Jon Kortajarena enters beauty and launches SMTHELSE

Madrid – Following the personal growth formulas that some of the leading Spanish models of recent decades have embraced, Basque actor and model Jon Kortajarena has launched his own business venture, “SMTHELSE”. This is the name he has chosen for his own beauty line, which specialises in haircare.

Opting for a well-measured advertising strategy for its launch, the initial information about this business venture was released late last week. Magazines such as Vogue, in its October 2026 print issue, VEIN Magazine and Fucking Young previewed the news. The Spanish model is a regular face on the catwalks and in campaigns for fashion brands and retailers like Karl Lagerfeld, Michael Kors, Dolce&Gabbana, Giorgio Armani, Zara and Tom Ford. The latter's founder introduced him to the world of cinema with a role in his directorial debut, “A Single Man” (2009). These previews have now been followed by the official launch announcement of this new beauty line. A special interest and anticipation is being generated, as demonstrated by these staggered announcements. The brand's official website has gone live, yet the exact product range, price points and where the products will be available are still unknown. In line with this strategy of building anticipation, SMTHELSE is simply directing interested parties to register via email to gain access to an initial launch, which is noted to be a “limited edition”.

However, to add depth to this strategy, Jon Kortajarena's new beauty line SMTHELSE has outlined the general principles and intentions of the brand. The line is said to have been developed by the model himself, in collaboration with haircare specialist company Hair Couture. Its origins are rooted first in the model's childhood and his memories of his mother Nuria Redruello's hair salon. Secondly, they stem from the more than 20 years he has spent as one of the industry's most sought-after male models.

“Long before the fashion campaigns and photoshoots, there was a small salon where Jon watched his mother transform the way people felt about themselves,” the beauty brand's management stated. “There he first understood that hair was never just about appearance, but also about confidence.” “Those early memories stayed with him throughout a career that would take him to the heart of the global beauty industry.” It is a universe he has been a part of “for over 20 years,” they highlighted. During this time, the model has witnessed new ideas come to life “backstage at the world's most important fashion shows, inside the leading luxury houses and alongside the stylists who have shaped contemporary beauty.” “SMTHELSE is the result of all that experience,” condensed into “a brand that combines professional efficacy, conscious design and a more intentional concept of luxury.”

With a first “limited edition” launch

Taking its name and image from the abbreviation of “Something Else”, the brand's name refers to the model's intention to truly offer “something more” within the beauty world than what the industry currently provides. This is a truly demanding ambition, considering it is a highly competitive sector where large corporations already dominate a major part of the market. The Basque model is confident he can make firm strides forward by offering a carefully curated range, both in its visual identity and in the quality of its products.

While the exact items to be sold in this first launch and subsequent ones are not yet known, information provided to FashionUnited by SMTHELSE indicates that the new beauty line will feature products for both men and women. Among these items, a line of concentrated haircare products will stand out. These products reduce the water in their formulas by 75 percent, thereby increasing the efficiency of the packaging. The bottles are presented in a deep carmine red, the brand's corporate colour. The haircare products will also be distinguished by their “Famara” scent, the name given to the fragrance exclusively designed for SMTHELSE products. This olfactory creation was developed by French perfumer Patrice Revillard. Inspired by Jon Kortajarena's memories and experiences on the island of Lanzarote, it unfolds with top notes of grapefruit and Spanish cypress. These give way to heart notes of toasted hazelnut, vetiver and coffee, finishing with a sensual and lasting base of cedarwood, moss and white musk.

“The world doesn't need more beauty products,” notes Jon Kortajarena himself, in a seemingly contradictory statement that he quickly corrects by pointing out that “it needs conscious products.” Therefore, “if we are going to create one more product, it must truly deserve to exist,” he warns. “I have worked with the best stylists in the world and learned from those who set the standards in our industry.” Through this work, “every campaign, every show and every film became an opportunity to understand what makes a product truly exceptional.” From that background, the Bilbao-born model adds that he realised “there was room for something different.” For “something more intentional, more honest and more meaningful,” and from these impressions, he decided to launch “SMTHELSE.” The line “is not just a collection of products,” its management adds, but “Jon Kortajarena's vision of what beauty can become,” opting for “fewer products, better formulas, greater intention,” and for a “luxury that feels personal.”

A brand for beauty products, and for the sale of clothing and sportswear

With his decision to launch this personal business project, Kortajarena becomes the latest international Spanish model to shape and give weight to his life's work beyond the catwalks and, in his case, the screen. He seeks to transcend these worlds, just as names like Andrés Velencoso have done. In September 2022, Velencoso announced his partnership with Spanish fashion multinational Tendam to launch OOTO, a new fashion brand specialising in menswear. Similarly, Nieves Álvarez announced the launch of the first products from Nieves by Nieves Álvarez, her own skincare line, in March 2023.

With role models beyond the catwalk, such as Rihanna, whose Fenty Beauty line remains one of the most prominent business ventures launched by the Barbadian singer over the years, Kortajarena is making his first foray into the business world. He is betting on a high-turnover sector like beauty. This characteristic offers a potential constant stream of revenue, which, as it grows, the Basque model can evaluate for reinvestment into the further development of his new company, SMTHELSE.

Looking to the future, according to registration information accessed by FashionUnited, Jon Cortajarena—the model's real name—applied to register SMTHELSE as a trademark for the European Union on August 20, 2025. It was approved as a registered trademark on January 19, 2026. The trademark has also been registered in Mexico and the US. For Europe, the registration covers categories 3, 18, 25 and 44 of the Nice classification. These appendices, as potential next steps, allow for the marketing of items under the SMTHELSE brand ranging from shampoos, conditioners and hair creams to soaps and gels; cosmetics; perfumes and fragrances; umbrellas and parasols; backpacks; handbags; shoulder bags; hair and beauty treatments; and also clothing, footwear, hats, sportswear and even swimwear.