Have we reached peak Celebrity Beauty Mogul? Alicia Keys, Millie Bobby Brown, Rihanna, Kylie Jenner, Jessica Alba, Kate Moss, Selena Gomez, Harry Styles, Cindy Crawford, Drew Barrymore, Idris and Sabrina Elba, Pharrell Williams – these are just a few superstars who own skincare or cosmetics companies.
Of course, some crash and burn – see Jessica Simpson’s edible cosmetics range – but some are stocked in high-end retailers such as Harvey Nichols and earn their makers millions.
The majority of Rihanna’s $1.4billion fortune is from her Fenty Beauty company, rather than her music. In 2018, Britney Spears was reported to earn $50million a year from her fragrance ranges.
But not everyone is here for it. The news that Brad Pitt is to launch a skincare line, the eye-wateringly expensive Le Domaine, is the final straw for a group of beauty insiders.
In an open letter to the Hollywood star, six entrepreneurs have accused Pitt and other celebrities of exploiting their fame to make money from, they believe, substandard, unoriginal or unnecessary products that undermine the beauty industry.