Selena Gomez shatters records as Rare Beauty reaches $2.7 billion milestone

Celebrity beauty brands are now some of the biggest forces in the cosmetics industry. While a famous name helps, these brands succeed because of smart marketing, honest stories, and a real understanding of what people want.

For so many of us who grew up with Selena Gomez, her story feels personal. From her early days on "Barney & Friends" to casting spells on "Wizards of Waverly Place".

From the start, Gomez proved she could sing, act, and dance, quickly becoming a global pop star. The media often focused on her personal life, especially her relationships, but she has always been open about her experiences, including her health.

She treats her fans like friends.

When she started Rare Beauty, she reached a new kind of success. Last year, she became a billionaire.

And now, she’s not just our childhood icon or the singer who gave us emotional anthems like "Lose You to Love Me", she’s the billionaire beauty mogul who built one of the most beloved make-up brands in the world: Rare Beauty.

According to "Fortune", Rare Beauty’s valuation recently hit an estimated $2.7 billion, placing it among the top-performing celebrity-founded beauty brands alongside Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, Hailey Bieber’s Rhode, and Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics.

Unlike many beauty moguls whose brands seem like just another business, Gomez’s brand feels personal, almost like a diary told through blush, gloss, and kindness.

When Gomez launched Rare Beauty in 2020, her goal was not just to help people look good, but to help them feel complete. She had already shared her struggles with anxiety, lupus, and bipolar disorder.

Instead of hiding those experiences, she transformed them into the foundation of her brand.

“I put my heart into it,” she told "Women’s Wear Daily". “I work really hard, and I love our community, especially my fans. They have gotten me through all of the ups and all of the downs of life, and they are with me.”

Honesty became Rare Beauty’s biggest strength. While other brands promised perfection, Rare focused on being real, showing that beauty means accepting yourself. Even the name, Rare, stands for being unique and letting yourself be seen.

Rare Beauty debuted exclusively at Sephora and quickly became a fan favourite, thanks to its Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, a viral TikTok sensation that remains one of the most sought-after products in beauty today.

In just its first year, the brand generated over $100 million in revenue, according to online sources. Today, it stands as a leader in what Forbes calls “the era of emotionally intelligent beauty,” where products are as much about mental health and self-expression as they are about performance.

Her secret? Empathy. Every product launch, campaign, and social post feels like it’s written by someone who genuinely gets it.

From foundation shades that span across all skin tones to the brand’s commitment to mental health advocacy through The Rare Impact Fund (which pledges to raise $100 million over ten years to expand access to mental health services), Gomez has woven compassion into every corner of her business.

“I don’t talk about money”

Despite Rare Beauty’s staggering success, Gomez remains disarmingly humble about the numbers. “I personally think it’s distasteful to talk about money,” she told "Entertainment Tonight" in September 2024.

“But I really am giving all the credit to the people who buy the products.”

Gomez once said that make-up should “enhance what makes you rare, not hide it”.

That philosophy feels especially powerful in an age where people are craving connection more than ever.

Her products, from the Positive Light Tinted Moisturiser to the Always an Optimist Primer, are less about transformation and more about reflecting how you feel on the inside, showing through on the outside.