From pop superstar Rihanna to media mogul Kylie Jenner, it seems like every celebrity has a makeup, hair, or skin line. By using these stars, consumers are promised to have the same flawlessness as their red-carpet or airbrushed counterparts. Even if the celebrity ambassador makes little sense to be paired up with the product, brands are ensured a steady client base. In 2024, having one’s own cosmetic brand can symbolise the peak of their career and name.
In Austin Peter’s feature film debut, Skincare, Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect, Cocaine Bear) stars as Hope Goldman, a makeup artist with an upcoming skincare line. Based on a true story, the film demonstrates the severity of such brands’ influence on careers. And while most celebrities won’t have to harass, threaten, or kill to establish their brands, the history of celebrity cosmetics has been fraught.
Iman Cosmetics: The Inception of the Celebrity Makeup Brand
While celebrity cosmetic lines have become a staple of the makeup and skincare world, there was a time when such ventures weren’t as common. Actresses, musicians, and models have previously been brand ambassadors or had limited releases of products. Rarely, however, were they spearheading their own enterprises.
Since 1975, model, Iman, has dominated runways, magazine covers, and the big screen. As a Somali-American woman, however, she found that the world of high fashion had difficulty catering to her. With limited shades, makeup artists often had to mix multiple products to accommodate for her skin tone.
Yet most individuals don’t have the same advantages of a world-famous supermodel. Most would have to do their best with the limited products offered at their local makeup store instead of the talents of makeup artists and stylists. It was here that Iman found her opening: create a makeup line that addresses a more diverse clientele.
As she stated, her dream for a makeup line began in her early modelling days, when makeup artists would frequently ask her, “’Did you bring your own foundation?’” In her words, Iman would call this endeavour, “ahead of its time”. The starting collection featured 16 foundation shades. While this may not seem a lot now, it was revolutionary for its time. Several celebrities have followed Iman’s lead, bringing increased attention to the makeup industry’s lack of diversity.
Fenty Beauty: Makeup for Everyone
Though most makeup brands are now working to diversify their products, one recent celebrity brand would be the first to encourage the rest. In September of 2017, Rihanna would start Fenty Beauty. With an emphasis on shade offerings, its first product line would contain a range of 40 foundation shades.
Iman has stated that her line was created for “’women with skin of color”, not just black women. Rihanna has continued this philosophy by filling in the gaps left by traditional cosmetic brands. The brand currently has 50 “True-To-You” shades for foundation along with flexible shades for tinted moisturiser. Each category contains ten distinct variations, categorized as “light,” “medium light,” “medium,” “medium deep,” and “deep.”
Fenty Beauty marked a shift in the celebrity cosmetics industry, enticing many others to follow suit. Yet Rihanna’s success didn’t come from just a name. The product reflected the singer’s interests and goals, with considerable thought put into it. While most celebrities would continue this trend by simply slapping their name onto a product, others would connect these products closer to themselves. Sometimes, however, this would have disastrous results.
Kylie Cosmetics: How a Lip-gloss Sparked Upset
With the 2010s being an era of cautionary online challenges, it was only time before they began to focus on facial features. The “Kylie Jenner Lip Challenge” took storm in 2015 with young people using improper techniques to plump up their lips. The name of the challenge, of course, was in reference to Kylie Jenner, known for her distinguishable plumped pout. With the side effects including brusing, inflammation, and even cut lips, the trend gained great media attention.
In later 2015, Jenner would garner even more attention when she dropped her “Kylie Lip Kits”. Each kit included a lip liner and lipstick. While Kylie’s iconic lips served as the inspiration for the product, many criticised her business tactics.
At the time of its release, Jenner had admitted to having lip fillers, despite previous denials that she hadn’t. Critics criticized the marketing of the makeup, suggesting it implied a look achievable only through plastic surgery. While brands often use manufactured images to market a product, the case of Kylie Cosmetics raised an issue of false advertising.The advertisement also sparked debate about whether it promoted the brand or the features of Jenner.
Blake Brown: Failures in Marketing
Kylie Jenner hasn’t been the only one to stir up dissension with celebrity cosmetics. Even the simple oversaturation of these star-studded beauty brands has raised discord.
A week before the release of Skincare, the controversial, It Ends with Us, was released. With Blake Lively in the starring role, the film’s promotion offered her the seemingly perfect opportunity to advertise her new haircare line, Blake Brown.
Perfect, however, it was not. It Ends with Us features graphic depictions of emotional and physical abuse, with the core of the story focusing on how to navigate life after such tumultuous experiences. Many were quick to critique Lively’s choice to market her new product in conjunction with the project’s deep themes.
The intense fallout demonstrates how misguided marketing of such products can lead to a failure in celebrity cosmetics. This criticism still rings true even though reports indicated that the two projects were not originally meant to be released alongside each other.
How Skincare Tackles Celebrity and Cosmetics
Based on the true story of Dawn DaLuise, a facialist who was accused of a Murder-for-Hire scheme, Skincare addresses how celebrity beauty companies can have a dark side exempt from traditional controversy. The film follows Hope Goldman (Elizabeth Banks) who upon the upcoming launch of her skincare brand, receives anonymous threats that jeopardise her career and company.
As with her previous performances, Banks gives it her all. She simultaneously develops a character possible of deception and threat yet justifies her actions to the audience. Advertised as a thriller, the film also attempts to include comedic elements to such a bizarre story. Yet this often falls flat, giving the film an uneven tone.
While Skincare doesn’t make a splash, its evaluation of celebrity obsession remains pertinent to our current culture. It looks to previous celebrities work in the beauty industry to access the lengths to which individuals will go to achieve success. Ultimately, it convinces its audience that there can be much darker aspects to such celebrity pursuits than mismarketing or unfair beauty standards.
