Jan. 19, 2025
By Zahara Chowdhury
Editor-in-Chief
In the age of influencers and virality, it is no surprise celebrities have found their way into the beauty industry. From model Hailey Bieber’s Rhode to actress Millie Bobby Brown’s Florence by Mills, makeup bags are often filled with star-studded products, but is the rise in celebrity brands driven by passion or profit?
Junior Clara Fonkats said she uses products from singers Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty and Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty.
“I like how different each [product is] and how you can really see the style of the artist through the packaging,” Fonkats said. “They usually add their own twist to it.”
Fonkats said celebrity endorsements are an effective way of advertising.
“People are going to trust a product if it’s endorsed by a celebrity they like and are familiar with, and celebrity [endorsements] can influence customer behavior, which is [socially] impactful,” Fonkats said.
Sophomore Madison Gibbons said she usually avoids celebrity cosmetics because she views them as a cash grab.
“Most [celebrities] don’t know much about makeup, and if they do, they don’t show it that well,” Gibbons said. “They just know they have so much fame and popularity already that, if they are targeting a specific group of people, they’re going to get money from [them].”
She said teenagers are more likely to buy celebrity-branded cosmetics than adults.
“They follow their friends. They just go with the next trend and whatever’s popular because they want to always step up to that [level],” Gibbons said. “Adults just have more wisdom. They don’t care so much about popularity.”
Gibbons said she was underwhelmed when she tried Fenty Beauty’s contour.
“It was okay. It wasn’t my favorite, though,” Gibbons said. “I have a contour I use every single day from the NYX brand, and they’re just a normal makeup company.”
When it launched in 2017, Fenty Beauty offered 40 foundation shades. It has since expanded to 50, creating a new industry standard for diversity.
History teacher Ms. Schiraldi, who worked in the beauty industry for almost two decades, said Black-owned beauty lines are game changers in the industry.
“They just know they have so much fame and popularity already that, if they are targeting a specific group of people, they’re going to get money from [them].”
“[Revlon] did go into a portion of different colors for darker skin, but no one’s going to be innovative in that except for someone like Rihanna, who can just focus on the Black American woman,” Schiraldi said. “The only ones to do that are people that realize you need the product.”
Schiraldi said many cosmetics products are overpriced.
“These companies own other companies that they charge less for. For instance, Lancôme is owned by L’Oréal. L’Oréal is mass market. Lancôme is a department store. You’re going to pay triple for a Lancôme product than you are for a L’Oréal product that comes from the same manufacturer,” Schiraldi said.
She said she does not favor buying celebrities’ beauty products.
“I like what I like. It doesn’t have to be endorsed by a celebrity for me to like it, but I’m more of an individualist than a lot of people are. I think, for some reason, people think if you use a cosmetic line by Ariana Grande, you’re going to look like her,” said Schiraldi.
