Estée Lauder dives into the metaverse with free NFTs

Estée Lauder is entering the metaverse through the front door. As an exclusive partner of the very first Metaverse Fashion Week, scheduled from March 24 to 27, the cosmetics giant will unveil its first NFT inspired by one of its iconic products -- the brand's Advanced Night Repair serum.

 The first fashion week in the metaverse will kick off in a few days' time in Decentraland, which will host some of the world's biggest luxury houses as they present their new collections, between virtual shows and online after parties. But this fashion week will not only take place on the catwalk, with events and surprises planned by brands from other horizons. Such is the case of Estée Lauder, which is due to present its first NFT, Women's Wear Daily (WWD) reports.

And it's the cosmetics giant's famous Advanced Night Repair serum that will be the starting point for this NFT. It's hard to imagine avatars applying a face cream in this parallel world, you might think, but here, users will be able to go inside the product bottle to retrieve the said NFT, which will then give their avatar(s) a "glowing, radiant look," according to the specialist site.

Designed by the virtual creator Alex Box, the NFT will be available in several thousand copies and will be free. Even more than offering its customers a first experience in the metaverse, this first foray will help Estée Lauder make itself known to those who are already used to spending time in these virtual worlds. It could also be a way for the cosmetics brand to test out this parallel world in order to potentially join others in adopting it as its new playground.

L'Oréal Paris USA, Clinique, Givenchy Beauty and Gucci are among the beauty brands that have already entered the metaverse, showing keen enthusiasm for what looks like a new El Dorado for the luxury world.