The Great Bringback Is Upon Us

There’s nothing worse than when a brand stops making your favorite product. On my personal list of gone-but-not-forgotten beauty favorites: original Caress bar soap, original John Freida Beach Waves spray, Stella McCartney perfume, Sunsilk Leave-In Conditioner, Naturistics Raspberry Sweet Lips, Aveda Blue Oil, and Revlon Colorburst Balm Stains. Discontinuations happen for a variety of reasons—low sales, ingredient shortages or reformulation requirements, changing trends—but it never hurts any less to say goodbye to a perfume or lipstick you really, really loved, especially when you’re not able to snap up a backstock to prolong the farewell just a little longer.

But much like in the soap opera world, goodbyes aren’t always permanent in the beauty world. Every once in a while, brands heed the pleas of their devoted customers and bring back long-lost favorites once more. Sure, sometimes it’s a nostalgia play, but for many brands, it’s also a way to pay homage to their history—where they’ve been, what they loved, what resonated in a specific time—and to develop a deeper relationship with their customers. Just look at makeup artist and archivist Erin Parsons’s enormously popular videos on TikTok and Instagram, where she digs into her personal archives or buys long-discontinued products on eBay to see how they stack up to modern ones—her videos are so popular that MAC just made her the face of their freshly re-launched Frost Lipsticks.

“I think people are craving things with provenance right now,” says Teny Kureghian, MAC Cosmetics Global Vice President of Product Development. “There is so much coming at us constantly. For me, discovering something from an archive that has a real story, a rich point of view and a reason for existing feels incredibly compelling.”

Kureghian says it’s “fascinating” how sometimes, archival beauty can feel “more provocative” than a new product or innovation. “A product created 20 or 30 years ago can suddenly look radical again because it came from a different set of references and a different moment in culture. A new generation sees it without the nostalgia and interprets it completely differently,” she explains. It’s exciting for MAC given their archive was inspired by artistry, fashion, nightlife, music, and subculture, and products were created to reflect that culture in real time. “So when we go back into the archive, we’re not just looking at old makeup. We’re looking at ideas, attitudes, and innovation that can spark something completely new. For me, that’s when an archive becomes really powerful—it stops being about the past and starts becoming a provocation for what comes next.”

Ahead, check out some of the best “bring backs” that you can snap up and add to your collection today—before they’re gone again.

Oil of Olay Beauty Fluid

Some of our moms never stopped calling it “Oil of Olay,” the brand’s original name, which they shifted away from in 1999. Those moms are now vindicated, as the brand just dropped a small “vintage” collection of products under its old moniker, including bar soap, body lotion, and the original “beauty fluid,” which was first launched back in 1952. 

Too Faced Sweet Peach Collection

Just looking at the (truly iconic) Sweet Peach Eyeshadow Palette sends me right back to the glory days of beauty YouTube. In summer 2026, the brand brought back the beloved peach-scented lineup, which had been discontinued about five years prior. It did get a bit of an update, however, with more modern makeup technology to ensure it could keep up with what’s currently on shelves. “We’ve spent years thinking about how to bring it back in the right way. We wanted to honor everything people loved—the scent, the shades, the feeling—but evolve it for how makeup is worn today,” Elyse Reneau, Global Head of Beauty at Too Faced, said in a release at the time. “This collection is softer, more wearable, and even more performance-driven. It’s still the peach you love, but for today.”

Smashbox O-Gloss pH Lip Gloss

A color-changing, pH gloss or balm is a fun novelty lip product that supposedly evolves into a bespoke shade of pink depending on your personal pH. Whether or not you believe in it, you probably owned Smashbox’s beloved O-Gloss in the early 2000s. The gloss, which goes on clear and turns pink with wear, was discontinued for a time, but it’s back again—right on time as pH glosses and lip colors are experiencing something of a renaissance, with brands like Givenchy and Dior getting in on the fun.

OPI’s Most Requested Collection

OPI comes out with so many collections throughout the year, and sometimes specific polishes get a spot in the permanent lineup. But what happens when they don’t, and the limited-edition color you fell in love with is gone forever? Much like Disney with its “vault” or American Girl with its doll archives, OPI opened up their own time capsule and brought back some of its most-requested fan favorite shades, including Vodka & Caviar, Suzi Take a Vow, and My Private Yacht. (Now, how do we get access to the OPI vault?)

MAC Frost Lipstick

MAC is another brand with tons of products and history; ask any makeup fan and they can probably rattle off multiple MAC collections they loved or products they’ve been hoarding. (I still have products from the Marilyn Monroe and Charlotte Olympia collections.) “MAC fans do not forget a product they love—and they are definitely not shy about reminding us,” says Kureghian. “Fleshpot [lipstick] is a perfect example. People never stopped asking for it. Frost [lipstick] is another one, and Pro Lip Erase had this almost underground cult following that just kept growing after it disappeared.” Kureghian notes that MAC fans know the archive as well as its employees and artists. “They remember the shade, the texture, the finish, even the way they wore it 15 or 20 years ago. And sometimes a product comes back and suddenly a whole new generation discovers it and makes it their own. That’s the part that really excites me, digging into the MAC archive, finding those icons, and together deciding what deserves another moment.”

In 2024, MAC brought back a limited-edition lineup of bringback lipsticks, including the much-missed Fleshpot, Frost, and Bubbles, and in 2025, they revamped the Gabriette-approved Pro Lip Erase. The brand also introduced a cool version of Spice Lip Pencil after the internet bemoaned the 2020s version was warmer than what they remembered, and rumors are swirling that an “OG Spice” liner may soon be joining the lineup.

Of course, the products aren’t always exactly the same as the ones you remember. According to Kureghian, the MAC team deconstructs the original products, evaluating shades, textures, and finishes to establish what resonated. “Then comes the tension I find most interesting: what is sacred and what can evolve? We evaluate the formula through today’s lens: raw materials, pigment technology, performance, manufacturing and regulatory standards, and look at where innovation can push it forward without over-engineering the thing people loved in the first place.” As she explains, that balance is “everything” for the team and customers too. “A Bring Back shouldn’t feel like a reproduction or a museum piece. It has to have the soul and attitude of the original, but earn its place in a makeup bag today. If someone who wore it 20 years ago recognizes it instantly and someone discovering it now thinks, where has this been my whole life?—we’ve done our job.”

Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeshadow in Gash

When Urban Decay launched in 1996, it was edgy, unique, and almost shocking. The products weren’t named after flowers or baked goods, but rather Acid Rain, Smog, and Roach. One of its most beloved shades was the blood-red Gash, which was first released as a lipstick and nail polish and eventually became an eyeshadow—one that became the signature shade of My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way at that. Gash was sadly discontinued in 2012 to the dismay of emo kids everywhere, but Urban Decay brought it back in summer 2026 exclusively on their website and via Ulta.

According to Gwenael Tran Sauvageot, West Coast general manager of L’Oréal Luxe, Gash was the number-one most requested product on social media. “Seeing the rise of ‘90s and ‘00s grunge over the last year, and the soft goth trend focused on eye makeup, we had to raise our most famous red back from the dead,” Sauvageot says. Urban Decay takes note when their community continuously asks about a product—like Gash, for example, or the infamous Naked palette, which the brand brought back a few years prior.

“Since there have been so many advancements in formulations in the last few years, we spend a lot of time adjusting and incorporating these elements while maintaining the integrity of the original.” Sauvageot explains. “For Gash, we needed that perfect dark red. And I mean perfect—our Gash fans would know if the color was off. So getting the color, texture, payoff just right is key.” The initial drop sold out in just 48 hours, so it seems like they were pretty happy about it! 

Victoria’s Secret Pink Total Flirt Fragrance Mist

Pink fans weren’t satisfied with other body mists—they wanted three very specific scents in very specific bottles (square!) back. And the brand acquiesced, bringing back Hot Crush, Pretty and Pure, and Total Flirt for a limited time, square bottles and all. Is it 2012 again?