In a continuation from last year’s celebrity beauty boom, well-known figures, mainly but not confined to – people from the entertainment industry – are launching brands every month. A couple of decades ago it was fragrance lines that held the allure for A-listers. Then it was a coveted spokesperson role – landing a multi-year, multi-national contract as the face of a well-known skincare or foundation brand was a true sign you’d made it.
But it seems stars are no longer content with being the face of something, they want the control that comes with owning, or having a large stake in their own companies.
The latest? Scarlett Johansson.
The two-time Oscar nominee this week launched an Instagram account and website to preview the imminent arrival of The Outset, her new skincare brand.
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With a tagline that states ‘Clean and effective skincare to elevate your everyday’ initial indications show a focus on a minimal and simple routine, with a number of products to purchase to carry out that routine, of course.
“I’ve been the face of several luxury brands throughout my career and all of those experiences were really wonderful. But — how do I put this? I guess I always felt like I was sort of playing a character in those campaigns and as I evolved, I wanted to create and represent a brand that was true to me,” she told Vogue for the March 2022 issue, referencing stints as the face L’Oréal, Louis Vuitton, Dolce & Gabbana, and others.
Products revealed to Vogue expected to be available in early March, include a Gentle Micellar Antioxidant Cleanser, Firming Vegan Collagen Prep Serum, Nourishing Squalane Daily Moisturizer as well as a niacinamide-spiked night cream, a soothing vitamin C eye cream, and a lip treatment.
Also entering the beauty arena with their own brand? Actor Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina, who have created S’Able Labs (that’s Elbas spelt backwards) a genderless skin and wellness brand expected to land mid-year.
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“We realised quickly that there was no one doing it in the wellness space that looked like, spoke like or felt like us,” Sabrina Elba told British Vogue. “There was no representation for people of colour who wanted to be into wellness and fit in,” she says. “Plus everything was gender-focused – I’d have conversations with my husband on products he didn’t think he could use [due to them being aimed at women], but could.”
The crowded market will also shortly welcome singer John Legend who is reportedly about to launch a brand for those with melanin-rich skin.
Business of Fashion (BOF) reports Legend is teaming up with A-Frame Brands — a celebrity business development platform based in Los Angeles and led by investor and former fashion executive Ari Bloom.
A-Frame chief brand officer Martin Ekechukwu told BOF the label will ‘target the top three issues those with higher levels of melanin in their skin are vulnerable to: significant levels of dryness, pH imbalances, and environmental impact’.
Another star confirmed to shortly be adding beauty brand owners to her resume is model Hailey Bieber who has a brand called Rhode in the works. With a dedicated Instagram account that already has 66k followers with no information about what the brand might offer on launch, there’s proof there’s plenty of appeal in brand headed up by superstars yet.
Image (top): The Outset
