Selena Gomez Rare Beauty Redefines Success with Purpose That Performs
Selena Gomez has built a billion-dollar cosmetics brand anchored not just in celebrity power, but in empathy and a deeply personal mission. Launched in 2020, Rare Beauty is now valued at $2.7 billion and brings in over $400 million in annual revenue. One percent of all product sales directly supports the Rare Impact Fund, an initiative Gomez created alongside the line to broaden access to wellness services and youth resources.
“To me, makeup should be easy and something that people enjoy as long as I’m making good products and they have meaning behind it,” Gomez said during an onstage panel at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York yesterday (Sept. 17). “When I had the idea of starting the cosmetics brand, I was very nervous, but I also knew that I had a goal that was already going to happen because the Impact Fund was created before we even released a product.”
Gomez, who has been unusually open about her mental and physical health struggles, says on the Rare Impact Fund website, “I went a long time without the support I needed because I didn’t understand what I was feeling.” That experience shaped both the Rare Impact Fund’s outreach and Rare Beauty’s broader philosophy.
The company consciously pushes against an industry historically centered on “covering up who you are,” explained Elyse Cohen, Rare Beauty’s chief impact officer, who joined Gomez on stage. “At the root and the core of the business, impact and our mission is built into the DNA of the company,” Cohen said.
Gomez emphasized her goal to “create and have a brand that has meaning and represents a lot of different people.”
“It’s not about perfection, it’s not about trying to look like something else,” she added.
This philosophy extends directly to Rare Beauty’s products. For example, shades in its Soft Pinch Liquid Blush line carry names like Hope, Joy, Encourage, Believe and Worth, while the Kind Words lipstick collection features options such as Talented, Creative, Wise, Gifted, Strong and Worthy.
“I think that words are extremely powerful. I want names that encourage people,” Gomez said. “The moment you pick up a product, we want you to feel empowered.”
As the brand’s message has resonated, its footprint has scaled rapidly. Gomez recalled starting with just “five people in a conference room” before expanding to a global staff. Maintaining that culture through rapid growth relies on valuing the people building it. “I think good leadership for me begins with how I treat people,” she said, adding that disrespect in the workplace “does not fly for me.”
In February, Rare Beauty expanded into more than 1,500 Ulta Beauty stores, delivering the largest brand debut in the retailer’s history. The launch doubled as a philanthropic push: Ulta ran a checkout campaign benefiting both the Rare Impact Fund and the Ulta Beauty Charitable Foundation, which Cohen said raised over $2 million.
That trajectory places Rare Beauty alongside top celebrity-led empires like Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty and Hailey Bieber’s Rhode. Yet Gomez resists comparing her metrics to industry peers.
“I’m not a very competitive person. I’d be horrible at sports,” she joked. “But I genuinely believe there’s room for everyone.”
Today, the Impact Fund’s work extends beyond simple grant-making. Rare Beauty regularly hosts virtual discussions, community events, and an annual summit featuring professional advocates. Gomez singled out Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services, whose Teen Line connects youth with trained peer volunteers, as one of her most memorable partner encounters.
The foundation intentionally shares space with the makeup line on social media. Rather than maintaining a separate Instagram account, the Rare Impact Fund posts educational content directly on Rare Beauty’s primary social channels right alongside new product launches.
