8 Celebrity Beauty Brands That Actually Work

rhode-skin-celebrity-skincare — Photo:
Rhone Skin

Poke around the glorious shelves at Sephora, Ulta, Target, or any drugstore and we’re certain you’ll encounter more than a handful of celebrity-founded beauty brands. Pretty, well-known faces tied to a product are super enticing—especially if it’s a celebrity you stan—but are these products always worth the spend?

“Celebrity skin care lines get a lot of hype, some worth it and some not,” says Adrienne O'Connell, MD, medical director and president of Laguna Beach Aesthetics. “The first thing I look at—and the first thing I encourage my patients to look at—is the ingredient list. Ingredients are key. Ingredients are what makes or breaks the product.” In terms of makeup, it also means finding products that deliver on color payoff and formulation.

All that said, we did some homework for you so you can confidently toss products into your cart the next time you’re shopping for beauty loot.

01 of 08

Fenty Beauty by Rihanna

Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty is a no brainer for this list of celebrity beauty brands worth the hype. When the singer dropped her line back in 2017, it made one of the biggest splashes the beauty industry had ever seen thanks to its inclusive shade range. While all other brands were offering 10 to 15 shades max, Rihanna said the industry could do better and made jaws drop with a whopping 40 shades (now extended to 50).

Along with culty makeup faves like the Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation ($40; Ulta) and Match Stix Contour Skinstick ($32; Ulta), Rihanna has extended her collection into skincare and fragrance.

02 of 08

Rhode Skin by Hailey Bieber

Another giveaway that a celebrity brand is worth your money is when the line aligns with the celebrity’s ethos and doesn’t debut with an overwhelming number of products. Rhode Skin by Hailey Beiber, launched in June 2022, hits both. The highly curated line features three products that aim to simplify your routine and impart a healthy, glowy, “glazed donut” sort of aesthetic.

“One of my favorite Rhode products is the Peptide Glazing Fluid ($29; rhodeskin.com),” says Dr. O'Connell.“It’s a lightweight, quick absorbing gel serum that gives your skin that dewy glow we all strive for, and it is totally affordable.”

03 of 08

Flower Beauty by Drew Barrymore

A celebrity line with staying power is a sign that it’s the real deal. Drew Barrymore’s makeup collection, Flower Beauty, launched in 2013 and has been going strong ever since. Not only was Barrymore one of the OG celebrities to debut a beauty brand, but the products still stand out in a saturated sea thanks to effective formulas and affordable price tags. (Nothing is over $20!)

Some callouts include the best-selling and very pretty Flower Pots Powder Blush ($11; CVS), which is shaped like a rose, and the new Spotlight Liquid Highlighter ($14; CVS) which imparts the loveliest sheen.

04 of 08

Pattern Beauty by Tracee Ellis Ross

While many celebrities take the makeup or skincare route with their beauty lines, actress Tracee Ellis Ross bucked the trend and zeroed in on the hair market. Pattern specifically caters to fostering healthy, natural hair with products for a range of curls and coils. "I wanted to create a line of products that gave our hair the support it needed to be its true self,” Ross writes on her website.

The brand is dedicated to finding the best ingredients and works closely with beauty chemists. Best-selling products include the Leave-In Conditioner ($25; Ulta)—lightweight conditioner for tight textures—and the Detangling Nectar ($25; Ulta), a slippery formula that promises tangle-free styling.

05 of 08

Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez

When Selena Gomez founded Rare Beauty in the fall of 2020, she said her goal was to challenge existing beauty norms, inspire positive conversations around self-acceptance, and foster dialogue around mental health. That's certainly in step with Gomez's spirit. The actress has been very candid about her recent lupus diagnosis and even clapped back at comments about her body saying,"I am perfect the way I am.”

The beauty line 100% lives up to the feel-good language and has acquired a loyal following of beauty lovers. Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Liquid Blush ($23; Sephora) was practically an instant cult favorite and has since amassed over 5k reviews and a 91% recommendation rating on Sephora. The new Discovery Eyeshadow Palette in Give Yourself Grace ($29; Sephora) is primed to enter "gotta have it" territory, as well, with a nearly perfect rating since it launched.

06 of 08

Honest Beauty by Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba was another celebrity on the early train for developing a beauty line. The clean beauty line was founded over a decade ago in 2011 and has since gone on to become somewhat of a household name available across Target, Ulta, Walmart, and drugstores. The brand has even expanded into non-beauty verticals such as cleaning supplies, baby products, and even supplements.

One of the brand’s best-sellers is its Hydrogel Cream ($20; Ulta), a lightweight moisturizer that combines jojoba, squalane, and hyaluronic acid to plump, hydrate and soften skin. Another must-try is the Tinted Lip Balm ($9; Ulta), which comes in seven shades and imparts a sheer burst of glossy color to lips.

07 of 08

JVN by Jonathan Van Ness

Queer Eye’s resident beauty guru Jonathan Van Ness is a celebrity in his own right, but he’s also a bonafide hair professional who knows exactly how to make hair look its best. Not only does he have the education, but he’s also got a crown of flowing, beautiful hair to prove he knows what's up.

The Netflix star debuted his sustainable, sulfate-free line in the fall of 2021 to lots of buzzy excitement and immediate accolades. One of the biggest standouts about the line is that all products hero hemisqualane in the formulations, which is a silicone alternative that helps boost shine and nix frizz. Two favorites are the super lightweight Complete Nourishing Hair Oil Shine Drops ($24; Sephora) and frizz-busting Complete Hydrating Air Dry Hair Cream ($26; Sephora).

08 of 08

The Outset by Scarlett Johansson

The Outset is a newcomer celebrity beauty brand with Scarlett Johannson at the helm. The line arrived amid an influx of other celebrity-founded brands, but has risen above thanks to its simplified, plant-powered formulas that aim to bolster the skin barrier.

Since its March 2022 debut, the nine-piece product lineup has earned thumbs up from beauty editors and skincare gurus. Its Firming Vegan Collagen Prep Serum ($46; Sephora) is one of the most popular picks, and the Ultralight Moisture-Boosting Botanical Oil ($44; Sephora) has earned nearly unanimous praise with a 97% recommendation rating on Sephora.

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