Pupa

Pupa Milano: who is behind the brand

Pupa is an Italian makeup brand, and the name Pupa Milano points to its Milan roots. The company that owns it is Micys Company S.p.A., a family business that lists its address in Casatenovo, in the Lecco area of Lombardy, and that also keeps an office in Paris. It was founded by Angelo Gatti, and today it is led by Valerio Gatti as chief executive, so the second generation of the family runs it.

Pupa dates back to 1975, and the brand celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025. Pupa is a colour cosmetics house first: in 2024 makeup made up 85 percent of its sales, and the total reached 98.5 million euros. The products are sold at around 12,000 points of sale in 70 countries, and the company runs 36 stand-alone stores in countries such as Italy, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary.

A short history: from the Bouquet kit to Vamp!

The first Bouquet kit of 1975 brought lip, eye and nail products together, at a time when makeup came in serious packaging and something red suddenly popped onto the scene. The idea of the makeup kit stayed with the brand for decades. In 1979 came the Intensyl mascara with an integrated mirror for on-the-go application, in 1983 the suitcase-shaped Genesis box with lighting that mimics a professional makeup station, and in 1985 PupaFree took the idea of refills further.

In the 1990s came sets shaped as music boxes and animals, and the brand moved into fragrances and children’s and men’s skin care lines. The mascara that changed the brand’s profile, Vamp!, arrived in 2012. It became a best seller and grew into a whole franchise that later reached lips as well.

What Pupa makes: eyes, lips, face and more

The brand’s own shop lists makeup in three groups. Eyes cover mascaras, primers, eye pencils, eyeliners, eyeshadows and eyebrow products. Lips cover lipsticks, lip glosses and lip pencils. Face covers primers, concealers, foundations, BB creams, bronzing powders, contouring, blushes, face powders and highlighters. Beyond makeup there is skin care, a hair and sun care section, beauty kits and gift ideas, and accessories.

Named Pupa lines include Vamp!, Miss Pupa and Extreme Blush. Many shoppers meet the brand through its mascaras and lip products, which is why this page spends most of its time there. If you are looking for something specific, our cosmetics category has separate pages for eyes, lips and face.

Vamp! mascara: one name, many versions

Vamp! is not a single product. The brand’s mascara page lists ten Vamp! mascaras, and the original and Sexy Lashes carry the best seller label. The idea is simple: all share the Vamp! promise of dramatic volume, but each differs in the brush, the formula and the final look. The brand also offers a short finder that starts from one question, how do you like your lashes, and then points to a version.

The versions differ like this:

• Vamp! Mascara: builds volume coat by coat for a false-lash look, with a fibre brush with soft, curved bristles. A waterproof version also exists.
• Vamp! Forever: big, exaggerated volume with a smudge-proof hold, applied with a curved brush with soft, dense fibres that picks up plenty of product.
• Vamp! Sexy Lashes: volume, lift and curl, with a large, asymmetrical, curved fibre brush made for a strong curl.
• Vamp! Explosive Lashes: maximum volume that thickens lashes generously, with a maxi fibre brush with soft, curved bristles.
• Vamp! Definition: large volume with separated lashes and no clumping, with a flexible cylindrical silicone brush that works like a comb.
• Vamp! All In One: volume, curl and length with a fortifying treatment, using a tapered cylindrical fibre brush that reaches the shortest lashes.
• Vamp! Extreme: thick coverage from base to tip from the first coat, with a semi-rigid, curved silicone brush.

The brand’s mascara page also offers filters by effect, such as buildable volume, volume and curve, extreme volume, and volume, curve and length. Overall, six of the ten mascaras have a fibre brush and three a silicone one, and a group of them is marked as suitable for contact lens wearers. A wash-off version, removed with lukewarm water, was added as a new item.

How to choose the right Vamp! mascara

Start from the lash problem you want to solve rather than from the name. If your lashes are short and you want them to look longer, take the All In One: the tip of its tapered brush reaches the small lashes. If your lashes are straight and you want a lifted look, Sexy Lashes with the curved brush and long bristles at the base is the curling choice. If your lashes tend to stick together, Definition with its silicone comb brush separates them without clumps.

If you want volume that you can build up, the original Vamp! Mascara builds it coat by coat. For the biggest effect, Forever gives big, exaggerated volume, Explosive Lashes maximum volume and Extreme thick coverage from the first coat.

Shade is the simplest part: All In One comes in 101 Extra Black and Sexy Lashes in 011 Sexy Black. Vamp! All In One and Sexy Lashes are ophthalmologically tested and suit sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

Vamp! All In One: what the formula contains

Vamp! All In One comes in a 9 ml pack in the shade 101 Extra Black. It gives spectacular volume, a perfect curve and length with a fortifying treatment. In a 30-person, 30-day test, 90 percent noticed more volume, 90 percent longer lashes, 86 percent thicker lashes and 83 percent stronger lashes.

The formula is built on structuring waxes, natural gelling agents and film-forming agents, with a Cassie wax for suppleness. The formula also contains carnauba and rice bran wax, panthenol and biotinoyl tripeptide-1, the ingredient behind the fortifying treatment.

Vamp! Sexy Lashes: curl first

Sexy Lashes is sold in a 12 ml pack in the shade 011 Sexy Black, which makes it a larger tube than the All In One. The promise is bold volume with a curvy effect. The formula combines organic beeswax and carnauba wax for volume, a film-forming resin that holds the curl, a high level of black micro-pigments for colour from the first coat and organic shea butter that conditions the lashes without weighing them down. A crosspolymer called Lash Sculptor gives the push-up curl.

The brush is a large fibre brush with a curved shape and long bristles at the base, which act as a mechanical curler. Comb upward from the roots with vertical movements, add zig-zag movements at the base for more volume and use the base of the brush to lift the outer lashes.

How to apply mascara step by step

The steps for the two mascaras above are almost the same, and they work as a simple routine.

• Place the brush at the base of the upper lashes and comb lengthways from root to tip.
• For more volume, wiggle the brush in a zig-zag motion at the base before you comb to the tips.
• Use the tip of a tapered brush for the short lashes, and the base of a curved brush to lift the outer corner.
• Apply repeated coats if you want a stronger effect.
• For a more intense look, you may also coat the lower lashes.

The Wash Off version comes off with lukewarm water.

Lip products that grew out of Vamp!

The Vamp! name later reached lips. The Vamp! Lipstick is an extreme colour lipstick with a plumping treatment, in a soft formula with a plumping active ingredient for fuller-looking lips and deep colour. The pack holds 3.5 g.

The Vamp! Marker Duo has two ends: a lip marker for definition and colour, and an oil gloss for shine. The marker is water-based and contains hyaluronic acid, while the gloss is based on coconut oil derivatives and raspberry seed oil. The Shock Plump lip plumper uses a warm and cool combination: chilli for a warm tingle and menthol for a lasting cool feel.

The brand also sells kits that pair a mascara with a lip product, for example Vamp! Sexy Lashes with Shock Plump. Kits are a simple way to try two items at once, and they make gift buying easier.

Eyes beyond mascara

If you want to build a full eye look, the brand offers eye primers, pencils, liners, eyeshadows and eyebrow products. A common order for an everyday look is primer first, then shadow, then liner, and mascara last. Mascara is the final step. For a quick look, a black mascara alone already changes the frame of the eye, which is why Vamp! became the brand’s calling card.

For eyes and lips, the eyes category and the lips category in our shop show what is currently in stock from several brands, so you can compare shades and prices on one page.

Frequently asked questions about Pupa

Is Pupa an Italian brand?

Yes. It is made by Micys Company S.p.A., a family company based in Casatenovo, Italy, and it carries Milan in its name. The founder was Angelo Gatti, and the CEO today is Valerio Gatti. Pupa makes the Vamp! All In One and Sexy Lashes mascaras in Italy.

How old is the brand?

Pupa dates back to 1975, with the first Bouquet kit, and the company marked its 50th anniversary in 2025.

Which Pupa mascara gives the most curl?

Vamp! Sexy Lashes is the one made for strong curl, with its curved, asymmetrical fibre brush and long bristles at the base.

Which Pupa mascara is best against clumping?

Vamp! Definition gives large volume with separated lashes, using a flexible silicone brush with a comb effect.

Which mascara is for short lashes?

Vamp! All In One: its tapered cylindrical brush has a tip for the shorter lashes.

Are Vamp! mascaras safe for contact lens wearers?

Yes. Both are ophthalmologically tested: Vamp! All In One and Sexy Lashes suit sensitive eyes and contact lens wearers.

How much product is in a Vamp! mascara?

Vamp! All In One is 9 ml and Vamp! Sexy Lashes is 12 ml.

Is there a waterproof Pupa mascara?

Yes, there is a waterproof Vamp! Mascara, and a Wash Off version that comes off with lukewarm water.

What does the Shock Plump feel like?

It combines chilli for a warm tingle with menthol for a lasting cool feel.

Where can I see Pupa makeup in the shop?

Start from the cosmetics category, which opens into eyes, face and lips, and look for the Pupa products there.