There once was a time when it felt like every celebrity had a fragrance, from Britney Spears [4] to Jennifer Lopez to Paris Hilton [5]. Now, it feels like every celebrity has their own beauty brand [6], and it doesn't seem to be slowing down anytime soon — in fact, celebrity-owned beauty companies only seem to be picking up speed [7].
Rihanna [8] (owner of Fenty Beauty and now Fenty Skin [9]) and Kylie Jenner (of Kylie Cosmetics) were once the picture of success when it came to side hustles by way of beauty brands, but that's now become the norm. In 2020 alone, we saw more than 10 new celebrity-owned companies [10] hit the market, and even more in 2021. Having actresses, singers, models, and athletes double as beauty brand ambassadors is nothing new, but in recent years, we've seen more celebrities break off on their own and create namesake companies, so we rounded them up in a comprehensive list ahead.
It all began decades ago. Starting with the 1990s and working up to 2021, these are all of the celebrity-owned beauty brands that have come to fruition over the last 30 years — including the ones that are no more.
1994: Iman
In 1994, supermodel Iman launched Iman Cosmetics [11] — a colour cosmetics brand.
2004: Jessica Simpson
In 2004, we saw the launch of Jessica Simpson [12] Dessert Beauty, a line of edible makeup products that have since been discontinued.
2005: Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston [13] helped launch popular hair-care brand Living Proof [14] back in 2005 along with Dr. Robert Langer but cut ties with the brand in 2016 when it was sold to parent company Unilever.
2005: Cindy Crawford
In 2005, supermodel Cindy Crawford [15] launched her skin-care company Meaningful Beauty [16].
2008: Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow [17] launched her wellness brand Goop [18] in 2008. Today, it's still going strong and has expanded into an entire lifestyle brand, featuring everything from skin-care products to bath soaks.
2009: Miranda Kerr
Former Victoria's Secret angel and model Miranda Kerr [19] launched Kora Cosmetics [20] in 2009. The clean beauty brand is carried at Space NK.
2010: Gisele Bündchen
In 2010, the skin-care brand Seeja was launched by supermodel Gisele Bündchen [21], but it has since been discontinued.
2011: Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek [22] once had her own makeup and skin-care brand called Nuance sold exclusively at CVS in the US in 2011, but it has been discontinued.
2012: Kim, Khloé, and Kourtney Kardashian
For a brief moment, Kim, Khloé, and Kourtney Kardashian had a makeup line called Khroma Beauty in 2012 that featured everything from cosmetics to self-tanner, but due to legal licensing issues, it was pulled from stores a year later.
2013: Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore [23] founded Flower Beauty [24], a drugstore makeup brand, in 2013. Since its launch, she has expanded the brand into hair tools.
2014: Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks [25] founded her namesake beauty company in 2014 called Tyra Beauty. The direct-to-consumer brand was around for three years but was discontinued around 2017.
2015: Lindsay Ellingson
In 2015 Victoria's Secret angel and model Lindsay Ellingson developed Wander Beauty [26], a cosmetics brand with a focus on easy makeup solutions for people on the go. It's still going strong today and can be found at many major beauty retailers.
2015: Kylie Jenner
In 2015, Kylie Jenner entered the beauty market and changed the industry forever with the launch of Kylie Cosmetics [27].
2015: Kim, Khloé, and Kourtney Kardashian
In 2015, Kim, Khloé, and Kourtney Kardashian took another stab at launching a beauty brand — this time with Kardashian Beauty, a hair-care line, but it unfortunately never took off.
2015: Jessica Alba
In 2015, Jessica Alba [28] extended her brand The Honest Co. to include beauty. Honest Beauty [29] is still very popular today in the makeup and skin-care space and is sold at Cult Beauty and Boots. [30]
2015: Ariana Grande
Ariana Grande [31] released her first fragrance with her namesake brand Ariana Grande Fragrances [32] in 2015. You can find her scents at the Fragrance Shop.
2015: Eva Mendes
Eva Mendes [33] launched an affordable makeup line called Circa Beauty in 2015 that was sold at drugstores, but it has since been discontinued.
2017: Rihanna
In 2017, Rihanna [34] brought Fenty Beauty [35] to life and set a new precedent for brands in terms of shade range and inclusivity. [36]
2017: Kim Kardashian
Kim Kardashian [37] launched both her makeup brand KKW Beauty [38] and fragrance company KKW Fragrance [39] in 2017.
2017: Gabrielle Union
Gabrielle Union [40] launched Flawless by Gabrielle Union [41], a textured hair-care brand, in 2017. In 2020, she announced that she had reformulated the products and relaunched with celebrity hairstylist Larry Sims, which sadly isn't available in the UK yet.
2018: Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton [42] launched her first real beauty venture — if you don't count the many fragrances (25 to be exact) — with skin-care brand ProDNA [43] in 2018, and you can still buy the products online.
2018: David Beckham
Famous football player David Beckham [44] launched his men's grooming company House 99 [45] in 2018.
2019: Madonna
Madonna [46] launched her line of ultra luxury skincare brand MDNA [47] in 2014.
2019: Lady Gaga
In 2019, Lady Gaga [48] graced us with Haus Laboratories [49], an electric and colourful colour cosmetics brand that is still going strong today.
2019: Millie Bobby Brown
Millie Bobby Brown launched her Gen Z-focussed beauty company Florence By Mills [50] in 2019. You can shop her products online and at Ulta.
2019: Victoria Beckham
Spice Girl-turned-designer Victoria Beckham [51] made her debut in the beauty industry [52] in 2019 with her namesake brand Victoria Beckham Beauty [53].
2019: Tracee Ellis Ross
Tracee Ellis Ross started her own textured hair-care brand called Pattern Beauty [54] in 2019. Sadly, the products aren't yet availble in the UK.
2019: Kylie Jenner
In 2019, Kylie Jenner expanded her beauty presence from just makeup to skin care with the launch of Kylie Skin [55].
2020: Taraji P. Henson
At the start of 2020, Taraji P. Henson launched TPH by Taraji [56], a vegan, clean hair brand sold at Target in the US but sadly not available in the UK.
2020: Venus Williams
In 2020, Venus Williams had expanded her athletic wear brand, EleVen [57], into skin care with the launch of two sunscreen products. Again, the products aren't yet available to buy in the UK.
2020: Rihanna
Rihanna [58] expanded her Fenty empire [59] with a new sector called Fenty Skin [60] in 2020.
2020: Lauren Conrad
Lauren Conrad [61] brought us her namesake brand Lauren Conrad Beauty [62], which features a variety of lip, eye, and cheek products, in 2020 but isn't available in the UK.
2020: Selena Gomez
After much anticipation, Selena Gomez [63] launched her makeup line Rare Beauty [64] at Sephora in 2020 in the US. We're waiting with bated breath for the UK launch.
2020: Kristen Bell
In an effort to make CBD skin care more readily available, Kristen Bell [65] launched Happy Dance [66] with Lord Jones, a CBD body-care and skin-care brand, 2020. The brand hasn't yet launched here in the UK.
2020: Pharrell Williams
In 2020, Pharrell Williams surprised us with the announcement of his skin-care brand Humanrace [67], which was a near instant sell out.
2020: Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys [68] entered the beauty and wellness space with the launch of the gorgeous Keys Soulcare [69] in 2020.
2020: Issa Rae
Issa Rae became the official co-owner of Sienna Naturals [70] — a natural hair-care brand formulated for women with textured hair in 2020. The brand is currently in the process of restocking after selling out three times. The brand hasn't yet launched here in the UK.
2021: Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez [71] made all of our dreams come true when she announced she would be launching a skin-care brand on Jan. 1, 2021 called JLo Beauty [72]. We're still waiting patiently for the brand to launch here in the UK.
2021: Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Former Victoria's Secret angel and model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is launched Rose Inc [73], a minimalist, effortless beauty brand.
2021: Halsey
In January of 2021, Halsey surprised fans completely out of the blue with the launch of their new makeup brand About-Face [74], which carries a full line of colour cosmetics products.
2021: Dolly Parton
In the spring of 2021, Dolly Parton launched a new fragrance called Dolly by Dolly Parton. It's an amber floral scent.
2021: Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Priyanka Chopra Jonas launched a hair-care brand called Anomaly exclusively at Target in January 2021 in the US. We're still waiting for the brand to launch in the UK.
2021: Madison Beer
On June 22, 2021, Madison Beer's skin-care brand with Vanessa Hudgens [75], Know Beauty, launched with a 17-piece collection. The brand uses your DNA to create a skin-care regimen for you. It's yet to launch in the UK.
2021: Vanessa Hudgens
Vanessa Hudgens [76] launched Know Beauty with fellow cofounder Madison Beer on June 22, 2021.
2021: Becky G
On June 25, 2021, Becky G launched a makeup brand inspired by her Mexican heritage called Treslúce Beauty. Again, we're yet to be able to purchase the colourful products here in the UK.
2021: Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka announced on April 27, 2021, that she was launching a skin-care brand called Kinlò [77] to "protect and rejuvenate melanated skin tones." The products launched in the autumn and include sunscreen, fact mists, and eye cream. There's no news of the line coming to the UK unfortunately.
2021: Jonathan Van Ness
Hairstylist, groomer, and beloved Queer Eye [78] star Jonathan Van Ness took everything he knows [79] and poured it into his own hair brand called JVN. The lineup launched on Aug. 31, 2021, and includes a total of 10 products, from shampoos to conditioners to leave-in cream stylers [80].
2021: Ariana Grande
While Ariana Grande [81] has quite a few fragrances under her belt, she's never ventured into the cosmetics category — until now. On Sept. 9, 2021, the singer announced the launch of R.E.M. Beauty [82], a makeup brand that had been two years in the making. She told Allure that while the products are still in formative stages, they will draw inspiration from '50s, '60s, and '70s glamour [83].
"I've always pictured myself in a different time period," she said. "I've always wanted to wear that makeup, wear that hair, wear those outfits, be those performers."
2021: Jennifer Aniston
While the Friends alum had previously co-owned hair brand Living Proof [84] from 2005 until the company was sold to Unilever in 2016, this year, Jennifer Aniston [85] ventured out on her own with a new hair-care company called LolaVie [86]. It launched with a single product: the Glossing Detangler, which our editors can attest is worth the hype [87].
2021: Lori Harvey
In October 2021, Lori Harvey [88] launched a skin-care line dedicated to people with skin like hers: sensitive and prone to rosacea. The initial release of SKN by LH includes five products — a cleanser, a toner, a serum, an eye cream, and a moisturiser — and those five products encompass Harvey's everyday routine, nothing more, nothing less (for now).
2021: Ellen DeGeneres
Comedian and longtime TV host Ellen DeGeneres [89] partnered with friend and beauty-industry veteran Victoria Jackson to launch Kind Science [90], a skin-care brand dedicated to all ages (the youngest being "kindergarten," DeGeneres joked during a press event for the launch).
2021: Billie Eilish
In Billie Eilish's first venture into the beauty industry [91], the singer teamed up with fragrance parent company Parlux to release a first perfume called Eilish [92], a blend of vanilla, tonka bean, and musks. It hit the market in November 2021.
In an interview with POPSUGAR, she said, "It sounds like a lot, but I want you to be sexually attracted to yourself when you wear this perfume. That's really how I feel. I want people to feel obsessed with themselves and infatuated with themselves and feel like they're unstoppable, and also comfortable and beautiful. I want people to feel in love with themselves."
2021: Harry Styles
In November 2021, Styles announced the launch of his own beauty brand, Pleasing [93], which features four nail-polish shades housed in beautiful, circular-shaped bottles and marble-effect dome caps. He has been painting his nails for years [94], and thanks to his nail tech Jenny Longworth, he's been experimenting with all kinds of nail art [95] throughout the years — which is what makes his venture into the beauty world with Pleasing all the more fitting. The initial launch also includes the Pearlescent Illuminating Serum, a hydrating primer that gives skin a brightness and glow, and the Pleasing Pen, a dual-ended hydrating eye serum and matte lip oil.
2022: Scarlett Johansson
In June 2021, news broke that Scarlett Johansson [96] is planning to launch a skin-care brand in early 2022. Very little information is known about the brand, but Johansson said in a press release, "I've been fascinated by the transformative power of beauty since I was a child. My mother instilled in me a passion for self-care from my early teenage years. Several years ago, I took a step back from my beauty deals with the goal of creating something true to me. The result is a clean, accessible approach to beauty."