 | |
 March 2021 cover featuringJennifer Lopez and highlighting the magazine's 30th anniversary | |
| Editor in Chief | Jessica Cruel |
|---|---|
| Categories | Beauty |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | Condé Nast |
| Total circulation (2013) | 1,165,392[1] |
| Founded | 1991-2022 (print) |
| First issue | March 1991 |
| Final issue | December 2022 (print) |
| Company | Advance Publications |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Website | www |
| ISSN | 1054-7711 |
Allure (stylized inall lowercase) is an American women's fashion magazine focused on beauty, published monthly byCondé Nast inNew York City. It was founded in 1991 byLinda Wells.Michelle Lee replaced Wells in 2015.[2] A signature of the magazine is its annual Best of Beauty awards—accolades given in the October issue to beauty products deemed the best byAllure's staff.
In 1990,S.I. Newhouse Jr., chairman of Condé Nast, and then editorial directorAlexander Liberman approachedLinda Wells to develop a concept they had for a beauty magazine. At the time, Wells was the beauty editor and the food editor atThe New York Times Magazine.[3]
The magazine's prototype was shredded shortly before the scheduled launch date and, after overhauling everything (including the logo),Allure made its debut in March 1991[4][5] designed by Lucy Sisman. The magazine's original format was oversize, but this prevented it from fitting into slots at grocery-store checkouts and required advertisers to resize their ads or create new ones. After four issues,Allure changed to a standard-size glossy format.[3]
In August 2022, Conde Nast announced the December issue would be the last one in print after which the publication would be online only.Allure employeesunionized in 2022.[6] Conde states, "It's our mission to meet the audience where they are and with this in mind, after our December print issue, we are making Allure an exclusively digital brand."[7]
Note that American Allure still operates digitally.
| Country | Circulation dates |
|---|---|
| United States (Allure) | March 1991–December 2022 |
| South Korea (Allure Korea) | August 2003–present[8] |
| Russia (Allure Russia) | September 2012–December 2016/January 2017[9] |
| Philippines (Allure Philippines) | May 2025–present[10] |
Allure focuses on beauty, fashion, and women's health.Allure was the first women's magazine to write about the health risks associated withsiliconebreast implants, and has reported on other controversial health issues. The influence that Allure magazine had on society was impactful. Using publication to show the new beauty brand and other health needs.
After Lee took the helm in late 2015, the brand was celebrated for promoting diversity and inclusivity.[clarification needed] In 2017,Adweek namedAllure Magazine of the Year and awarded Lee as Editor of the Year.[11][12]
The magazine's circulation, initially 250,000 in 1991, is over 1 million as of 2011.
Many writers have contributed toAllure. Among them areArthur Miller,John Updike,Jhumpa Lahiri,Michael Chabon,Kathryn Harrison,Frank McCourt,Isabel Allende, andFrancine du Plessix Gray.Elizabeth Gilbert's essay "The Road to Rapture," published inAllure in 2003, was the precursor to her 2006 memoir,Eat, Pray, Love (Viking Adult). Photographers who have shot forAllure includeMichael Thompson,Mario Testino,Patrick Demarchelier,Norman Jean Roy,Tina Barney,Marilyn Minter, Carter Smith,Steven Klein,Steven Meisel, andHelmut Newton.
Allure began its Best of Beauty awards program in the mid-1990s, at the initiative of Wells, to help readers choose among the vast array of makeup, skincare, and hair-care products on the market. In 2019, the magazine introduced theAllure Best of Beauty Clean Seal award to products that met the publication's "clean" standards.[13]
Allure has two sets of awards, one judged by the magazine's editors and the other by readers. A "winners' seal" logo, developed byAllure, appears on many of the winning products. To ensure that its judgments are neutral,Allure's ad department isn't involved in the selections.
In 2010, the magazine developed aniPhone app that highlights the winning products and tells users where they can buy them based on their location.[14]
The magazine faced online criticism when it showedMarissa Neitling with anAfro haircut.[15][16]
SingerHalsey has announced she will no longer do press afterAllure failed to use her preferred pronouns in its August 2021 cover story and promoted the interview by allegedly taking quotes out of context.[17]
Wells, along withAllure editors Michael Carl and Kelly Atterton, have appeared as judges on theBravo TV seriesShear Genius.
Allure editors have appeared as experts on television programs such as theToday show and60 Minutes, andAllure stories frequently receive national attention.
Hilary Duff played anAllure intern inCheaper by the Dozen 2.[21]