It’s not enough for celebrities to put their names to beauty brands – the power is in the product, too
- Celebrities are big in beauty, with the likes of Kylie Jenner, Rihanna and Pharrell Williams putting their names on products
- But in 2021, new make-up and skincare brands need more than a famous name – they also need a big idea
Remember when every other celebrity suddenly decided to launch their own fragrance? We’re talking about the 1990s and early 2000s, although some continued the trend for a while longer.
Back to the present, there’s a new category catching the interest of the stars: welcome to the era of celebrity beauty brands. From make-up to skin, hair and body care, more and more celebrities are launching their own beauty brands – and it doesn’t look like the trend is going to end any time soon, although it’s not entirely new either.
In 2015, American socialite and model Kylie Jenner announced the launch of her lip kits and with it the birth of her brand, Kylie Cosmetics. The kits sold out in minutes. In the six years since, that trio of lip kits has grown into a multimillion-dollar empire featuring full make-up and skincare lines and earning Jenner the title of Forbes’ youngest self-made billionaire, in 2019.
Celebrities and the beauty industry are no strangers. In the past, personalities acted as ambassadors for renowned beauty brands, endorsing their launches, appearing in campaigns, and wearing their products to interviews, on red carpets and at events. Now it seems, that is not enough.
“Celebrity beauty is nothing new. People have always been keen to follow and replicate celebrities’ beauty routines, styles, products and so on,” says María José Swart, research director at Huge Inc, an experience design and digital marketing agency. “It’s also important to keep in mind that the definition of what a celebrity is has expanded. It’s not restricted to A-list actors and singers, but now you have influencers and social media personalities as well.”