Beckham brand set for further cosmetics expansion

Capitalising on their internationally recognised name and image David and Victoria Beckham are about to expand their presence in the cosmetics sector with the launch of a high-end make-up line that builds on the couple's involvement with Coty.

Almost exactly one year ago, the Beckhams announced a global licensing agreement with Coty that would tie them in to the development and promotion of a series of new cosmetic and fragrance lines bearing the couple's names.

Further to this, a fragrance featuring the England football captain was launched in November last year called David Beckham Instinct. The eau de toilette is derived from notes of grapefruit, mandarin leaf, cardamon seeds and patchouli and was said to have sold extremely well over the all-important Christmas trading period.

Now wife Victoria is readying for the launch of a make-up line that she is said to be heavily involved in on all fronts, including the development, design and brand image.

England football team captain David Beckham and Victoria Beckham have made a significant mark in the fashion industry over the course of the last few years, endorsing a number of big brands. While David has been associated with Ray Ban and Adidas, both of their names have been used to endorse clothing lines.

Capitalising on this success, the couple are likely to become an increasingly prominent name in the cosmetics and fragrance world as the success of their product launches helps to propel the Beckham brand name to even greater heights.

This week the Daily Mirror quoted a source as saying: "It's universally acknowledged that Victoria knows her stuff when it comes to fashion and beauty and she's done work with cosmetics brands in the Far East for years.

"She's getting involved in every stage. Coty bosses are already convinced the product will fly off the shelves and they're impressed with her dedication."

Industry experts believe the move is a good one, both for the couple and Coty. Although Victoria Beckham has all but retired from her career as a pop singer and David Beckham seems to have reached the pinnacle of his football career, the couple's cutting-edge image continues to influence a whole generation. Or so Coty hopes.

Although the right endorsement can elevate a product to category-leading status, matching a product to the wrong name can have equally disastrous results that prove costly for cosmetics companies.

As well as the David Beckham fragrance, other big hits in recent years have included Paris Hilton's fragrance endorsement with Parlux and Britney Spear's endorsement of her self-named Estee Lauder fragrance line.

Equally, endorsements that have bombed have included Jessica Simpson's association with the Dessert Beauty cosmetics line, which ended up attracting two separate law suits.