Celebrity Beauty Brands: When It Comes To Makeup And Skincare, Do They *Really* Know What’s Best? – ELLE Australia

The year is 2021. You open Instagram and within seconds, a post appears from an A-list celeb you’ve been following forever. “This has been years in the making, but my beauty brand is finally here!” No, it’s not your imagination, celebrity beauty brands are everywhere. At first, the fame-approved products were exciting, but now, their over saturation feels downright overwhelming. Which begs the question: when it comes to makeup and skincare, do celebrities really know what’s best?

Honestly, it’s easier to list the celebrities who haven’t added ‘beauty mogul’ to their resumé. Just a small selection of them include: Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Kylie Jenner, Kim Kardashian, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Millie Bobby Brown and Drew Barrymore… need we go on? But before you listen to me wax lyrical about why we should think twice before giving them our coin, here’s some delicious context.

Our collective fascination with celebrity beauty is far from new. In fact, it dates back centuries to ancient Egypt, when impossibly high standards of beauty meant makeup was seen as a symbol of influence and status. Now, obsession over celebrity aesthetics is even worse, taking over our every waking moment on social media. First, it was Kylie Cosmetics’ Lip Kits in 2015, which saw the youngest Jenner profit off the pout that controversially made her famous. But it wasn’t until Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty that the trend was set in motion. Launched back in 2017, Fenty Beauty sold almost AUD $8.2 million worth of products within its initial 15 months on the market. Not only that, but the brand’s 40 colour shade range championed what decades-old, legacy brands had not—diversity. You see, a vital misstep by the industry’s biggest saw RiRi reap the rewards: a successful launch, a loyal following and the now-iconic ‘Fenty Effect’.

Soon after, the rest of Hollywood followed suit. Jumping to 2021, there are upwards of at least 30 famous beauty moguls saturating the market. Just like the reign of celebrity fragrances, jumping on the bandwagon may be a clever business investment, but trusting celebrities—who have little to no knowledge of the science behind beauty—with our skin, hair and body comes with risk.

With red carpet appearances, movie premieres and photoshoots galore, A-listers surely pick up a thing or two while sitting in their makeup and hair chair. However, when do we decide that the student has become the master? Presumably, diversifying a celebrity’s personal brand into the beauty realm could mean hiring a team of professionals, turning up to the production factory a handful of times and dedicating a month or two to press promotion. But does investing in a namesake brand, yet having little to no involvement, a girl boss make?

The wider effect of their investment indulgence is obvious. Thanks to the extreme growth of A-list beauty moguls, smaller brands miss out. With Hollywood …….

Source: https://www.elle.com.au/beauty/are-celebrity-beauty-brands-worth-it-26232