In six short years, Rare Beauty, Selena Gomez‘s beauty brand, has raised $30 million toward the star’s philanthropic goal of giving $100 million to mental health causes. When it comes to market share, the line (named after her 2020 album Rare) occupies a bigger slice of the sales pie than Hailey Bieber’s Rhode (sold last year for $1 billion to e.l.f. cosmetics), Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs and Kylie Cosmetics, and is only outsold by Rihanna’s Fenty brand — which Rare Beauty surpasses in relevance, if you consider being the most Googled brand this past year a measure of that ineffable quality.
Much like O.G. pioneer Fenty, Rare Beauty has crossed the Rubicon of being carried in both Sephora — where it was the first brand to be exclusively stocked in 2,700 stores internationally — and Ulta, where it entered over 1500 stores on Feb. 1. The two arch frenemies of the beauty retail world will together drive sales as well as the 33-year-old actress’ philanthropic goal. “It’s important we continue to expand our mission and vision,” Gomez tells The Hollywood Reporter, about her commitment from launch to donate one percent of Rare Beauty earnings to mental health and wellness organizations. “The Ulta funds donated by customers are split evenly between the Ulta Beauty Foundation and Rare Impact Fund. Together we’ve already raised over $2 million in support of youth mental health. We’ve been able to reach over 3.5 young people annually to help young people get more access to mental health support.”
Certainly, Gomez’s 425 million Instagram followers, who have hung on every twist and turn in the star’s overall wellness and beauty journey, have helped push Rare Beauty toward its purpose. “I’ve been in a makeup chair since I was seven,” says Gomez. “That gave me perspective on what was missing in the market. I wanted to create a welcoming space in beauty, where people can feel good about themselves. But I knew from the beginning I wanted the business to be built around a mission personal to me, hence the Rare Impact Fund. I didn’t see mental health being talked about in the beauty/wellness space. I want people to celebrate their imperfections, that’s exactly why we do what we do. I believe makeup is something to enjoy, not something you need. It’s always been important to me to build a legacy that makes a difference.”
This past week — in the same time frame that Rare Beauty, known for its viral liquid blush, released its first foundation, True to Myself Natural Matte Longwear Foundation, in 48 inclusive shades — Gomez was awarded the first Excellence in Beauty Philanthropy Award by Craig Cichy, executive director of The Social Impact Fund. The awards and subsequent summit were held at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, where Cichy explained what the organization does for partners that embrace both artistry and charity like Gomez and her Rare Impact Fund in his opening remarks: “We’re a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to making philanthropic access be efficient. We are the home base for nonprofits that need tax structure. And, as the great Robert Redford once said, ‘The glory of art is that it cannot only survive, it can lead.’ He knew style can never survive without substance.”
Leave a Reply