David Ho checks out who made it into the list of the top ten most successful celebrity beauty brands

Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty leads the list of the most successful celebrity beauty brand, with revenue of £477.3 million (US$605.7 million; HKD4.7 billion) in 2023, according to marketing experts at Upbeat Agency.

Launched in 2017, it is the most profitable celebrity beauty brand. It’s range of colours that flatter skins of all shades has made it a big hit in the UK, which has a very diverse consumer base. The ‘Fenty Beauty lip gloss’ is the most sought-after product from Rihanna’s brand, with 3,200 online searches a month in the UK alone, closely followed by ‘Fenty Beauty foundation’, with 2,800 monthly UK searches.

“While many celebrities have started a company of their own, not many have been as successful or popular as these celebs. That is because they have a passion for what they are creating, and they are credible advocates for their brands,” says Jordan Bucknell, CEO of Upbeat Agency.

Rihanna developed Fenty Beauty with Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessey (LVMH) at the age of 29. Her beauty entrepreneurial journey started after financial mismanagement by her former accountants scuppered her music fortunes. The star was left with only US$2 million in 2009 after losing US$9 million due to the mismanagement. Today, she is worth an estimated US$1.4 billion.

Recently, Fenty Beauty unfollowed South African influencer Mihlali Ndamase on Instagram after the YouTuber tried to outshine the Barbados-born singer. The influencer and Rihanna took pictures together at the launch of Fenty Beauty’s Soft Glow foundation in Los Angeles. But after Ndamase shared the pictures, some noticed that the South African YouTuber had edited only herself in the photos, but not Rihanna.

But drama started when Ndamase went on to like all the comments that suggested that she looked better than Rihanna. Eagle eyed fans then noticed that Fenty Beauty unfollowed Ndamase shortly after. As of now, Ndamase still follows the brand and has her post with Rihanna pinned on her profile, but with no comments on it.

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Next on the list of celebrity beauty brands is Priyanka Chopra Jonas’s haircare brand Anomaly, with £430 million in revenue in 2023. The Bollywood actress wanted to start an affordable haircare brand that was environmentally friendly yet effective. The most searched-for product from her brand is her hair oil.

Kylie Cosmetics by Kylie Jenner brought in £301.4 million in revenue in 2023 to come in third. The media personality may have launched her cosmetics brand in 2015 with her Kylie Lip Kits, but it has since expanded considerably. The brand’s mascara is the most searched-for product, with over 1,500 searches for the item made each month across the globe.

Each brand on the top ten list have found their niche with key products, be it the foundation by Ariana Grande’s r.e.m. beauty, the caviar shampoo from Alterna Haircare by Katie Holmes, or Jeffree Star Cosmetics’ bold palettes. Each brand also has a specific differentiating factor, be it in terms of affordability, inclusivity, environmental friendliness, and being cruelty-free.

“The brands have surpassed the initial celebrity hype stage because they produce quality products that have stood the test of time and silenced critics,” says Bucknell. “This is why celebrity beauty brands have amassed over one billion U.S. dollars in sales alone by 2023 and why sales for celebrity beauty brands surged by nearly 58% in 2023. This is a remarkable feat when compared to the overall growth rate of the beauty industry, which is projected to grow by around 3% annually.” 

Here is the full list:

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