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
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
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.
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.
