Few beauty brands launch with a story about smelling like fish, but Jennifer Lawrence isn't typical founder. After testing an unscented version of her new hair mask for four straight days, her husband, Cooke Maroney, issued a firm ultimatum: wash your hair or check into a hotel. That unfiltered moment sets the tone for mes° (pronounced 'mess'), her biotech-backed line launched on 27 October.
The newcomer is already drawing fierce comparisons to Blake Lively's Blake Brown—a range built on a very different kind of intimacy, named after the legal surname on Lively's birth certificate and refined over seven years of trial and error.
Blake Brown vs mes° Haircare
Blake Brown launched in August 2024 with eight products, including two shampoos, two masks, a leave-in spray, a mousse and a dry shampoo. Everything costs between $18.99 and $24.99 (about £14 to £19), and is sold at Target. Lively built it around her own habit of skipping conditioner in favour of masks.
mes° is far tighter, with three products sold exclusively through mesbeauty.com. The Multitask Repair Mask costs $52 (about £39), the Off-Duty Restyling Serum is $44 (£33) and the Good Roots Volume Mist is $34 (£25). Lawrence's mask alone costs more than double any single Blake Brown product, and that is the first number most readers will weigh up.
The Science Behind Jennifer Lawrence's mes°
Inspired by years of heat damage in the glam chair, Jennifer Lawrence's mes° centres on a low-maintenance, 'unbothered' beauty philosophy built with biotech firm Arcaea. Designed to deliver Lawrence's signature lived-in waves and undone texture with minimal effort, the three-product lineup relies on targeted biology rather than traditional multi-step routines.
The Multitask Repair Mask uses a Biomimetic Tri-Lipid Complex and olive squalane to repair internal fibre structure, claiming 86% less frizz and 92% less tangling. Meanwhile, the Off-Duty Restyling Serum pairs styling polymers with AirSilk C15-19 for 450°F heat protection, and the Good Roots Volume Mist targets scalp oiliness using microalgae and ARC-5 technology.
The Routine Behind Blake Lively's Blake Brown
Built around seven years of personal trial and error, Blake Brown relies on an anti-standard premise: ditching traditional conditioner entirely. Her approach centres on alternating between strengthening and nourishing masks with every wash, using warm, fragrance-heavy formulas to deliver a salon finish at drugstore prices.
Rather than leading with clinical data or biotech claims, the range focuses on an accessible, habit-driven routine designed to recreate Lively's signature volume and beachy waves without the luxury price tag.
Overcoming Celebrity Brand Fatigue
Lawrence only joined Instagram in September and already has around 8.5 million followers. She was recently photographed with Kim Kardashian in matching SKIMS sleepwear, days after the launch, and fans are still arguing over whether it was coincidence or clever timing.
Not everyone is sold. One Reddit user said they were fully tapped out on celebrity beauty brands, while another asked what Lawrence knows about hair beyond having her own. Some critics also questioned the models' hair in the campaign images. Supporters hit back, with TV personality Paige DeSorbo telling Lawrence she was 'buying whatever you're selling.'
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But with established lines like Beyoncé's Cécred and Jennifer Aniston's LolaVie already crowding the space, Lawrence faces a tough battle to convert that celebrity buzz into lasting market share.
The Verdict
On value and access, Blake Brown has the edge, because a cheaper range at a high-street retailer is easy to try. On novelty, mes° leads, since few rivals can point to this much science. But dethroning a two-year-old favourite takes more than a clever formula and a famous friend. Will shoppers pay double for Jennifer Lawrence's hair brand, or stick with the routine they already know?
