Celebrity beauty brands like Rihanna’s Fenty, Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty, Kim (Kardashian)’s SKKN, and Lady Gaga’s House Loves have gone standing-only. Until recently, the majority of stars who launched lines to help us shine were women.
But after Pharrell Williams and Harry Styles’ early entrants into skincare and cosmetics (with Human Race in 2020 and Pleasing in 2021, respectively), a wave of good-skinned male A-Listers — and to keep it going A lot of money — wanted to sell us the secret of the past year.
News releases for 2022 came in quick succession. Idris Elba and his wife, model Sabrina Dahua Elba, said in July that she began her routine of ethically sourced skincare from S’able Labs, and then Travis her barker (possibly his new bride Courtney). Her Kardashian Influenced) was released. CBD-infused skin care products from his wellness brand in September. Offering “products inspired by the majesty and mythology of the desert,” Brad Pitt has announced a collaboration with the anti-aging collection Le Domaine. Winemaker Marc Perrin, co-owner of Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s vineyard, harnesses the antioxidant power of the winery’s remaining grapes.
Brad Pitt was one of the few A-list male celebrities to launch a flashy new skincare line this year. credit: le domaine skin care
“I think the rise of male beauty, especially celebrity-endorsed, is because there’s a big margin in beauty right now. And there’s always been a big margin,” said the digital beauty publications Very Good Light and Personal. Care brand Good Light Cosmetics.
Barker Wellness, Travis Barker’s wellness brand, includes a collection of cleansers, creams, face masks and serums, some infused with CBD. credit: Jason Sean Weiss/BFA.com
And the genderlessness of beauty and skincare products is attested by generations of popular men and non-binary YouTube influencers, many of whom have found success with their own brands. Marketing was not. Moving beyond men’s “grooming” products and opening up the market to everyone is both a social change and a profitable business strategy. Korea’s K-Beauty has served men for over 20 years, but the West has since joined the party. Clinique for Men began stepping up its global her campaign efforts in 2015, and Chanel spun off a new cosmetic line called Boy Do Chanel in 2018.
“skeptic atmosphere”
Today, the culture around beauty is changing. “Genderless” collections are no longer considered radical. It is expected. Celebrity-owned lines are nothing new these days, either.
“Beauty is a hot market. People are seeing what Rihanna has done with Fenty…and I think a lot of celebrities want to jump on that bandwagon because it’s a very promising business.” That’s why,” Yi said. “But with so many brands, it’s also challenging.”
“The bar is high and it’s getting higher,” says Jenny Bailey, executive beauty director at Allure, about what consumers have come to expect. “()With the earliest celebrity beauty brand outings, I think it was a little more about their mystique,” she says, referring to the perfumes of stars like Elizabeth Taylor in the 1980s and 2000s. paved the way for celebrity perfume vendors..
Pleasing, Harry Styles’ beauty and lifestyle brand, includes nail polish and skin care products. credit: fun
Now, Yi said there is an “ambience of skepticism” when it comes to high-profile launches by high-profile figures – “and rightly so.”
“Consumers today want to know what the brand stands for…why do they need it?” he said.
Yi added that Fenty was innovative by offering a line that catered to 40 different skin tones. Jessica Alba launched Honest Her Beauty at a time when “clean beauty” products were in high demand but still hard to find.
If your collection isn’t innovative, it has to be great. Hailey Bieber’s Lorde promotes a highly imitated minimal and dewy look that has garnered industry accolades, including Allure Best in Beauty Awards, and Machine Gun Kelly’s crowd-pleasing nail polish his line UN /DN LAQR as well. A simple, affordable skincare kit by Williams’ Human Race received nods from Allure, Essence, and Elle. (Products launching in the second half of 2022 are eligible for this year’s award.)
Machine Gun Kelly has also developed a genderless nail polish line. credit: Gerrit Clark/Getty Images
Launched as digital direct-to-consumer businesses, Humanrace and Pleasing have partnered with major companies to bring their products to the manufacturing floor. Last fall, British department store Selfridges launched its own limited edition of Humanrace products (Humanrace also sold clothes through Adidas). Meanwhile, Pleasing has partnered with American Express to open Holiday His pop-up shops in New York, London, and Los Angeles.
Le Domaine, Twentynine Palms and Barker Wellness are still new and did not provide sales insights upon request, but Perrin said in an email to CNN and Le Domaine said at stores like Harvey Nichols and BonGenie. said it is focusing on retail.
However, Launchmetrics analyzed the brand’s MIV since its fall launch and estimated that Le Domaine has the highest value in terms of online influence, with the highest scores for reach, media rates, media quality, and content quality. generated $5.8 million in (including audience engagement metrics) — Pitt said he doesn’t have official social media accounts associated with his name and plays a minor role in promoting the brand. Leto, by contrast, has been active in promoting Twentynine Palms, with about 40% of the company’s $1.9 million MIV generated from the actor’s posts since launch.
Styles, like Pitt, is more low-key despite the singer’s enormous social reach. , generated over $61.3 million in MIV, with only 3% direct revenue from Styles, and had a successful first year. The lion’s share comes from the line’s own social media presence, which focuses on joy, community, and promotes products that eschew gendered clothing and beauty. It feels authentic to who he is and how he presents himself.”
Brand and Community Engagement
A-list status certainly attracts publicity in relation to the launch of a new collection, but when the starlight from the association of celebrities fades, aspects like quality, price and brand credibility come into play.
“This recent trio was a head scratcher. In some ways, I don’t think Pharrell was when his line came out,” Bailey said of Pitt, Leto and Barker.
After a year of selling primarily online, Pharrell Williams brings Humanrace’s award-winning products to Selfridges in the UK. credit: Nicky J. Sims/Getty Images
“Pharrell stood out as someone who was deeply involved (and) engaged with the brand,” she continued. I worked with a dermatologist on the line and I think you can see the formula and the way the line came together.It’s a really nice compiled collection.So I think it stands out. I think that there.”
Barker Wellness declined to comment on Barker’s involvement with the product line, but a Twentynine Palms spokesperson described Leto’s role as “strategic, creative influence, product development, packaging, design and investment.” It is outlined as a range.
“Jared personally invested in testing and trying out all products. Throughout the product development phase, he provided feedback along with other members of the team. We really had this innate ability to look at what the consumer is,” the spokesperson said.
Of Pitt, Perrin said: This is the pillar of the brand. He is also heavily involved in product design, testing formulas and providing a lot of feedback over the past two years. ”
Marc Perrin, co-founder of Le Domaine, said Pitt defines a “brand philosophy” that uses grapes left over from the winemaking process for their anti-aging properties. credit: le domaine skin care
Given the number of celebrities who have recently launched beauty and wellness brands, it’s hard to believe that 2022 was the end of an era. I hope to
What consumers expect from beauty founders, she said, “is what they expect from founders who want to build community and solve problems.”
Yi echoed a similar sentiment, suggesting that if would-be founders don’t necessarily meet such goals, they have meaningful options other than starting something completely new. .
“There are a lot of communities that are underserved[by the beauty industry]. It’s a shame to see celebrities endorse or invest in brands that already exist, rather than launching their own brands. It’s wonderful,” he said.
That could mean investing in business owners that help shake up the demographic of industry leaders. felt It’s a bit of a novelty, but most of the major companies in this sector are still run by men.
“The biggest conglomerates are still[owned]by heterosexual cis white men, from Estée Lauder to L’Oreal,” said Yi. “What I would like to see in gender inclusiveness is more consumer-reflective leadership….we need more women in power, queer people in power. There is a need, and people of color need to be in power, and that will make this industry more vibrant, innovative and beautiful.”
Top image: Jared Leto at a Twentynine Palms event.
