Back in 2017, when Rihanna launched Fenty, the world went crazy for her new brand. Similarly, this year, Selena Gomez has sparked a light in the beauty community as another artist creating their own makeup line. Named after Gomez’s latest album, Rare Beauty was recently launched to the delight of many fans.
Although both Fenty and Rare Beauty were created in cooperation with Sephora and share many similarities, the core messages of each brand are completely different. While Rihanna’s brand is all about diversity and inclusivity, Gomez’s brand focuses on mental health and wellbeing (while still being inclusive- her foundation comes in 48 shades). Rare Beauty’s website states: “We empower our Rare Beauty community to challenge beauty norms by shaping positive conversations about self-acceptance and mental health. Our community is inclusive, welcoming and connected.“
In an episode of Vogue’s beauty secrets series, Gomez explained that she has had a lot of experience with makeup since she was really young. As a child actress, she spent many hours in a makeup chair on different sets, and according to her, it was the makeup that often really created the character she played. In the video, she also calls makeup an artform and states that “makeup should be an accessory to complement what’s already beautiful,” which reflects her inspiration for creating Rare Beauty.
The inaugural product lineup of Rare Beauty includes the Liquid Touch Weightless Foundation and Brightening Concealer, Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, Perfect Strokes Matt Liquid Liner, as well as lip products, makeup accessories and a blotting kit. The brand says their products are vegan, cruelty-free and the packaging made to be eco-friendly. Both the foundation and concealer bottles have been designed with a ball on top to help people with arthritis since Gomez herself struggles with lupus and symptoms related to it.
Gomez has opened up many times not only about her general physical health but also about her problems with anxiety and mental health and has always been an advocate against stigmatizing people dealing with such issues.
So it comes as no surprise that the artist helped to create one of the largest corporate mental health funds – the Rare Impact Fund. To reach the goal of raising $100 million to help address the gaps in mental health services for underserved communities, 1 percent of all product sales, plus funds raised by partners, will go toward the charity.
As the organization aims to raise the aforementioned amount over the next 10 years, Gomez says that she hopes the Rare Beauty community will continually support its members’ journey towards self-acceptance and challenging current beauty norms.
All images in this article are courtesy of Rare Beauty.
