Fenty Beauty

“Beauty for All”

Summary

Created by pop star Rihanna, Fenty Beauty redefines the beauty industry with light-as-air formulas that can be layered—in a global lineup of shades designed for all.

History

Pop star Robyn Rihanna Fenty was transfixed by her mother’s lipstick when she was a little girl in Barbados. The first time she experienced makeup herself, it became her vehicle of self-expression. She was inspired to create her own beauty brand “Fenty Beauty” after years of experimenting and refining her go-to makeup technique, testing it backstage, on stage and in real life.

Following a collaboration with MAC Cosmetics and Parlux Ltd. Rihanna still felt a void in the industry for beauty products that enhanced all skin types and tones. So, she developed her own line of beauty products with LVMH — after inking a deal to produce Fenty Beauty through the luxury conglomerate’s Kendo division. Kendo Holdings Inc is an incubator company that manufactures cosmetics as white-label products for sale through cosmetics retailer Sephora- another LVMH subsidiary- as well as other outlets. Per Women’s Wear Daily, LVMH may have paid $10 million for the deal.

“Makeup is there for you to play with. It’s there for you to have fun with. it should never feel like pressure and it should never feel like a uniform.” Rihanna, Founder- CEO and Owner of Fenty Beauty said on its official website.

The first-ever global beauty launch in history, Fenty Beauty by Rihanna premiered simultaneously online and in 1,620 stores in more than seventeen countries. From packaging design to formula and shade development, Rihanna is intimately involved in every aspect of the brand’s creation and always will be. The launch on September 8, 2017 coincided with New York Fashion Week where Rihanna had a show in collaboration with Puma, and it was promoted to the hilt. Per The New York Times, “one might be forgiven for thinking it’s actually Rihanna New York Fashion Week.” The initial products released by Fenty Beauty were seen as reasonably priced, following Rihanna’s approach to her fragrance releases.

Per British Vogue: “… opening gambit was a forty-strong foundation range… that included shades for everyone and a marketing campaign that was as diverse as they come… Fenty Beauty connected emotionally with women who had long been treated as though they didn’t exist by the beauty industry. It not only highlighted the importance of being seen, it proved to the industry that women of colour have huge spending power and that black can and does sell. Some of the most obvious proof came when the darkest shades of Fenty Beauty foundations sold out first.”

In February 2018, Fenty Beauty released an advertisement featuring rapper Saweetie that showed a group of women getting dressed to attend the Super Bowl. Rihanna also performed at the 2023 Super Bowl Halftime Show where she featured Fenty Beauty to touch up her makeup. The feature reportedly earned the brand $5.6 million within a record twelve hours! In sync with the product line, Fenty Beauty featured models of color. Faces of the initial Fenty Beauty campaign included Slick Woods, Halima Aden, Leomie Anderson, Indyamarie Jean, Paloma Elsesser, Selena Forrest, Camila Costa and Duckie Thot. What’s more, Fenty Beauty did make a post on Instagram with transgender model Rose Montoy and subsequently partnered with transgender model and social media influencer Emira D’Spain.

In the US, the products were launched in Sephora stores and its website and on Fenty Beauty’s website. In the UK, it was initially available in Harvey Nichols and then in Boots UK. The beauty brand reportedly made $100m in just over a month and today it’s retailing in over fifteen countries. It is an understatement to say that Fenty Beauty changed the beauty industry with its fifty-strong foundation range with diverse shades for every skin tone and type. Undoubtedly the success can be attributed to the pillars of inclusive beauty, to founder Rihanna who has a mammoth fan base and to LVMH.

Vision

Rihanna created Fenty Beauty “so that women everywhere would be included,” focusing on a wide range of traditionally hard-to-match skin tones.. developing formulas that work for all skin types and pinpointing universal shades. Her vision is to inspire: “Makeup is there for you to have fun with. It should never feel like pressure. It should never feel like a uniform. Feel free to take chances and take risks and dare to do something new or different.”

Mission Statement

Fenty Beauty was founded by pop star Robyn Rihanna Fenty with a strong focus on inclusivity and diversity in the beauty industry. Rihanna’s inspiration came from her desire to create products that enhance all skin types and tones. She collaborated with MAC Cosmetics and Parlux Ltd. but still felt there was a gap in the market for inclusive beauty products and partnered with LVMH to create Fenty Beauty. The brand’s mission is to make makeup an empowering and enjoyable experience for everyone. The brand’s initial launch in 2017 was a groundbreaking global event, featuring a diverse foundation range of forty shades that catered to all skin tones. Fenty Beauty’s success was driven by its commitment to inclusivity. The impact was not only in the product range but also in demonstrating the importance of visibility of women of color.

Products and Services

LVMH-owned Fenty Beauty by Rihanna retails skincare- make-up- and fragrance.

Awards and Recognition

For Rihanna’s vision and efforts, Fenty Beauty was named in Time magazine’s list of twenty-five best inventions of 2017 alongside NASA’s Martian spacecraft InSight and Apple’s iPhone X. The beauty brand also won WWD Beauty Inc. Award for “launch of the year” in the prestige sector.

Key Team

  • Rihanna: Founder CEO
  • Jahleel Weaver: Creative Director

References

Official website Fenty Beauty

LVMH Signs Rihanna to Create a Makeup Brand WWD

Rihanna’s New Fenty Beauty Line at Sephora Expands Her Business Empire Fortune

Fenty Beauty And Fenty Skin Are Dropping In Africa Yahoo!

How Fenty Beauty Is Leading the Inclusion Conversation for Black Women Okay Africa

How Fenty Beauty Changed The State Of Play In The Industry British Vogue

Is it New York Fashion Week or Rihanna Inc. NY Times

Facebook page of Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Facebook

Why Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty Was Named One of TIME’s Best Inventions Billboard

Instagram page of Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Instagram

Fenty Beauty Launches New Concealer With 50 Shades Cosmopolitan

MAC Joins Forces With Rihanna WWD

Twitter page of Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Twitter

7 Key Products You Need From Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty Line Essence

Youtube channel page of Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Youtube

Daniel Kaluuya Wore Fenty Beauty Foundation To The Oscars Huffington Post

Wiki page of Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Wikipedia

Rihanna’s New MAC Line Hit Stores Today and It’s Already Flying off the Shelves Teen Vogue

LinkedIn page of Fenty Beauty by Rihanna LinkedIn

Rihanna unveils her first ever men’s scent: Rogue Man Glamour