Musicians Have Officially Taken Over the Beauty Space

Photo credit: CODY GUILFOYLE - Hearst Owned
Photo credit: CODY GUILFOYLE - Hearst Owned
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.


"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below."

Let’s rewind to last November: Machine Gun Kelly wins Favorite Rock Artist at the American Music Awards, then posts a series of pics showcasing his black-accented nail art. At the time, it sort of seemed like...nothing much; MGK is known for his nail art. But it turns out this was literally his nail art, from his soon-to-be-launched polish brand Un/dn Laqr. And when the line dropped a few weeks later, that same black shade, Depressionist, became an instant best seller.

Welcome, everyone, to celebrities doing beauty in 2022. More and more of them are moving past merely promoting brands and instead founding their own. In a world where authenticity is social currency, being able to creative-direct their own lines is a near-guaranteed way to develop a deeper connection with consumers. It also gives them a major slice of the $500 billion beauty industry.

Of all the celebs who’ve launched beauty brands in the past few years, musicians seem to be having the most success. Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty is worth an estimated $2.8 billion; Lady Gaga’s Haus Laboratories liquid eyeliner was one of the top beauty products sold on Amazon worldwide on Black Friday last year. In many ways, these mind-blowing stats make sense: Unlike “regular” beauty brands that need to grow their customer bases from scratch, these have built-in buyers in the form of gigantic preexisting fandoms. (See: Rihanna’s 125 million Instagram followers, Lady Gaga’s 84 million Twitter followers.)

Photo credit: CODY GUILFOYLE - Hearst Owned
Photo credit: CODY GUILFOYLE - Hearst Owned

Of course, this doesn’t mean these musicians can automatically sell just any product—their fans are paying close attention. Along with that desire for authenticity, shoppers are more educated about ingredients and formulations than ever before, and they want only the good stuff. Throw the “wrong” ingredient into a skincare line and people will make sure you know it (lest you had forgotten Kylie Jenner’s walnut scrub fiasco). Fake your skincare routine in a promo video on IG and the internet will come for you (yes, even if you’re Millie Bobby Brown).

In fact, because of their fame, these celebs turned beauty entrepreneurs are being held to a higher standard, which is likely why many have teamed up with some of the brightest brains in the beauty biz. Pharrell developed Humanrace with his longtime dermatologist Elena Jones, MD. Every skincare product in Alicia Keys’s Soulcare line is fully vetted by dermatologist Renée Snyder, MD. Ariana Grande’s R.E.M. Beauty was created with Forma, the beauty incubator behind popular brands like Morphe and Playa. RiRi's products are meticulously tested by the R&D team at LVMH. The list of highly credentialed experts and industry powerhouses backing these brands goes on and on.

Then again, a lot of these artists are genuine beauty pros in their own right. Take Becky G, who told me that after she signed a record deal and became the opening act on tours, she also became an expert at doing her own glam. “As a creative person, makeup is one of my favorite forms of self-expression. And that love brought me full circle to creating my own beauty brand,” she says. And what about singers like Jennifer Lopez and Selena Gomez? If you spend hours each week in a derm office or makeup chair—if your livelihood depends, in part, on how you present yourself to the world—it’s safe to say you know a thing or two about what makes a good product. It’s no wonder JLo Beauty and Rare Beauty are among the most popular brands at Sephora.

Photo credit: CODY GUILFOYLE - Hearst Owned
Photo credit: CODY GUILFOYLE - Hearst Owned

As a beauty editor who sees and tries it all, I can vouch for these brands. I nominated Humanrace for Cosmo’s 2021 Beauty Awards. I’ve been a Rare Beauty mascara fan since day one. I recommend Fenty’s foundation to anyone who’s still searching for their perfect shade match. But I’ll admit that part of me has always wondered, Why this? Why more? Isn’t music enough? As Alicia Keys told me, it’s not only about making more money or taking up more space. For her, it’s about building a community that pushes us to look at beauty through different lenses. “It’s a destination where every soul can experience moments of self-love and acceptance, guilt-free, so we can all be our most brilliant,” she says of her brand.

From what I’ve seen, that destination is here to stay, unlike many beauty trends that spike and fizzle. Humanrace and Halsey’s About-Face have recently expanded into the body category (About-Face is also on track to triple its revenue in its second year, FYI). Searches for JLo Beauty have increased more than 5,000 percent in the past 12 months. Even John Legend has plans to throw his hat in the ring—he’s reportedly launching an affordable skincare line for melanin-rich skin sometime in 2022. So, hey, Beyoncé, if you’re reading this, can we have Beyhive Beauty next? I guarantee you it’ll make a killing.

Shop all the best musician-owned beauty brands below:

Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned
Photo credit: Hearst Owned

You Might Also Like