Launching a beauty brand has become something of a rite of passage for celebrities, and 2021 has certainly been a boom time.
Celebrity beauty brands aren’t a new thing – just think of how many popstars had fragrances in the Noughties – but it’s arguably Rihanna and her wildly successful Fenty Beauty, launched in 2017, who helped pave the way for this explosion in celeb-fronted hair, skin and make-up lines.
The trend shows little sign of slowing down, with Hailey Bieber’s product line due for release in 2022.
If you struggled to keep up with the sheer amount of new lines launched this year, these are the biggest beauty releases…
Jennifer Lopez
Known for her signature glow, it was only a matter of time before Jennifer Lopez launched her own skincare line. JLo Beauty (jlobeauty.com) debuted in January 2021, letting punters in on the secret to Lopez’s bronzed, youthful skin.
Inspired by her mother’s skincare routine, the 52-year-old has made olive oil central to her products. She says: “Olive oil isn’t always great for the skin. So how do we take what’s moisturising and rejuvenating about it, and combine that with other ingredients?” – resulting in JLo Beauty Olive Complex.
Harry Styles
It’s not just female celebrities getting into the beauty business. Following in the footsteps of Machine Gun Kelly (who has a unisex nail polish brand), Harry Styles launched Pleasing (pleasing.com) in November.
Pleasing offers various shades of pearlescent nail polish, along with two types of skincare products. It’s just the beginning for the singer’s brand, which will likely expand with more products in 2022.
Ariana Grande
Everything about Ariana Grande’s r.e.m. beauty (rembeauty.com) is ethereal and otherworldly – from the shimmering eyeshadow palettes to the fact the singer is somewhat inexplicably wearing an astronaut’s helmet on the website.
r.e.m. beauty works like a streetwear brand – new products are released in a series of ‘drops’, in an effort to increase excitement and exclusivity.
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston is another celebrity who raised absolutely no eyebrows when she announced her own haircare line: LolaVie (lolavie.com). After all, she has a whole style named after her Friends character, and is known for her flawless locks.
At the moment, LolaVie is made up of just two products – a detangling spray and a leave-in conditioner.
Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Another big player in the haircare game is Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who launched Anomaly (anomalyhaircare.com) in February.
There’s a big emphasis on sustainability, with the plastic bottles made from recycled plastic. “You’ve seen a lot of skincare be sustainable, clean, vegan, cruelty-free, but you haven’t really seen that in hair care much,” Chopra Jonas told Elle.
Naomi Osaka
The name of tennis star Naomi Osaka’s skincare brand, KINLÒ (kinlo.com), is a nod to her heritage – it combines the Japanese and Haitian Creole words for ‘gold’. It is described as “a new functional skincare brand formulated specifically for people with melanated skin tones.”
A big part of the brand’s ethos is educating people about sun damage – particularly highlighting how those with melanated skin aren’t immune.
Anyone else?
Ellen DeGeneres, Alicia Keys, Cindy Crawford, Halsey and Jonathan Van Ness are just some of the other big names who have launched their own beauty brand this year. The question is: who’s next?
