A few celebrity lines in the post-Fenty wave have developed into popular brands, including Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty and, potentially, Hailey Bieber’s Rhode.
A more common fate can be seen in Addison Rae’s Item Beauty, Hyram Yarbrough’s Selfless by Hyram and Manny Gutierrez’s (otherwise known as Manny MUA) Lunar Beauty, which were all dropped by Sephora. Then there’s the implosion of Morphe and its parent company, Forma Brands, the incubator that created lines in partnership with Jaclyn Hill, Charli D’Amelio, Emma Chamberlain (she formerly served as creative director of Bad Habit, a skin care label) and Ariana Grande. R.E.M.
Beauty got a second lease on life when Grande purchased the brand’s assets back in early 2023, and industry veteran Michelle Shigemasa came on board as chief executive officer. The other brands are still available, but their future beyond selling through current inventory is uncertain.
The culling may have just begun. Biossance parent Amyris, which in August filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is selling off its stable of celebrity brands. Its consumer brand net sales dropped from $175.5 million in 2022 to $59 million as of June 2023.
As consumers become increasingly disenchanted, BoF explores why most influencer, actor and musician-fronted brands need to radically rethink their approach. #linkinbio
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📷 Kylie Cosmetics | Rare Beauty | Rhode
