Stardom and funding can only do so much, and the magnetism of celebrity-owned beauty brands has begun to fizzle out, sooner than anticipated
“Rare Beauty”, “Fenty Beauty”, “Rhode” and “Kay Beauty” are some of the many names consumers are most likely to mention upon being asked about celebrity-owned beauty brands they find any merit in. However, this is something to wonder about—why have only a smattering of brands made it to the top tier when there are so many of them saturating the beauty market? While it may seem like the age of celebrity-owned beauty brands, the trend commenced as early as 1981 when Sophia Loren launched Sophia by Coty. The 2000s witnessed novel—and solid—entrants in the segments: Jennifer Lopez launched Glow by JLo in 2002, Cindy Crawford launched Meaningful Beauty in 2005, Josie Maran launched her eponymous brand in 2007, and Miranda Kerr launched Kora Organic in 2009. Despite this sporadic movement, the segment failed to monopolise the beauty industry entirely, until the mid-2010s. Then, 18-year-old Kylie Jenner kickstarted Kylie Cosmetics (Kylie Lip Kits, circa 2015), taking the world of beauty by storm. Just within four years of being in the business, Jenner distinguished herself as the youngest entrepreneur to establish a billion-dollar empire. And, that was the beginning of the wave of celebrity-owned beauty brands.
Did Jenner’s success inspire other celebrities across the globe? Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty launched in 2017 and broke the market with a never-seen-before shade range—40 different foundation shades championing inclusivity and diversity. “Not many brands had so many foundation shades when Fenty launched, and now any brand that wants to be taken seriously needs to have a representation that speaks to a range of skin tones,” says beauty editor and journalist Parizaad Khan. Paris Hilton, the Posh and Becks couple, Kim Kardashian, Millie Bobby Brown, Madonna and Lady Gaga also jumped on the bandwagon between 2017 and 2019. A number of them tasted success soon after the products were released.
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Co-owned by Katrina Kaif and Nykaa, Kay Beauty has been delivering high-quality make-up products at reasonable prices ever since the brand launched in 2019. Image: Instagram.com/kaybeauty
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Amongst a pool of celebrity-owned beauty brands, users and experts have expressed their inclination towards Rare Beauty, Kay Beauty and Fenty Beauty. Image: Instagram.com/rarebeauty
Thereafter, Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty was born in 2020, Ariana Grande’s r.e.m Beauty in 2021, and Hailey Bieber’s Rhode in 2022. The impressive success of these three brands together was enough to substantiate the potential of this segment, one that is strongly backed by the popularity of celebrities. Closer home, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Deepika Padukone and Katrina Kaif—three Bollywood A-listers—ventured into the world of beauty between 2019 and 2022 with their respective brands Anomaly, 82°E, and Kay Beauty to get a slice of the US $625.7 billion industry.
While new blush and lip product drops from Rare Beauty, Rhose and Kay Beauty (in India) are poised for virality on social media, the hype around many brands has petered out. Kardashian called a halt to the operations of KKW Beauty in 2021 to pad out a “better” brand. But SKKN beauty, her second beauty biz endeavour, hasn’t been able to make a mark, courtesy of the US$85 face cream and US$90 serum that is just not as accessible as the under-US$50-make-up products from her first line. Similarly, brands like Jaclyn Hill, Jeffree Star Cosmetics and Kat Von D found themselves locked in a rut of controversy, leading to their closure. “In January alone, Kristen Bell shut down her CBD skincare line Happy Dance and Sephora stopped selling the brands of TikTok celebrities Addison Rae and Hyram Yarbro,” mentioned a 2023 Bloomberg story, ratifying that fandom doesn’t always equate to a money-making business. Additionally, just this week, Jared Leto announced the cessation of his beauty brand Twentynine Palms, that had launched just a year back.
Lack of authenticity or an overdose—what’s the culprit?
When you think of a celebrity-owned beauty brand, a visual of them using a product from their line should ideally flash in your mind. Ironically, it’s the opposite. Most often, people speculate whether a celebrity uses the products they so convincingly endorse for marketing campaigns. The same conjecture applies to them in the case of their own beauty brands. “There is no celebrity or influencer out there who gets their skin that looks perfect with just skincare anyway,” says New Delhi-based dermatologist Dr Kiran Sethi. “Them launching a new skincare line doesn’t mean that’s how they achieved their skin. They would have maybe worked on the skincare line for a year or so before, but they’ve been looking beautiful for maybe a decade or 15 years. So, the assumption that buying a product will make you look like them is false.”
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“There is no celebrity or influencer out there who gets their skin that looks perfect with just skincare anyway,” says New Delhi-based dermatologist Dr Kiran Sethi. Image: Instagram.com/rhode
Additionally, more often than not, a celebrity’s beauty brand fails to play an extension of their natural personality, as it should, in order to make the brand a successful venture. For instance, Harry Styles’ Pleasing managed to garner a set of loyal users despite offering ridiculously expensive nail polishes, for the singer began to incorporate kitschy manicures into his aesthetic long before the brand was out. Rhode is another case study—; Hailey Bieber always created beauty videos with minimalism at the front, so when she launched a line of skin-enhancing products, people took notice.
“At this point, there’s a lot of fatigue when it comes to celebrity beauty brands unless we can see that the brand is a thoughtful, considered launch that has a point of view and fills a white space in the market,” says Khan. “I really like Bieber’s Rhode, because I know she put in a lot of effort to learn not just about the market, but also about how skin functions and how ingredients work. She has been open enough to acknowledge where her knowhow ends, and then share credit with the professionals who fill that gap. Another brand I rate highly is Tracee Ellis Ross’ Pattern Beauty, which filled an underrepresented space in the market when it came to hair products for Black women made by them. I also like Sofia Vergara’s brand, Toty, which makes mineral-based sun protection products with people of colour in mind.
“IT’S NOW BECOME TABLE STAKES FOR A CELEBRITY TO HAVE A BEAUTY BRAND, EVEN IF THE STAR IN QUESTION IS IN NO FORM OR SHAPE A ‘BEAUTY’ PERSON, SO TO SPEAK”
Parizaad Khan
“There’s something about celebrity beauty brands, in general, that just don’t scream authenticity,” shares beauty editor and content creator Komal Basith, “which is why they've rarely piqued my interest.” Beauty is all about storytelling, but Basith would much rather appreciate a brand with an actual point of view about who they are and what they are selling. “Some exceptions when a celebrity brand has managed to create actual buzz for its product include Fenty Beauty with its shade range, and Rare with their formulations.” Basith prefers the Victoria Beckham x Estée Lauder limited edition make-up range over the celebrity’s own beauty line because “you really felt Victoria's essence come through (the products were luxe and very on-brand for both). Meanwhile, the quality itself was exceptional, which is expected when it comes to Estée Lauder.” Celebrity-owned beauty brands aren’t a novel concept by any means, reiterates Khan. “I think a lot of it is just due to fan base, and wanting to ‘own’ a piece of a certain celebrity.” Beauty and lifestyle content creator Natasha Patel thinks that there has to be a reason behind creating a brand. “There has to be a great push of the product and packaging to go along with it. There has to be a niche.”
Oversaturation has paved the way for its flop-era
Celebrities and social media stars today are much more motivated to take up the path of entrepreneurship, says Patel. “Celebrities see other celebrities entering the game and they want a piece of the pie too,” says actor and influencer Nauheed Cyrusi. “It’s now become table stakes for a celebrity to have a beauty brand, even if the star in question is in no form or shape a ‘beauty’ person, so to speak. Besides their actual work, it’s an added way for their teams to promote a celebrity’s face and name, thus enhancing their image,” adds Khan.
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Unrealistic expectations associated with these brands are leading to disillusionment, and when results don’t match up, users lose interest, says Dr Kiran Sethi. Image: Instagram.com/kyliecosmetics
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“Celebrities see other celebrities entering the game and they want a piece of the pie too,” says actor and influencer Nauheed Cyrusi. Image: Instagram.com/pleasing
However, the cluster has engendered mixed emotions in consumers; the excitement and curiosity have hit peak low. “It’s definitely oversaturated and people are realising that having a celebrity name doesn’t always translate to a great product,” says Khan. “People are beginning to understand that flawless skin may involve professional treatments, genetics, and a consistent regimen over the years. Unrealistic expectations associated with these brands are leading to disillusionment, and when results don’t match up, users lose interest,” adds Sethi.
“Consumers are savvier than brands give them credit for. There’s no denying that skincare and make-up are always going to be things that people spend money on but it’s clear that launching beauty brands is very much a cash-grab business diversification strategy for celebrities,” expresses Basith. “And honestly, what does Brad Pitt even have to do with skincare?” she questions. She also raises questions about the return customer rates of brands like Anomaly and 82°E, which could, perhaps, be lower than the likes of Maybelline and L’Oréal as well as Rare Beauty and Kay Beauty, owing to a lack of distinction points in the former. Plus, the idiosyncratic rarity of the segment, which helped blow the roof off, has been diluted with the influx of so many players.
For the consumer, product is king
Needless to say, the celebrity’s persona and popularity do give them a solid upper hand over nascent players in the business. However, the strength of that popularity can only win the brand its first purchase; the product has to prove itself thereafter. “In beauty, getting someone to buy your product once isn’t that difficult, but getting repeat customers is. They are coming not for the novelty of the celebrity name or to try out a product from their favourite stars, but because they actually liked the product, and that’s where the challenge lies for many of these brands,” shares Khan. “Social media has exacerbated our interest in celebrities. I can see why this, then, seems like a natural extension of that sentiment. ‘Why not give fans the ability to actually BUY a piece of them?’ celebrities could think. But I don't think fans are really that gullible—if they’re buying something it’s because the product itself is good,” opines Basith.
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“In beauty, getting someone to buy your product once isn’t that difficult, but getting repeat customers is,” says Parizaad Khan. Image: Instagram.com/82eastofficial
Patel is in agreement with Khan and Basith. “Alongside the product, the marketing and packaging play a key role too. The product also needs to be good-looking to sell more as compared to others,” says Patel. “However, there is a strong need for that X factor—how is the hair, skin or make-up product making my routine easier or better? What is unique about the formulation or product category? After all the financial backing that gives celebrities access to the best of the best inventory, factories, supplies and research and development teams, I wouldn’t expect them to churn out yet another serum or cream that already exists in the market in numbers.” Sethi, meanwhile, expresses her concerns about how scientifically-backed the products churned out by celebrities are. “They may not be as effective as those developed by brands with access to expert knowledge. Some celebrity-owned brands may prioritise marketing and aesthetics over product quality and efficacy.” Delhi-based dermatologist Dr Jushya Bhatia Sarin’s review on a sunscreen from Kriti Sanon’s Hyphen and Sethi and Basith’s take on the sunscreen oil from Deepika Padukone’s 82°E are just some of the examples of questionable formulations by celebrity-owned beauty brands.
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Priyanka Chopra Jonas ventured into the world of beauty in 2021with her hair care brand to get a slice of the US$625.7 billion industry. Image: Instagram.com/anomaly
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Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty launched in 2017 and broke the market with 40 different foundation shades championing inclusivity and diversity. Image: Instagram/fentybeauty
What’s the future looking like?
Just like other beauty brands in the market, only those celebrity-owned ones that pass the product test will survive. Cyrusi enjoys using Honest Beauty and Kora Organics because the products work and have continually done so. “Trends rule for a while. While the surge in celebrity-owned beauty brands has increased recently, the hype will fade out as newer things come into the market. The ones that survive will be the brands that are recalled by their names and not the celebrity founders,” says Cyrusi. While Basith feels that celebrity-owned beauty is going to lose its shine and will be replaced by other lifestyle categories such as wellness and supplements, Khan sees a lot of these brands shutting shop in the future, especially those with no real purpose, or an original point of view. “The ones that show promise are the ones who have put in the work, thought and effort,” she says.
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