The beauty industry is like many others in that it is ever-changing and constantly evolving. Brands have been selling cosmetics to us for a very long time, and they’ve gone about doing that in many different ways— but none more lucrative than promising to you that your favorite celebrity LOVES them. With the rise of social media in recent years and the incredible influence it has over the world today, we see a clear shift in popularity from more traditional beauty brands like L’Oréal to celebrity beauty brands like Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty. No amount of all-natural or gold-infused ingredients can match up to the ascendancy of one of the world’s biggest stars endorsing a product.
It is not at all a new concept for famous people to be used in the marketing of beauty products. In fact, it can be dated as far back as the 1920s when movie stars like Marilyn Monroe graced the ads for Lux soap! And who could forget about Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds fragrance, which is argued to have kickstarted the celebrity perfume trend in 1991? The iconic Glow by JLo was released a decade later and sparked a celebrity scent craze. Many successful scents followed from stars like Sarah Jessica Parker, Paris Hilton, Mariah Carey, and more (some of my favorites are Midnight Fantasy by Britney Spears and Beyoncé’s Heat Rush).
However, it hasn’t been until recently that we’ve really begun to see more and more celebrities break into the beauty industry themselves with more than just a signature scent or two. They’re expanding their fragrance lines into full-on beauty empires and producing makeup and skincare that rival other world-leading cosmetic brands in both quality and commercial success. The first example of this I can think of is when legendary supermodel Iman launched IMAN Cosmetics back in 1994, changing the industry by introducing the market to makeup that was specifically designed for women of color. It was a hit with everyday women and beauty professionals alike and is a $25 million beauty empire today.
Following in those footsteps, Rihanna introduced the world to Fenty Beauty in September 2017 after having already released a collection of fragrances as well as a collaboration with MAC Cosmetics (that I loved) years prior. Like Iman, her campaigns centered around diversity and inclusivity and garnered her vast amounts of praise and success. The wide range of shades she provided in her complexion products alongside what I honestly think is the world’s best lipgloss brought in $72 million in sales within its first month alone. Their advertisements always feature new and exciting models of color like Duckie Thot and Leomie Anderson.
Many other celebrity beauty brands exist today with major success. Kim Kardashian also debuted her beauty line, KKW Beauty, in 2017 after an initial failed attempt at doing so with her sisters Kourtney & Khloe in 2012 (remember Khroma Beauty)? Of course, there is also Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics (formerly known as Kylie Lip Kits), which rose to popularity after its launch in 2015; mostly attributed to the controversy surrounding the size of Kylie’s lips. She also released a skincare line in May of this year under the name Kylie Skin. More recently, we also have Haus Laboratories from Lady Gaga as well as Victoria Beckham Beauty on the scene too.
Not every celebrity has been successful in their endeavors to take the beauty world by storm though. One failed celebrity beauty line of the past that I absolutely have to talk about is Fetish Cosmetics by Christina Aguilera, which was released in 2001 when she became the official spokesperson for the brand. The campaign pictures were super glam.
Perhaps one of the most notable examples would be Isabella Rossellini’s Manifesto, which was an extremely forward-thinking cosmetics line geared towards making women’s lives easier in the late 90s. As an iconic Lancôme model from the years 1982 to 1996, she really knew what she was talking about when it came to the ins and outs of applying makeup and doing so practically. Her products were well thought out, multi-use, and convenient to travel with. I mean this woman even designed compacts that doubled as bracelets inspired by her own collection of vintage resin jewelry! Sadly, this gem is also no longer with us after Coty canceled the line in 2002 (just before teaming up with Jennifer Lopez for Glow).
Oh, and I just can’t NOT mention when my favorite fashion designer Gianni Versace’s Versace Make-Up flooded cosmetic counters with glamour in the late 90s/early 2000s.
There was also a few years ago when Tyra Beauty seemed to pop up and disappear, which started out as a Mary Kay-esque direct sales company founded by supermodel Tyra Banks in 2015. This is no longer the case as of July 2017 but you can still purchase their products directly from their website today.
It doesn’t seem likely for this influx of celebrity-branded beauty products to end anytime soon. It’s been reported that “Fenty Skin” has been trademarked by Rihanna and we all know what that means. Serena Williams, Kourtney & Khloe Kardashian, and Ariana Grande are all among those who are also currently rumored to be venturing into the beauty world. And who could blame them? There seems to be a lot of money to be made in selling makeup when you have a large enough fanbase.
With so many different products saturating the market, it can be easy to scoff at the idea of another lipstick with a pop star’s name slapped on it. However, I think that celebrity branding has always been a really smart tool for a company to use to better reach their target audience, especially in this digital day and age we live in. I also just think it’s really fun! Rihanna’s cosmetic line is one of my favorites to date and that’s honestly based on just a couple of products alone. It’s also proven to be quite beneficial to beauty to have such massive and dynamic figures spearheading movements of change and inclusivity in the industry. I’m very hopeful about seeing other beauty & fashion icons of today join in to express their point of view to the world through beauty!
