7 most successful celebrity beauty brands in the world, from Selena Gomez’ Rare Beauty and Rihanna’s multimillion-dollar Fenty Beauty, to Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics and Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop
They may be most famous for singing or acting, but some celebrities are also making big bucks through their beauty brands as they investigate ways to add to their wealth portfolio.
Read on for the seven most powerful celebrity beauty brands in the world right now.
1. Rihanna: Fenty Beauty
Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty in 2017 and owns a 50 per cent stake in the company. The beauty empire comes out on top after expanding into eight African countries in 2022. Fenty’s reach is amplified as it centres around its core mission of “inclusion for all women and skin-types”.
Solidifying its status as the No 1 successful beauty brand in the world is the fact that it is the most profitable when compared to other celebrity beauty brands, reports Cosmetify. Rihanna bolstered her brand’s media value when she famously wore the Fenty Invisimatte instant setting and blotting powder during her Super Bowl LVII performance. Cosmetify reports that Fenty’s brand value shot up by US$5 million after its three-second cameo during the live broadcast of the American football game.
Meanwhile, Forbes reports that at least US$1.4 billion of RiRi’s total net worth comes from Fenty Beauty.
Inside the luxury lives of the Spencer sisters – Amelia, Eliza and Kitty
2. Kylie Jenner: Kylie Cosmetics
Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics was founded in 2014 by the reality TV star, immediately catapulting both her fortune and businesswoman status. The brand is most famous for its lip products, which promise fuller and plumper lips.
Jenner is a queen at promoting her line through her powerful social media channels on Instagram and TikTok. Cosmetify reports that she has the biggest celebrity beauty brand following on social media, with Kylie Cosmetics boasting more than 25.6 million followers on the platform. In 2020, she sold 51 per cent of the company to publicly traded Coty in a US$600 million deal, reports Forbes.
3. Selena Gomez: Rare Beauty
The power of the singer’s beauty brand focuses on “breaking down unrealistic standards of perfection”. Gomez has also highlighted the importance of mental health through her range, using uplifting statements on her products.
According to Cosmetify, Rare Beauty was the most-Googled celebrity beauty brand between February 2022 and January 2023, illustrating increased global interest. Gomez launched the brand during the global pandemic in 2020 and, just a year later, she had already raked in US$60 million in revenue, reports Nylon. The range sells well at Sephora, with none of its products being priced over US$50.
Feud or no feud? Selena Gomez and Kylie Jenner’s top twinning fashion moments
4. Ariana Grande: R.E.M.
In 2021, musician Ariana Grande expanded her reach with the launch of her vegan make-up line, R.E.M. The first collection included eyeliners, false lashes, highlighters and plumping gloss. R.E.M. was being sold in mega beauty store Ulta by April 2022, reports Seventeen. But the brand has suffered hiccups after the company Grande partnered with filed for bankruptcy.
Forbes reported earlier this year that Grande was set to acquire the physical assets of R.E.M. from Forma Brands (the parent company of Morphe Cosmetics) after the company filed for bankruptcy in January. This development effectively ended its license agreement with the singer. But even though details around the future of R.E. M remain unclear, it is still one of the most powerful celebrity beauty brands in terms of popularity.
5. Jeffree Star: Jeffree Star Cosmetics
The make-up artist and YouTube sensation launched his cosmetics line in 2014. Cosmetify puts his eponymous brand among the top five most powerful celebrity beauty brands in the world based on profit, Instagram influence and Google search rankings.
Cosmopolitan reports that Star earns up to US$150 million a year from his cosmetic company. Although YouTube is where he is most powerful in terms of promoting his brand, he has a strong following on Instagram too, with more than 6.2 million fans.
5 inspiring skincare books to add to your reading list
6. Millie Bobby Brown: Florence by Mills
Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown launched her beauty brand in 2019 and used it as a learning opportunity to discover new things about beauty and skincare.
According to Insider, she admitted that she didn’t know anything about the industry, but is using that lack of knowledge to reel in customers, who she said she want to “take on the journey with me”. Fashion Network reports that, in 2020, she acquired the majority stake in the line and has a successful e-commerce platform too.
7. Gwyneth Paltrow: Goop
What started out as a homespun newsletter in 2008 has grown into a multimillion-dollar beauty, fashion, wellness and lifestyle brand. Goop’s beauty products centre around a clean, glow-granting foundation.
Paltrow regularly promotes her brand with skincare ideas and tips on how she gets her flawless skin, which end up going viral. Cosmopolitan reports the Iron Man actress owns a 30 per cent stake in Goop, which is worth an estimated US$250 million.
Deconstructing Gwyneth Paltrow’s ‘stealth wealth’ victory courtroom fashion
Speaking about Goop’s success, Paltrow told The CEO Magazine that when Goop first launched, people said it would be a one-hit wonder. Now, years later, it’s a “billions of dollars market”.
