It’s no secret that the beauty industry has become a celebrity takeover, but how are these celebrity-founded brands standing out from big-name behemoths like MAC and L’Oreal?
From acting to singing, Selena Gomez is known for many things; now, she’s also added makeup to the list with Rare Beauty.
Launched in 2020, her brand blew past expectations in terms of initial sales, despite the timing (ahem, the peak of the pandemic). How did this happen? Sure, the products are great, but what really made it take off is the brand’s authenticity, its focus on mental health and inclusivity, and how it leaned into user-generated content in such a smart way. What’s the big takeaway from Rare Beauty’s triumph?
Fame alone ≠ automatic success.
Audiences were skeptical about Selena’s entry into the cosmetic industry, and even still continued to doubt it after its 2020 launch. People were tired of the market flooding with musicians and influencers, and celebrity brands had become conducive with being inauthentic and lacking passion (especially given that Selena wasn’t known for any makeup expertise).
With all of the uncertainty and chaos brought on by COVID, Selena needed a marketing plan that stood out. It had to be something built on storytelling that really clicked with people online. And she did just that.
Rare Beauty Learns To Speak Gen Z
Just like every other beauty brand, Rare Beauty needed to figure out what their core values were and who they were targeting. Turns out, the values that the brand wanted to aspire to aligned perfectly with the values and morals of the typical Gen Zer.
Beyond Aesthetics: What Drives Gen Z Today
Before we dive into Rare Beauty’s mission and goals, let’s look at what’s important to Gen Z. Gen Z heavily advocates for diversity and inclusivity, considering the generation is more racially and ethnically diverse than previous generations.
From racial and cultural representation to gender inclusivity, Gen Z grew up with diversity. They were raised through social media, global movements, and activism, which made them, as a generation, vocal and bold. Unlike other generations, Gen Z speaks up about certain topics that others could find uncomfortable, like mental health, fairness, and social justice, and they take it a step further: they expect brands to be equally as fearless and inclusive.
And this is why Rare Beauty fascinated Gen Z. The brand was transparent, vocal, authentic, and diverse. Basically everything a Gen Z audience could wish for in a brand.
How Rare Beauty Does Diversity & Inclusion Right
Every brand can say that they’re diverse and inclusive, but similarly to greenwashing, diversity and inclusion have become part of the standard advertising noise; but Rare Beauty provided receipts. They created 48 different shades for their concealer and foundation, and they did it right, unlike some brands. The brand made sure that its products complemented every skin color.
Selena also incorporated easy-to-use, accessibility-conscious packaging, directly influenced by her experiences and struggles with lupus.
Rare Beauty also chooses authenticity over aesthetic when it comes to their social media. They make sure that their feeds feature models and influencers of all ethnicities, genders, and body types. They prioritize customer feedback through comments and DMs, and take action when needed. All of these activities keep them true to their core values (something that Gen Z takes kindly to).
On top of their products and social media, they make sure to put the message of diversity and inclusion in their campaigns. “Every Side Of You” celebrated inclusivity and authenticity, with a diverse cast, and a vulnerable script including lines like, “To the you that holds everybody up, and the you that needs to be held.”
When businesses and brands went quiet during the Black Lives Matter Movement or posted a singular (what felt like obligatory) post, Selena didn’t. As she does, she spoke up about an issue that most people stay away from for the sake of maintaining brand image. Rare Beauty posted multiple resources to support the movement and donated to The Bail Project and NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Efforts like these are what speak to Gen Z; and what make Rare Beauty’s target audience want to be involved with the brand.
The Power Of Gen Z & Social Media
When COVID-19 was taking over, so was TikTok. TikTok became a Gen Z phenomenon; from the way they got their information, to the way they expressed creativity, to the way they found new brands to support.
This made social media marketing an even heavier component for digital brand success; and Rare Beauty knew exactly how to use it.
Rare Beauty’s TikTok was diverse, but also well-balanced. They posted videos that clicked well with Gen Z, including GRWMs (Get Ready With Mes), product showcases, and influencer content with Selena at the forefront. It didn’t feel forced or “in your face”, but rather relatable and natural.
Let’s talk about their biggest viral moment: the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush. This trend showed one dot of the product turning into a flourishing blush that was seamless, natural, and radiant. The quality of the product was a hit, outperforming other highly known brand blush products like NARS, Kylie Cosmetics, and Rhode.
The product quickly gained TikTok virality, supported by a great deal of user-generated content, and was highly spoken about by many micro-influencers.
Rare Beauty’s lack of reliance on traditional macro-influencer marketing was yet another reason why Rare Beauty did so well and had high engagement rates. The brand didn’t rely on highly known influencers, but instead focused on partnering with smaller creators that had loyal audiences. The marketing made the brand more approachable and really drove home its focus on diversity.
How Mental Health Sets Selena Apart
At this point, we all know makeup brands have to be inclusive and authentic (one could say that that’s effectively the baseline). But what really matters now is how brands connect with people beyond spurting surface-level messages about inclusivity and authenticity. Selena focused on building a community. She brought people together through beauty and tied it to something deeper: mental health.
Selena Gomez is known for vocalizing the importance of mental health to younger audiences, opening up about her battle with depression and anxiety, all while battling lupus. She poured that expressiveness into her brand and really pushed the idea that it’s okay to talk about mental health.
It’s not a common pairing, but it makes sense. Makeup is all about feeling unique and accentuating your favorite features. Selena honed in on that, talking about her own personal experience with trying on her products, and the therapeutic feeling it gave her, without the pressure of filming.
When COVID hit, instead of holding off on their brand launch, they created Rare Chats to stay connected with their audience and community through Zoom calls. They realized that many of the younger consumers weren’t receiving the right mental health services, which was major news for the brand.
To further their messaging surrounding the importance of mental health, Selena and Rare Beauty created initiatives like the Rare Impact Fund, a non-profit organization that expands access to mental health services for people globally. One percent of Rare Beauty’s sales is also donated to the fund, helping their goal to raise $100M in 10 years.
This was how the brand connected with its community; and it read well with Gen Z.
Rare Beauty Comes Out On Top
The brand just “got it”. They knew and understood that Gen Z was their target audience. They knew how important social media, mental health, diversity, and authenticity are to Gen Z. With Selena Gomez at the head of the table and as the face of the brand, audiences fell in love with her vulnerability and transparency, which lured in consumer trust with Rare Beauty triumphing in the end.
