In 2017, two of the most-hyped beauty launches came from celebrities. Fenty Beauty by Rihanna changed the game with its widely applauded 40 shades of foundation; and KKW Beauty by Kim Kardashian West sold out in seconds thanks to the name attached and wide influencer endorsement.
It is launches like these that are slowly changing the beauty industry. Celebrities have moved from solely endorsing or collaborating with beauty companies to launching their own lines. The likes of Kylie Jenner, Pat McGrath Labs and Madonna's MDNA skin dominated beauty conversations last year not only for the excitement of a celebrity stepping into the cosmetic arena, but also to the conversations that their lines have started.
While celebrity beauty lines tend to have a better initial performance than other brands thanks to “people already feel[ing] like they have a connection with celebrities," as Dash Hudson senior editor Helene Heath told Glossy, these brands are also benefitting from tailoring its products to the needs of consumers today.
Kylie Jenner capitalised on the fact that she couldn't find a liquid lipstick she liked, and inevitably started the trend of brands producing liquid lipsticks to sate fans who couldn't buy Jenner's oft sold-out products. Further, last year Rihanna opened up a wider conversation surrounding racism in beauty; and how some brands had left out darker or lighter skinned consumers who didn't match to the traditional 'light, medium, dark' shades. Now, darker shades are being released by major beauty retailers.
Celebrities are also choosing to promote products solely on social media with a blasted 'dropping now' model on Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. Kylie Jenner set the trend when she would only announce the new launches of products on her Snapchat; and Kardashian West followed suit with the launch of KKW beauty – first making the announcement of a line over Instagram.
Very Good Light founder David Yi explained it best, telling Glossy: “With built-in social media followings, these celebrities no longer need to give exclusives to magazines or news outlets; they’re breaking news themselves."
With the likes of David Beckham announcing the launch of his own male grooming brand, and KKW Beauty expanding its range, it appears that celebrity beauty will only continue to change industry rules in 2018.
