Is the beauty industry too saturated with celebrity owned cosmetic lines?

Celebrities and the beauty industry go way back, but their business ventures and partnerships have been increasing day by day. From Drew Barrymore to Millie Bobby Brown, they’ve all launched their own, successful brands, promoting their products through the influence of social media.

Today, there are countless cosmetic lines leaving consumers with a plethora of options to browse from and from the looks of it, the beauty industry is at its peak, inundated with various celeb created maquillage, the most recent examples being JLo beauty by Jennifer Lopez, About-Face by Halsey.

The best thing about celebrity-owned beauty brands is that it becomes a lot easier to get their “iconic looks” or at least get the satisfaction of recreating them with the hope to receive some quality products. However, there still remains many celebrity owned brands which are solely focused on profit-making, are business-oriented and are simply overcrowding the industry by launching products at very high-prices just because of their name and fame.

After the success of brands like Kylie Cosmetics, Fenty Beauty and Goop, a majority of the celeb coterie have been trying their hand out in the beauty industry. Celebrity trademarks are being signed all the time. While some have failed in their attempts; many continue to have a cult following like Honest Beauty by Jessica Alba. The trend of including vegan, cruelty-free, eco-friendly and clean products to their lines have also increased the popularity of these labels that are appreciated by many.

In my opinion, celebrities should not be justified in using their status to promote their brands, as every consumer/ makeup lover would want to buy them, even though the products wouldn’t be as good as they make it look and just not worth the hype. Not only is this taking away the authenticity of passionate cosmetic enthusiasts, but it also results in overspending and takes away the trust of consumers who are willing to splurge on the products, only to be disappointed with their purchase.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are a few celebrity owned brands that are making changes along the way such as, introducing products at a drugstore price range that actually benefit budget-oriented people. Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez aims to rake in $100M over the next ten years to help people access mental health services whilst reducing its stigma. Another significant element of the brand is their packaging, designed specifically to cater to people with arthritis. Fenty Beauty too was a game changer, known for their 50 shades in their foundation range.

In spite of the initiatives undertaken by public figures, the beauty industry still has a long way to go. However, it’s up to consumers to be aware of the cosmetic brands they purchase, and to not indulge in their lines solely because of their intensive promotion through social media.

Edited by Michelle Almeida