Urban Decay has never been one to play it safe, and its latest launch proves the brand is still very much in touch with its rebel roots. As part of its grunge 2.0 makeup movement, the brand is bringing back one of its most requested shades ever: 24/7 Eyeshadow Mono in Gash ($23). Deep, moody and instantly recognizable to anyone who came up during the punk-goth makeup era, consider this your official initiation into one of beauty’s most legendary obsessions.
A Shade With a Story
Urban Decay first introduced the deep, moody red hue in 1996 as a lipstick and nail polish before expanding it into an eyeshadow in 1997. But it didn’t stop there. Over the years, Gash grew into an entire universe of products—liquid eyeliner, hair pomade, mascara and lip liner all got the treatment—and that’s when the cult following truly took hold.
The celebrity stamp of approval came fast. My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way famously wore Gash around his eyes throughout the early 2000s, making it the de facto uniform of an entire punk-goth generation. Gwen Stefani was a fan, too, though she gravitated toward the lipstick. When icons across two very different aesthetics are both reaching for the same shade, you know it’s something special.
Why Now?
We had to ask Fernando Febres, head of U.S. marketing at Urban Decay, what finally made it the right moment to bring Gash back. “Urban Decay is continuing its anti-bland movement and reclaiming our brand heritage and DNA,” he tells us. “Gash was an integral part of that, and it has been the most-requested product to bring back based on what we see across our social media. We really do pay attention.”
The cultural timing wasn’t lost on the brand either. “Seeing the rise of ’90s and 2000s grunge over the last year, and the soft-goth trend focused on eye makeup, we had to raise our most famous ‘red from the dead,’” Febres says.
The Formula, Upgraded
For the purists wondering whether the new Urban Decay Gash eyeshadow lives up to the original: it does, and then some. Febres confirms that the formula has been updated to reflect the brand’s advancements over the years. It’s now fully vegan, delivers stronger, longer-lasting color payoff and applies more smoothly than ever before.
The result is a supercharged pigment with a pearl finish and warm orange undertones, wrapped in a buttery texture that blends seamlessly and wears for up to 12 hours without fading. Wear it wet, diffused, at full pigment, blurred, graphic or classic—Gash was made to be played with.
The Return of a Legend
A new generation gets to claim it now. With soft-goth eye makeup dominating feeds and ’90s grunge beauty fully back in the cultural conversation, Gash isn’t just a nostalgia play; it’s a statement. Urban Decay’s anti-bland DNA is very much alive, and this limited-edition return is proof the brand knows exactly who it is and who its people are.
But because nothing this legendary lasts forever, Gash is back for a limited time and in limited quantities. Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeshadow Mono in Gash ($23) is available exclusively at Ulta.com and UrbanDecay.com starting Friday, May 29.
