There seems to be an unspoken rite of passage in modern times between becoming a celebrity or even an influencer and starting a business of sorts. As these public figures grow a large fanbase, it is logical to assume that their team urges said celebrities to begin their own business, due to the fact that they will have consumers from day one and can easily gain profit. What I believe celebrities and their teams fail to consider, however, is that products produced by a celebrity that are clearly promoted to be a “cash grab” or are an item that makes no sense for said celebrity to be the face of, such as Blake Lively’s Blake Brown launch, will not sell as expected. I believe that the most important factor as to whether a celebrity brand will fail or succeed is the authenticity of the product.
To begin, let’s look at the example of a celebrity business that has succeeded wonderfully: Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez. Rare Beauty is a popular celebrity beauty brand that has successfully earned its current valuation (2024) of over $2 billion. Determined to empower everybody to feel beautiful and “rare,” Rare Beauty’s mission statement says, “We are on a mission to help everyone celebrate their individuality by redefining what beautiful means. Our vision is to create a safe, welcoming space in beauty — and beyond — that supports mental well-being across age, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, cultural background, physical or mental ability and perspective.” To further prove their true commitment to bettering the world, Rare Beauty even donates 1% of their sales to mental health services globally. Built on a foundation of self-acceptance, positivity and community, it is easy to see that this makeup brand is not just a cash-grab, but truly making a difference for its consumers daily.
Now, let’s compare this to the brand that I introduced previously: Lively’s Blake Brown Launch. To begin by looking statistically at this company, when it was first launched, the projected sales were stated to be $100 million, but as of May 2025, this projected value drastically decreased to $15 million. The major issue that this brand faced was that instead of focusing on the products themselves, it appeared to be another way to spotlight Lively. While this celebrity spotlight initially brought in sales due to the face associated with the product, it unfortunately did not keep its consumers wanting more. The products appeared to be a side character in the plot of marketing, with the true promotion alluding to be Lively herself.
Celebrity brands that are built on the authenticity of the products themselves are clearly astronomically successful, so why is it that not all celebrities create a product that they are truly passionate about? After all, upon doing minimal research and cross-comparison between brands, it is easy to see that passion is the secret behind success. The issue that I believe is present when celebrities release unthought-out brands is a desperate cry for relevance. Instead of taking time to perform research, connect to and build passion behind the product, the majority of these celebrity brands are quickly tossed together in an attempt to stay afloat.
Overall, celebrity brands can either be an immense success or another brief 15 minutes of fame for their endorser. The true indication of whether the business itself will succeed beyond its initial release boils down to authenticity. If a celebrity, stepping into the role of a producer, can not truly connect and advocate for its consumers, the business that follows will only run as long as word of mouth allows it to. The creation of a business always has the potential to succeed, but even if your name is already on headlines, authenticity has to be present to make the sales match their expected projections.
Emily Mitton, FCRH ‘29, is a journalism major from Lisbon, New Hampshire.
