Selena Gomez has founded a beauty brand called Rare Beauty.
The star posted the news in an Instagram Live on Tuesday, noting that she will launch the line with Sephora this summer, and that she was sharing the news while wearing the makeup, including a bold, red lip.
The makeup line will be sold exclusively at Sephora in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, including the Sephora inside J.C. Penney locations, as well as on its own web site.
“We will go globally next year,” Gomez said, hinting that parts of the launch process would be collaborative. “I want your help to build the brand, because I want it to be real — real stories, real people.”
“We are honored to partner exclusively with Sephora and bring Rare Beauty to Sephora and Sephora inside J.C. Penney stores throughout North America this summer. They’re passionate about bringing Selena’s message to life, a message that is aligned and in sync with Sephora’s We Belong values,” said Rare Beauty’s chief executive officer Scott Friedman, who is one of many veteran beauty hires the brand has made.
“We’ve hired talent that brings decades of beauty experience from leading prestige and professional makeup brands to execute Selena’s vision,” Friedman continued. “Rare Beauty will challenge society’s definition of beauty that impacts our self worth. It’s time to stop comparing and to start embracing our own uniqueness. Everyone is different — and that’s a good thing.”
Friedman noted that Rare Beauty’s mission is to shape conversations around beauty, self acceptance and mental health. “We will work to help people get more access to support and services. We want to help people feel more authentically connected to one another and less along in this world,” he said.
“We are thrilled to debut Rare Beauty at Sephora,” Artemis Patrick, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer at Sephora, said in a statement. “At Sephora, our goal is to build an inclusive community where all feel seen, understood and welcome, a value that clearly aligns with Rare Beauty’s mission. We are excited to welcome Rare Beauty to our family and can’t wait for clients to see what the brand has in store.”
Friedman, the former ceo of NYX before and after its sale to L’Oréal is one member of a seasoned beauty executive team that is helping to run Gomez’s brand, WWD has confirmed. Gomez, a singer and actress with one of the biggest Instagram followings — 167 million — will work with the team as founder of the business.
Rare Beauty has also hired Katie Welch, the former chief marketing officer for Hourglass and The Honest Co., as chief marketing officer; Mehdi Mehdi, the former vice president of digital and e-commerce for NYX, as chief digital officer; Kim Magee, former vice president of sales at Kopari and Too Faced, as chief sales officer, and Joyce Kim, the former vice president of product development for NYX, as chief product officer.
Gomez is the latest celebrity to get into the beauty business. Millie Bobby Brown and Tracee Ellis Ross have each launched their own beauty brands in partnership with Beach House Group, while Kesha partnered with HipDot for her brand and Taraji P. Henson partnered with Maesa to develop TPH by Taraji. Lady Gaga also launched her own brand, Haus Beauty.
