6 Celebrity Beauty Brands That Deserve the Hype, According to An Industry Expert

The news that yet another celebrity is launching yet another beauty line is usually met with a cynical reaction grounded in two central questions, the first being: “Does the world need yet another celebrity beauty brand?” Perhaps not.

That said, what the beauty consumer will always want is efficacious skin care. And these days, perhaps surprising to some, there is a wave of excellent celebrity-backed products that, unlike their predecessors, go beyond the coattails of their founder’s fame and deliver exactly that. “The market for celebrity skin-care products,” explains June Jensen-Mills, head of UK beauty at the trend forecasting NPD Group, “has witnessed a shift in the past few years. Previously celebrities were more likely to simply endorse a product or become ‘the face.’ Now they not only are investing time and effort into creating a line that appeals directly to their fans and followers, [but] there is a greater emphasis on formulation, ingredients, and delivering top-quality products for all consumers. They do this with an eye on longevity in the market.”

While the rate of celebrity beauty launches is unlikely to slow down any time soon—and why would it when the global skin-care market is estimated to be worth more than 181 Billion by 2025?—the renewed focus on exacting formulations means perhaps the predisposed answer to the second central question around celebrity beauty brands (“Is it any good?”) is not a foregone conclusion.

Here are six of the best celebrity-backed products to have on your radar.

Pleasing

Photo: Getty Images

Pleasing, the line developed with a mission to blur boundaries, operates quite differently from most other celebrity brands. Firstly, if you weren’t paying attention you’d have no idea the actor and singer Harry Styles was behind it. There is also no rhyme or rhythm as to how, when, or what products are released. Regardless, while ultimately the products are created to “excite the senses,” the formulations are results-driven. Case in point, the Acid Drops Lucid Overnight Serum. It incorporates sustainably sourced hibiscus acid, from a cooperative in Burkina Faso, to resurface and brighten the skin brilliantly.

Humanrace

Photo: AZTEK / Courtesy of Humanrace

In 2020, when Pharrell Williams, the musician, producer, and all-round cultural entrepreneur and tastemaker, launched his skin-care line, Humanrace, the products sold out in under 24 hours— and with good reason. Created in conjunction with the esteemed doctor Elena Jones, Pharrell’s own personal dermatologist, it came out of the gates with solid skin-care formulation credentials. As did the recent expansion into suncare: a sublime refillable line for all skin tones that Williams hopes will remind everyone of the importance of SPF, regardless of the season.

Keys Soulcare

Photo: Courtesy of Keys Soulcare

Inspired by the physical and emotional impact of battling skin issues in the public eye, singer-songwriter Alicia Keys sought a holistic approach to skin care. Her answer was Keys Soulcare, which she launched in 2021 with dermatologist Renée Snyder. The latest release, Let Me Glow Illuminating Serum, is a perfect example of the brand’s ethos. Not only does it include antioxidants and brightening ingredients, such as niacinamide, but it also comes with one of Keys’s now famous affirmations: “I give myself permission to glow.”

Rare Beauty

Photo: Courtesy of Rare Beauty

Selena Gomez’s mindful brand was created to combat unrealistic beauty standards, celebrate individual looks, and shape conversations around the concept of beauty and its relationship with mental health, something the actor and singer has been vocal about. One percent of the sales from Rare Beauty goes towards increasing mental health resources. Dermatologically tested and suitable for sensitive skin, everything—from the lipsticks and eyeshadows to moisturizers and skin-smoothing mist—has been created with a skin=care lens.

Rose Inc.

Photo: Getty Images

It has been a while since a chic, earth-friendly, and inclusive brand has garnered so much attention, but Rosie Huntington-Whiteley has managed to pull it off with Rose Inc. She joined forces with Amyris—a Californian-based biotech company—to create products that pushed the boundaries of “clean” beauty, delivering non-comedogenic products, be it blushes or cleansers, that are not only good for the environment, but also super advanced in their formulations.

S’Able Labs

Photo: Alexander Piper / Courtesy of S’Able Labs

The lotions and masks Sabrina Elba had seen her mother blend growing up made the actor and model want to incorporate her Somalian roots into a beauty brand—and she has done exactly that alongside her husband and fellow actor Idris Elba. The small-but-mighty curation launched this year features three high-performance products with consciously sourced ingredients. The Black Seed Toner is full of vitamin C, E, and ferulic acid, there’s a radiance-boosting Baobab Moisturiser, which features niacinamide, and the Qasil Cleanser and newly launched mask use qasil, a traditional Somalian beauty staple that protects skin from extreme conditions.