has been styled with a product formulated by a celebrity stylist, yet there they are. There is only the rich glow.
To determine what it is that gives the Roys such an air of stealth wealth as it pertains to beauty, we’ve done a little sleuthing. We’ve observed and tracked down some of the high-end beauty products that appear in the background throughout the series.
Toward the end of the first episode of season 3, we find baby brother Roman (Kieran Culkin) pacing in a private airplane bathroom as he pleads for power over the phone with his father Logan (Brian Cox). In the background, a treasure trove of luxury beauty products is stocked on the shelves. First, there’s a bottle of salon-worthy and widely coveted Olaplex — which we’ve deduced is likely the brand’s No. 6 Bond Smoother hair styling treatment (thanks to the signature copper stripe across the bottle). On the same shelf, we see what appears to be a green product box of Origins skincare — potentially from its Mega-Mushroom skincare made in collaboration with celebrity Dr. Andrew Weil, and formulated with traditional plants, mushrooms, and herbs to optimize skin health and reduce stress (which is much needed in this family).
A couple of clips later, the celebrity product sightings continue when a lineup of Ouai hair products (A-list hairstylist Jen Atkin’s line) comes into view. A trio of the brand’s Detox Shampoo, and what we presume to be their leave-in conditioner treatment and super dry shampoo are neatly arranged on the shelf, in such plain sight that Atkin herself pointed out the feature on her Instagram story writing, “I am dead!!!! I love this show so much!” The mere implication that there is even an option to shower and wash your hair on the plane — much less with a high-end collection of beauty products lining the shelves of the plane bathroom — is a subtle brag about wealth, and a luxury few can afford. So what if the flight is hardly long enough for a full hair and skin routine? The point isn’t whether or not they use them, just that they’re there.
Later on that season, in episode 3, we catch a glimpse of Kendall’s (Jeremy Strong) bathroom sink, where a casual $385 skincare product rests, proving one of two things. Number one: though Kendall may undergo periods of feeling like his life is in shambles (when he’s not on a power trip), there is always the option of ensuring that at the very least, he can keep his skin in check. Or two: that he can afford to disregard a $385 cream when his life is in said shambles. The product in question? Augustinus Bader’s aptly titled The Rich Cream or its lighter companion The Cream — but knowing Kendall, he likely opted for the former, solely because of its name. Either way, this product will run you almost four hundred dollars. In return you get its patented TFC8 (Trigger Factor Complex) technology which nourishes skin while supporting cellular renewal.
Loved by Hollywood’s elite (Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Aniston, Margot Robbie, etc), Augustinus Bader is the German label that oozes quiet luxury. It’s something of an “if you know, you know” brand — instantly identifiable by its cobalt blue and copper-bodied packaging, but only if you’re a skincare aficionado. Or part of the upper echelon who actually uses it. What’s more, the meeting that led to the success of this eponymous brand reportedly took place at a billionaire’s dinner party where Bader met a Paris-based investor named Charles Rosier, who would become co-founder of the brand. And we wouldn’t assume that Kendall would use anything less than a product founded by a fellow member of a billionaire’s circle.
As for billionaire scion and Roy sister Shiv (Sarah Snook), there’s been a recent uptick in the internet’s interest in her beauty routine. One writer surmised that she’d have to be a “Dr. Barabara Sturm girl”. In a viral Into The Gloss post where each character was compared to a beauty product, Shiv was assigned Clinique’s Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion. But alas, during season 4’s premiere episode, we’re placed in Shiv and Tom’s shared pre-divorce bedroom where an unmistakable tub of Tatcha’s $91 Dewy Skin Cream moisturizer is in clear view atop her dresser. As it turns out, Tatcha’s Japanese-inspired skincare line is Shiv’s brand of choice. This puts her in a class with real-life billionaire Kim Kardashian and former royalty Meghan Markle, who have been said to use these products. We think Shiv is a fitting addition to this crew. On the same dresser, a small silver tube sealed by a black lid that could possibly be a L’Occitane hand cream lies. Understated, yet still expensive, making it a suitable candidate for quiet luxury beauty.
In the penultimate episode of season four, the skincare saga continues. At the beginning of the episode, we see Roman reaching for a white tub of moisturizer. “A little dry,” he says before applying the cream. As Succession has the tendency to do, this lone moisturizer sparked a debate about what specific product he used. Beauty writer Kirbie Johnson and Dieux Skin co-founder Charlotte Palermino both took to Instagram with an initial hunch that it could be a La Mer moisturizer (likely The Soft Cream) because of the shape and material of the tub, the texture of the cream, and even the sound of the lid hitting the countertop. However, after posting her video, a follower who apparently worked on the set of the show DM’ed Palermino to inform her that it was in fact a Kiehl’s moisturizer (possibly The Ultra Facial Cream) used in the scene. Still, Johnson and a slew of Succession fans in the comments of each video remain skeptical. On one hand — like Palermino initially speculated — we’d probably expect Roman to use La Mer because of his “affinity for a certain demographic of women who tend to use La Mer” and because, well, it’s super expensive. On the other hand, if he’s this aware of his skin dryness, then Kiehl’s would be a solid fit. Either way, it’d make sense.
Is it a coincidence that some of these items are left in full view? Absolutely not. It all lends itself to the show’s obsession with stealth wealth. If you blink, you might miss it. But it’s there nonetheless. To shop the Roy beauty regimen, flip through the gallery below.
Ouai
Detox Shampoo
($18, Ouai)
Ouai
Super Dry Shampoo
($34, Ouai)
Tatcha
The Dewy Skin Cream
($91, Tatcha)
Ouai
Detangling and Frizz Fighting Leave In Conditioner
($21, Ouai)
Origins
Mega-Mushroom Relief & Resilience Advanced Face Serum
($96, Origins)
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