Stars have always sold beauty, but over the last decade they stopped being just the face of the campaign and started owning the company. Today celebrity beauty brands sit next to heritage houses at Sephora and Ulta, and some of them have changed the industry for the better, especially when it comes to shade ranges and inclusive marketing. Others have struggled once the initial buzz faded.
In this guide we look at seven of the best-known celebrity beauty brands, with verified founding facts, the products each label is known for and a clear framework for judging celebrity products on their own merits. Every date below has been checked against a published source, which we link so you can read more.
Celebrity Beauty Brands at a Glance
- Fenty Beauty (Rihanna) – launched 2017; known for a wide foundation shade range.
- Rare Beauty (Selena Gomez) – launched 2020; known for liquid blush and a mental health fund.
- Rhode (Hailey Bieber) – launched 2022; known for minimalist skincare and peptide lip treatments.
- Kylie Cosmetics (Kylie Jenner) – launched 2015; known for the original Lip Kit.
- KKW Beauty and SKKN by Kim (Kim Kardashian) – launched 2017, relaunched as SKKN in 2022.
- Goop (Gwyneth Paltrow) – founded 2008 as a newsletter; known for clean beauty and wellness.
- Honest Beauty (Jessica Alba) – launched 2015 by The Honest Company; known for clean, affordable basics.
The 7 Most Influential Celebrity Beauty Brands
1. Fenty Beauty by Rihanna
Fenty Beauty’s first products went on sale on September 8, 2017. The brand was created by Rihanna with Kendo, the beauty incubator owned by LVMH. Its Pro Filt’r foundation arrived in 40 shades at a time when many big brands offered far fewer, and Time named Fenty Beauty one of the best inventions of 2017. The so-called “Fenty effect” pushed the whole industry to widen shade ranges, which is why it is often called the most influential of all celebrity beauty brands. You can read the brand’s history on Wikipedia.
2. Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez
Selena Gomez launched Rare Beauty on September 3, 2020, with a lineup that included a 48-shade foundation, matte lip creams and liquid blush. The Soft Pinch Liquid Blush went viral on social media in 2022 and remains the brand’s signature product. Gomez also set up the Rare Impact Fund, which aims to raise $100 million over ten years to improve young people’s access to mental health services. That mission sets Rare Beauty apart from many celebrity beauty brands.
3. Rhode by Hailey Bieber
Rhode launched in June 2022 with a deliberately small range of skincare, led by the Peptide Glazing Fluid and the Peptide Lip Treatment. Its pared-back, “less is more” approach and the popularity of its lip treatments made it one of the fastest-growing celebrity beauty brands of the decade. In May 2025, e.l.f. Beauty announced an agreement to acquire Rhode in a deal valued at up to $1 billion, with Hailey Bieber continuing as Chief Creative Officer and Head of Innovation, as ABC News reported.
4. Kylie Cosmetics by Kylie Jenner
Kylie Jenner’s company began selling its first product on November 30, 2015. It was originally called Lip Kit by Kylie, after the liquid lipstick and matching lip liner set that sold out repeatedly, and was renamed Kylie Cosmetics in 2016. In November 2019, Coty bought a 51% controlling stake in the business for $600 million. Kylie Cosmetics helped prove that social media audiences could launch celebrity beauty brands almost overnight.
5. KKW Beauty and SKKN by Kim
Kim Kardashian launched KKW Beauty in 2017, best remembered for its contour kits. Coty bought a 20% stake in her beauty business in a deal announced in 2020. KKW Beauty wound down in 2021 and was relaunched in 2022 as SKKN by Kim, a minimalist skincare line. In 2025, Coty announced it would sell its stake in the brand to Kardashian’s apparel company, SKIMS. The story shows how quickly celebrity beauty brands can reinvent themselves.
6. Goop by Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow started Goop in September 2008 as a weekly email newsletter written from her home in London. It grew into a lifestyle company with a strong focus on so-called clean beauty. Goop’s beauty range includes the GoopGlow and GoopGenes skincare lines, and in January 2020 Goop Beauty began selling at Sephora. Goop has also faced criticism over some of its wellness claims, a useful reminder to evaluate celebrity beauty brands on evidence rather than on star power.
goop Beauty Youth-Boost Peptide Serum
- Peptides, ceramides and niacinamide
- Formulated without parabens, silicones or artificial fragrance
- Applied morning and night, according to the brand
7. Honest Beauty by Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba co-founded The Honest Company in 2011 with Christopher Gavigan and Brian Lee, starting with baby and household products. The company introduced Honest Beauty as a separate brand in September 2015, focusing on clean, affordable makeup and skincare. The Honest Company went public on Nasdaq in May 2021, and Alba stepped down as Chief Creative Officer in 2024. You can find more on the company’s history.
- Lightweight, fragrance-free water cream
- Hyaluronic acid, jojoba and squalane
- Vegan and made for sensitive skin, says the brand
How We Chose These Celebrity Beauty Brands
We selected brands that are founded or co-founded by a well-known public figure, have been on the market for several years and are widely available. We checked founding dates, ownership deals and signature products against reliable sources and did not include rumours or unconfirmed sales figures. Where a brand sells on Amazon through its own official store, we have linked it below the profile. Read our editorial policy to see how we research every article.
How to Judge Celebrity Beauty Products
Look Past the Name
A famous founder is a marketing advantage, not a quality guarantee. The best celebrity beauty brands work with experienced manufacturers and chemists, so check who makes the product and whether the formula holds up in independent reviews.
Read the Ingredient List
Words like “clean”, “natural” or “non-toxic” are not regulated in the same way as medical claims. Read the full ingredient list (INCI) and look for proven actives such as niacinamide, hyaluronic acid, peptides or retinoids if you are buying skincare.
Check Shade Range and Undertones
For complexion products, a wide shade range with clear undertone labels is a sign that a brand has invested in research and development. This is where several celebrity beauty brands, especially Fenty Beauty and Rare Beauty, set a high standard.
Compare Value, Not Hype
Limited drops and influencer unboxings create urgency. Before buying, compare the size and formula with similar products from established brands, and check the current price on the retailer’s site rather than relying on launch-day buzz.
A Short History of Star-Founded Beauty
Celebrity names on beauty products are nothing new. For decades, actors and singers licensed their names to fragrances, and Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds, launched in 1991, became one of the best-selling celebrity perfumes ever made. The difference today is ownership. Instead of simply licensing a name, many stars now co-own the company, help develop formulas and appear in day-to-day marketing on their own social channels.
Social media changed the economics. A founder with tens of millions of followers can announce a launch directly to customers, test interest with teasers and sell out a first drop within hours. That reach is why so many celebrity beauty brands appeared between 2015 and 2022. It also means competition is fierce, and only labels with strong products and clear identities have stayed relevant.
Why Celebrity Beauty Brands Succeed or Fail
Authentic Connection
The most successful celebrity beauty brands reflect something real about the founder, such as Rihanna’s focus on inclusivity or Gomez’s openness about mental health. When the connection feels authentic, customers return after the launch excitement fades.
Product First, Fame Second
Brands with a hero product that works, like a blush, a lip treatment or a foundation, tend to last. Brands that rely on the founder’s fame alone often see sales drop once the novelty wears off.
Strong Business Partners
Many celebrity beauty brands are built with large partners: Fenty with LVMH’s Kendo, Kylie Cosmetics and SKKN with Coty, and Rhode now with e.l.f. Beauty. These partnerships give access to manufacturing, retail and distribution expertise.
Tips for Shopping Celebrity Beauty Brands
- Buy from official stores. Use the brand’s own site, authorised retailers or the brand’s official Amazon storefront to avoid counterfeits.
- Start with the hero product. Every brand has one item it is famous for; try that first.
- Patch test skincare. New formulas can irritate sensitive skin, whoever the founder is.
- Follow independent reviewers. Dermatologists and makeup artists often give more balanced verdicts than sponsored posts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which celebrity beauty brand is the most successful?
Fenty Beauty is widely regarded as the most influential, thanks to its 2017 launch with 40 foundation shades and its impact on industry-wide inclusivity. Rare Beauty and Rhode are also among the most talked-about celebrity beauty brands today.
Are celebrity beauty brands good quality?
Quality varies. Many are produced by experienced manufacturers and perform well, but you should judge each product by its formula, shade range and independent reviews rather than by the founder.
Can I buy celebrity beauty brands on Amazon?
Some can be bought through official brand storefronts on Amazon, while others sell mainly through their own websites and retailers such as Sephora or Ulta. Always check that the seller is the brand or an authorised retailer.
Who owns Fenty Beauty?
Fenty Beauty was created by Rihanna in partnership with Kendo, LVMH’s beauty incubator, which produces the line.
Final Thoughts
Celebrity beauty brands are no longer a novelty; the best of them have raised standards for shade inclusivity, packaging and social impact. Judge them the way you would any other brand, by formula, value and how well the products work for you, and you will find some genuinely excellent picks among the hype.
Want to go deeper into makeup and skincare? Read our guide to the best luxury foundation and our edit of the best luxury skincare products for more expert-researched recommendations.
