Heritage
A house, in its own words
Catrice was founded in 2004 by Christina Oster-Daum, a beauty industry entrepreneur based in Mainz, Germany. The company was built around the idea of making trend-driven cosmetics accessible to a broad consumer base, a positioning that distinguished it from both luxury houses and purely utilitarian drugstore offerings. From its inception, Catrice operated under the parent company Cosnova Beauty, which Oster-Daum also helped establish, and the brand grew rapidly across German-speaking markets before expanding throughout Europe. Over the following two decades, Catrice built a presence in dozens of countries, consistently updating its product lines to reflect seasonal color trends and runway influences. The brand's trajectory has been marked by frequent product turnover, a strategy that mirrors fast-fashion cycles more than traditional cosmetics development. In its first twenty years, Catrice focused almost exclusively on color cosmetics: foundations, lip products, eye shadows, nail polish, and accessories. Fragrance was not a category the brand pursued until the mid-2020s, when the company began developing its first signature scent. The decision to enter perfumery reportedly came as part of a broader brand expansion strategy, aimed at offering customers a more complete beauty routine under a single label. The debut fragrance, Spring's Signature, is slated for a 2026 release, positioning the brand at a notable turning point in its relatively young history. Catrice's creative vision centers on accessibility and trend responsiveness. The brand has consistently aimed to translate runway and seasonal beauty trends into products that are attainable in price and easy to use, a philosophy that has shaped its identity within the crowded European drugstore beauty market. Rather than positioning itself in the luxury or niche fragrance space, Catrice approaches beauty with a democratic sensibility, treating cosmetics and fragrance as everyday tools for self-expression. The brand's entry into perfumery appears to follow this same logic: a singular debut scent designed to complement its existing color cosmetics universe, rather than to compete with established fragrance maisons. Internally, the company has emphasized its commitment to cruelty-free formulations and vegan-certified ingredients, values that have become central to how Catrice communicates with its customer base. This ethical stance is not presented as a marketing add-on but as a foundational principle guiding product development.