Smashbox
Mid-Range“The LA photo studio that became a cult primer brand.”
Smashbox Cosmetics launched in 1996 from Smashbox Studios — the Los Angeles photography studio founded in 1990 by Dean and Davis Factor, great-grandsons of Hollywood makeup legend Max Factor. Working with celebrity makeup artists shooting under harsh studio lights, the Factor brothers built the original brand to fix what they were watching fail in front of the lens — makeup that broke down under flash, shifted color on film, or sat poorly under high-resolution lighting.
The Photo Finish Smooth & Blur Primer launched in 2000 as the breakthrough product and has stayed in the brand's top sellers for over two decades, with the line expanding into Photo Finish foundation, Be Legendary lipsticks, and Always On liquid lipsticks. The Estée Lauder Companies acquired Smashbox in 2010, taking it into Sephora, Ulta, and a global distribution footprint that now includes a US Amazon Premium Beauty Store debut in 2024. The brand still trades hard on its photo-studio heritage and the MUA-tested-on-set positioning of its primer franchise.
Known For
Flagship Products
- Photo Finish Smooth & Blur Primer
- Photo Finish Foundation
- Be Legendary Lipstick
- Always On Liquid Lipstick
- Step-by-Step Contour Kit
Brand Philosophy
Makeup formulated for the camera — blurring, mattifying, color-stable formulas tested in a working photo studio and built to perform under flash.
FAQ
For Brands & Creators
VerifiedPublic collaboration and press contact channels for Smashbox. Researched from official brand sources — always confirm before sending.
- Website
- www.smashbox.com
- General inquiries
- [email protected]
- Press & PR
- [email protected]
- Phone
- +1-888-763-1361
- Contact form
- Open form
- Creator portal
- Apply / sign up
- HQ address
- Culver City, CA 90232 USA
- Sold at
- UltaNordstromBrand.com
Smashbox is an Estee Lauder Companies brand. [email protected] surfaced in Google snippets of smashbox.com Review Guidelines and customer service pages. Phone 1-888-763-1361. PR handled in-house by parent Estee Lauder Companies. US contact via [email protected] (Jill Marvin). UK contact: [email protected]. Brand-direct: Catherine Bomboy Dougherty. Affiliate via Direct. No standalone PR Director found at Smashbox. Marketing Director Jane Grosvenor (with Smashbox since 2014) oversees marketing including communications. Parent ELC handles brand PR through global comms team. Owned by The Estee Lauder Companies.