Nouba, Italy's pioneering makeup brand since 1978, entered liquidation in 2024

Nouba was founded in Milan in 1978 by make-up artist Rosy Armanini, who after a trip to Sudan was inspired by the Nuba tribe's use of colour to celebrate life and express identity. The brand became one of Italy's first professional make-up lines, building a reputation for bold pigments, Made-in-Italy quality, and colour innovation. For decades it sold across Italy and exported internationally through professional salons and select retail.

By the 2020s, Nouba had not kept pace with the beauty market's shift toward fast-moving road-shop brands and digital-native competitors. Revenue fell to approximately €3 million by 2023. The company, legally Nouba By Matisse S.r.l. based in Milan, was in financial distress.

In 2023, Virgo Cosmetics acquired management of the brand and attempted a turnaround, enlisting well-known Italian cosmetics entrepreneur Diego Dalla Palma to help reposition it. Despite the rescue effort, the company's financial position continued to deteriorate. On 31 July 2024, the Milan Court declared Nouba By Matisse S.r.l. subject to judicial liquidation (liquidazione giudiziale), case number 469/2024. Dr. Cesare Giuseppe Meroni was appointed curator.

The brand did not disappear entirely. In December 2025, a new CEO, Mariangela Pangia, was appointed to lead a strategic consolidation and international relaunch under new ownership. The brand website remained operational and products continued to be sold, but the original company had been liquidated and the brand was being restructured through a new corporate vehicle.