Being a celebrity, you don’t exactly need an additional business as a financial safety net. Still, many stars choose to star their own fashion, beauty, fragrance or appliance brands. But what celebrities have the most successful brands on the market? Celeb founded scents and makeup brands are the way of the future — here’s who’s slaying the game today.
1. Kim Kardashian
It’s safe to say that multiple Kardashians and Jenners will be on our roundup. First, let’s start with the mogul herself, Kim. Kim started Skims, and her role model is Elizabeth Taylor, who is a glam queen of Hollywood as well as a female entrepreneur herself. With KKW Beauty and shape-wear brand Skims, Kim K has skyrocketed to retail success, and has even expanded to the work from home market with her luxurious looking loungewear.
2. Kylie Jenner
Everyone remembers that famous article where Kylie was outed as a “self-made billionaire” and most of that is due to Kylie Cosmetics. She recently sold a majority stake of the brand to Coty, which is a big reason why. Kylie launched Kylie Cosmetics at the age of 17 in 2015. For the first batch, she sold out of a whopping 15,000 lip kits in under an hour, which crashed her site! Now she has a YouTube show called “Inside Kylie Cosmetics” where she shares her love for makeup. She’s also certainly capitalized on her social media, and Kylie Skin launched a couple years back.
3. Iman
Legendary Black supermodel Iman invented her line of makeup because nothing would suit her skin-tone. In the early 90s, she launched Iman Cosmetics, which paved the way for Fenty and other inclusive beauty brands. This was the first of its kind for WOC, and the brand was about diversity more than wanting to become a beauty mogul. Then, she debuted her HSN clothing and accessories line, which was wildly popular back in 2007. By 2019, Iman Cosmetics had become a business that raked in $25 million.
4. Gwyneth Paltrow
Of course, Gwyneth Paltrow has been a favorite actress of many for years, and it’s no doubt that talent runs in her blood. However, that talent also expands to the worlds of wellness, which is why her brand Goop is so popular. It might be more expensive that other celebrity brands, but also has the science to back it, and Paltrow has become a holistic trendsetter around the world for her precious products that “you can’t get at a lower price point.” From clean beauty to skincare and vibrators, you’ll want everything you scroll through on the Goop site.
5. Jessica Simpson
From high heels to underwear, Jessica Simpson branded looks are something we would be proud to wear. A key focus that’s helped made Simpson’s brand so popular is her size inclusivity. As she told “Sunday Morning” on CBS, “If I make a shirt, I’m gonna make sure every size is available. Because I have been every size, trust me.” Her brand is Jessica Simpson Style (it also includes fragrances) and since launching back in 2005, it’s raked in quite a bit of cash. In fact, the annual sales are over $1 billion, and now they’re expanding to home good in various department and ex-commerce stores.
6. Jessica Alba
Another Jessica has faced quite a bit of success beyond acting in Hollywood, and that’s Ms. Alba, who runs The Honest Company. Co-founded with 3 partners in 2011, The Honest Company shared diapers and baby products that were clean, chemical-free, and only had healthy components. As a mom herself, these products were a priority, and now, the business has expanded to clean skincare and beauty. In 2015, it was declared that the brand was worth $1.7 billion, and that number has only climbed since then.
7. Elizabeth Taylor
Liz Taylor is a major inspiration for all modern celebrities, and was a revolutionary in terms of celeb-founded businesses. In 1987, her first perfume was launched (Passion) and 4 years later, she launched her second one called White Diamonds, which became a best-seller and had a now-iconic TV commercial, starring the glamorous goddess of mystery herself. Her fragrance empire served as a template for many other stars, as we can see today.
8. Rihanna
Rihanna is one of the only stars to effectively penetrate the beauty and fashion world without being a fad. Not unlike Iman, she focuses on color diversity and inclusivity in her skincare lines, and her lingerie brand Savage X Fenty similarly prioritizes size inclusivity. Within Fenty Beauty’s first year of business, it exceeded $500 million in sales for Rihanna, who happens to be the next wealthiest entertainer after Oprah Winfrey. The singer is also the first black woman to be in charge of a luxury fashion house, which also goes by the name of Fenty.
9. Kate Hudson
We don’t think athleisure will ever go out of style, and unlike Goop, Kate Hudson is all about bringing that ever-popular genre of comfy fitness-wear to women at an affordable price point with her brand Fabletics. She wasn’t impressed with the triple digit yoga pants on the market back in 2017, and hence, Fabletics was founded. The line features bright and relaxed looks, and earned a valuation of approximately $5 billion in 2021.
10. Kanye West
Kanye’s celeb brand isn’t exactly known as being accessible, but people flock to it because of that exclusive vibe. The Air Yeezy 1s, specifically, have set a new world record when it comes to how much a sneaker costs. At auction, a single pair went for a whopping $1.8 million. His Yeezy partnership with Nike and Adidas have earned billions, and even the matching fashion line has a solid reputation with stars and fashionistas alike. As Kanye puts it himself, they’re the “Lamborghini of shoes.”
