Story of MECCA

We launch our Digital Flagship site, enable Endless Aisle and, with the help of CGI, land hot air balloons on Bondi Beach.

We launch MECCAversity for customers, officially launch MECCA COSMETICA in the UK and proudly partner with the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. We also launched our first Reconciliation Action Plan and travelled to Northern Queensland to work directly with young indigenous artists to create a bespoke artwork.

The first ever makeup masterclass at 40,000 feet above the Pacific Ocean with passengers on the Qantas World Pride flight from LA to Sydney receiving a MECCA MAX makeup masterclass.

And 2023 marks 100+ recipients of our Values Award. Since 2008, this award has recognised team members who embody MECCA's values with once-in-a-lifetime learning adventures – from global inspiration tours of iconic beauty houses to social enterprise immersions in Peru.

MECCA MAX partners for its second year with Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, flaunting our first ever parade float, and shows up at the Australian Grand Prix.

An M-POWER-backed documentary – Trailblazers – launches, celebrating the rise of the Matildas with an impact campaign that reached 80,000 kids in classrooms around the country.

MECCA leaders get to learn from the best in business (and channel our inner Elle Woods) at Stanford’s Graduate School of Business – and yes, we all have the merch to prove it.

We also welcome cult-favourites Glossier and Tower 28 to the MECCA line-up – bringing fresh, inclusive beauty with serious fan followings. To mark the moment, we devote our MMM (Monday Morning Meeting) to welcoming the brands and their founders Amy Liu (Tower 28) and Emily Weiss (Glossier).

Our MMMs began in 2008 as a simple way to share wins and stay close to what matters most – our customers, our brands and our team. 16 years on, it’s still the heartbeat of MECCA – our week doesn’t start without it. MMM sets the tone, puts a smile on faces, and sprinkles a little MECCA Magic over the team.

Our MECCA Summer Club debut at the Australian Open’s TOPCOURT put MECCA on the world stage and the impact was felt everywhere.

From Tennis Australia’s CFO, Katrina Blair, calling MECCA “the best activation on site this year,” to an AO security guard who confessed: “I’d never even heard of MECCA before working at the AO, but I couldn’t believe how many people were flooding through the doors every day… After seeing how much effort women put into their makeup and the excitement it brings them, I’ll make sure I always give compliments from now on.”

After years of virtual appearances, Charlotte Tilbury finally made her first in-person trip to Australia — and MECCA was at the heart of it. From her Greatest Glow on Earth Masterclass to live TV appearances, Charlotte brought her signature magic to our community.

There was no bigger moment in 2025, than the opening of MECCA Bourke Street — the culmination of nearly three decades of learning, listening, and evolving alongside our Living Lab of Beauty – our customers, teams, and partners. It’s our most ambitious project yet: a love letter to beauty and to our hometown, Melbourne.

We restored a historic building with reverence for its past and reimagined it for the future. Light-filled atriums, expansive sight lines and three levels of discovery invite play, learning, and joy. With over 200 brands, 80 services, and the biggest MECCA team under one roof, Bourke Street became one of the world’s largest beauty destinations.

But size isn’t the story. Bourke Street weaves our purpose into every detail: it’s where beauty is shared, connection comes first, and everyone leaves feeling emboldened. It’s a town hall for beauty in the heart of Melbourne.

And, as with everything we do, it’s underpinned by M-POWER and our mission to advance gender equality. From products funding initiatives for women and girls, to showcasing women founders and women-led businesses, to the female artworks on display, and the events and storytelling hosted in our MECCAversity auditorium – purpose is woven into the very fabric of our flagship.