Celebrity beauty brands: would you take skincare advice from a famous teenager?
She played Eleven in Netflix series Stranger Things. Now 15-year-old Millie Bobby Brown has become the latest celebrity to launch a beauty line
This trend is not new, but should I be comfortable leaving teenagers’ complexions in her hands?
Millie Bobby Brown has launched a vegan cosmetics line called Florence by Mills. She’s 15 years old.
I do admire her great skin and age-appropriate fashion choices. I’d take acting lessons from her. But would I seek her advice on skincare? Probably not. Nor would I be comfortable leaving in her young hands the complexions of other teenagers, her target demographic.
Mills, as she apparently likes to be called, is just one of many celebrities to have launched a beauty line recently. Do we really need more? I’ve been proven wrong many times.
I balked when Gwyneth Paltrow launched her Goop newsletter in 2008. The lifestyle brand now includes an online platform with not only own-brand beauty and health products, but also conferences, oh sorry, I mean “wellness summits”, pop-up shops, a podcast and fashion collaborations, plus advice on how to do everything – if you’re a millionaire. In 2018, Goop was estimated to be worth US$250 million.
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Remember celebrity perfumes? Were you a JLo Glow girl or more of an Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds type? Are any of the Britney Spears, Paris Hilton or Taylor Swift fragrances still sitting on a shelf?
Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Sarah Jessica Parker, Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé, One Direction, Ariana Grande – name a famous person and there’s probably a fragrance with their name on it. Fragrance remains a profitable revenue stream. Donald Trump has had a few.
Why would you take advice from someone who has no formal training in that field?
Fame is an undeniably powerful draw, the absurd inference being that you will smell and look like that person if you buy their products.
People have been misassigning expertise to celebrities for longer than I’ve been alive. Advertising has harnessed the power of fame for hundreds of years.
In the 1760s, royal endorsements helped to market brands such as Josiah Wedgwood and Sons. The logical next step was for the people associated with products to launch their own brands, or to license their identities for profit.
Social media has extended the myth of authority to anyone with an online presence. Gomez, Grande and footballer Cristiano Ronaldo (who also has multiple fragrance deals) each have more than 150 million Instagram followers.
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Most of these celebrities are extraordinary physical specimens, Trump excluded. They look like they know the secret of perfection.
Although I would attribute their looks to genetics and medical intervention, I suppose they have acquired knowledge of beauty and fashion because of their jobs. And wealth. And freebies. (I might be a little envious.)
A recognisable name catapults a new brand over the clutter of niche cosmetics companies launched each year. For those who do break through, it can be incredibly lucrative.
That’s why I’m thrilled to announce the new Sofia Suarez face masks made from old newsprint. Who’s buying?
