How Rare Beauty Transformed Celebrity Beauty Lines Forever
Meet the brand that made blush—and belonging—go viral.
Welcome to the golden age of celebrity beauty lines. Brands backed by A-list names are popping up more frequently than models at Cannes. But in a sea of star-stamped offerings, Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty is one that stuck the landing.
Sure, it launched with all the makings of a hit. The multi-hyphenate had a built-in fan base—over 600 million followers across platforms—but debuting a beauty brand in September 2020, in the middle of a global pandemic, when most of us were living in tie-dye sweats and more concerned with sourdough starter than foundation or blush, was a risk. And yet...
Credit is due, in part, to a small but mighty team of industry vets, including Joyce Kim, Rare Beauty’s chief product officer and one of its earliest C-suite hires. “Consumers want to feel products and test them before buying; that was important going into the launch,” says Kim, who previously worked in product development at Nyx. She understood that creating a strong in-store experience would be essential to building long-term trust. But with stores shuttered and swatching off limits, the team pivoted, leaning into e-commerce, embracing a digital-first strategy and defining what would become the brand’s identity: openness, point of view and real connection.
As the world turned inward, the brand found its footing on TikTok in the wake of the platform’s explosion. “It rewards creativity and storytelling over polish and perfection; it’s aligned with our brand values,” says Katie Welch, Rare Beauty’s chief marketing officer and a former executive at Jessica Alba’s The Honest Company. She notes that the team focused on BTS content, tutorials starring Gomez herself and embracing their community from day one.
This approach follows a familiar playbook: Start with a clear mission, lead with authenticity and inclusivity and listen to your community. It’s a strategy that helped Rihanna’s 2017 launch of Fenty Beauty reshape the industry and set a new standard in which brands are expected to reflect the world they’re speaking to. Rare Beauty followed suit—not through imitation but with intention. “People were craving connection and comfort,” says Welch. “We showed up with a message of belonging and authenticity.” It’s the kind of brand that people post about because they want to, not because they’re paid to.
Rare Beauty quickly became one of the most talked-about brands on social media, thanks to a strategy rooted in genuine connection. “We approach all our launches from a consumer perspective, without over-complicating things,” says Kim. That consumer-first approach paid off.
To be clear: Virality means nothing without performance. The Rare Beauty blush line isn’t just a TikTok darling; it’s a bestseller that accounts for over 26 percent of all blush sales at Sephora. It’s also credited with igniting the 2022 blush boom. “Selena is very sensorial; she loves textures,” says Kim, who notes that she often applies makeup with her fingertips. “At the time, there weren’t that many liquid blushes, so it made sense to lead with one.” The formula nails the balance between pigment and blendability.
Since then, Rare Beauty has launched hit after hit—tinted lip oils, brow mascara, complexion products that feel more like skincare—all while building an audience that spans generations. So when it came time to expand its offering to body care, Rare Beauty didn’t just follow trends; it followed rhythm. “It was super organic,” Kim recalls of a casual call with Gomez. “She was talking about how calming certain scents were for her, and I thought, ‘This could be a new branch of Rare.’” The result was Find Comfort, a body collection dropped in 2023 featuring an aromatherapy pen, a hydrating lotion, a silky hand cream and a body and hair mist.
In 2024, it was reported that Rare Beauty (which is privately held) surpassed $540 million in net sales in the previous 12 months and reached a $2.7-billion evaluation, with nearly half of that revenue coming from international markets via its exclusive partnership with Sephora. Not too shabby for a brand launched during a time when fewer people were buying makeup.
In the end, Rare Beauty was never just about blush. The brand has been at the forefront of shifting the conversation around beauty, mental health and what a celebrity brand can actually stand for. “We’re not the loudest or trendiest brand—we’re the most human,” says Welch. That includes the Rare Impact Fund, which donates 1 percent of all sales to youth mental- health services. “It’s not a side initiative—it’s baked into our business,” she says. So far, it has raised over $20 million and supported nearly two million people.
In a world of celebrity vanity projects, true standouts are rare.
Meet the Icons
Try these greatest hits (plus a standout new launch), which are a perfect intro to the brand’s viral lineup.
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