Chances are you’ve seen your favorite celebrities make waves in places beyond the stage and movie screen. Hollywood’s most talented don’t just act, sing and dance — many run their own business empires, too.
Take, for instance, Selena Gomez and her massive makeup and bodycare dynasty, Rare Beauty. The singer started selling cosmetics in 2020, and as of this August has ventured into the world of fragrance with the highly-anticipated release of the brand’s new scent, Rare Eau de Parfum. Her passion for mental health awareness and philanthropy has been shining through since its inception with the launch of the Rare Impact Fund.
More big names are continuing to grow their booming and inspiring powerhouses. Kim Kardashian’s Skims shows no signs of stopping with its confidence-boosting shapewear, which now includes jaw-sculpting pieces.
From Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs, which has been prioritizing clean, nourishing skincare ingredients since its revamp in 2022, to Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, which has remained committed to keeping inclusivity at the forefront since 2017, read about the celebrity-founded companies that are cashing in and inspiring Us this year:
Selena Gomez Is ‘Very Grateful’ to Become a Billionaire Makeup Mogul
From the Block to the Boardroom: JLo Beauty, $75 Million
Sure, she’s an actress, a singer and a dancer — but Jennifer Lopez is also a total boss in the beauty biz. In 2023, JLo Beauty, the skincare line she launched just two years earlier, raked in a healthy $75 million. The brand’s tagline, “Beauty has no expiration date,” isn’t simply a slick slogan — it’s a personal mission. “To me, ageless isn’t just a mindset; you can feel youthful at any age and feel great,” explained Lopez, 56. Her glow-up philosophy runs deeper than just good lighting. “Your skin is something that you have to show up with every single day,” she recently shared on the brand’s Instagram, responding to feedback that the products are pricey. “So, if there is a little bit of splurge in you, I would say do it on skincare.” Because if there’s anyone who proves that self-care can be a power move, it’s J.Lo.
Words of Wisdom: “If you have a dream and you believe in something that you think people will respond to, follow that dream and build that thing. If it’s in your heart, then that’s the best investment you can make.”
Eyes on the Prize: r.e.m. beauty, $84 million
She may be petite in stature, but Ariana Grande is big in the beauty world. The Wicked star, 32, launched her own cosmetics line, r.e.m. beauty, in 2021 with a range of vegan, cruelty-free products designed to inspire creativity and self-expression. While the brand takes its name from a track on her 2018 album Sweetener, Grande revealed there’s a deeper meaning behind it. “I chose r.e.m. because of rapid eye movement,” she explained. “It’s a dream state, and I wanted the whole thing to feel very ethereal. I also wanted the brand to focus on our eyes because they’re our main storytellers. It was all very thoughtful — not just a song that I also love.” From shimmering shadows to her signature cat-eye liners, r.e.m. beauty reflects the pop star’s love of fantasy, transformation and high-impact glam. The line has expanded to include complexion products and lip care, all while maintaining its futuristic, dreamlike aesthetic. Grande’s goal? To help fans feel seen — and beautiful — whether they’re on stage, on screen or simply in their own skin.
Words of Wisdom: “Regardless of what business you’re involved in, or what industry you work in, taking care of yourself is a fulltime job.”
Hailey Bieber: Kim Kardashian Gave Me ‘Good Pieces of Advice’ for Rhode
The Haus That Gaga Built: Haus Labs, $141.7 million
“They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder — but at Haus Labs, beauty is how you see yourself,” Lady Gaga declared when she launched her cosmetics line in 2019. “Things that I might think are beautiful, someone else will see and think they’re extremely grotesque and odd or absurd,” she added. “And I’ve been called all those things throughout my career.” But guess who’s getting the last laugh? Since its rebrand in 2022, Haus Labs has been thriving. Once sold exclusively on Amazon, the brand made a move to Sephora, ushering in a new era that included upgraded formulations. “We removed more than 2,600 bad ingredients for your skin,” Gaga, 39, said. The vegan and cruelty-free line now features skincare-forward ingredients like fermented arnica and plant-derived squalane. “For me, beauty is not just about the way makeup looks, or how it makes you look. It’s the artistry of how it’s created,” she’s noted. And with Gaga at the helm, that artistry is as bold, inclusive and original as she is.
Words of Wisdom: “I promise you, if you put your mind to it, you work hard, you never give up and you do not listen to the rejection, you can achieve anything that life throws your way.”
Marvel at Her Moisturizer: The Outset, $153 million
Adult acne is what motivated Scarlett Johansson to launch The Outset, her vegan, eco-friendly skincare brand, in 2022. The Marvel megastar, 40, describes it as “the white T-shirt of skincare” — simple, versatile and meant to play well with other products. “It’s not about resurfacing or reinventing your skin,” she’s said. “It’s about preserving what you’ve got for the long haul.” That mission came from a very personal place. “The Outset came out of my own frustration,” she added. “I wanted a clean, no-fuss line of everyday essentials. I had acne well into adulthood — and then the wrinkles showed up too. At one point, I was like, ‘Great, I’ve got both?’ I was totally overwhelmed. If you’ve ever dealt with breakouts, you know how much they mess with your confidence. For me, it just cast a shadow over the whole day.”
Words of Wisdom: “With every gain, there’s a loss, and with every loss, there’s a gain.”
One Shade Does Not Fit All: Fenty Beauty, $582 million
With “Beauty for All” as its tagline from day one, inclusivity has always been at the heart of Rihanna’s cosmetics empire. When the award-winning artist launched the brand in 2017, she made an instant splash with the now-iconic Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation — debuting in a groundbreaking 40 shades (now expanded to 50). At the time, it was a bold and much-needed statement in an industry still grappling with the lack of diversity in shade ranges. Since then, Rihanna, 37, has continued to shake up the status quo, expanding her operation with Fenty Skin in 2020 and, most recently, Fenty Hair in 2024. True to form, the brand keeps pushing the needle forward — not just with innovative products, but with campaigns that spotlight beauty in all of its forms, featuring models of every size, skin tone and background. Inclusivity isn’t a trend for Fenty — it’s the standard.
Words of Wisdom: “I pray a lot. A lot. And I try to just look at every situation like there’s some reason behind it. Even if I can’t feel it in that moment, I just thank God anyway, because I know that there’s something better coming, and he’s doing it for my good.”
Rare Beauty, Real Impact: Rare Beauty, $600 million
When Selena Gomez launched her cosmetics line in 2020 — which has since expanded into bodycare and, most recently, its first fragrance, Rare Eau de Parfum — it wasn’t to suggest people needed to enhance their appearance. In fact, it was quite the opposite. “I didn’t want anyone to feel like they need it,” she said. A longtime advocate for body positivity, Gomez, 33, explained that she aimed to “create a whole lane in the makeup world that was also centered around mental health.” That mission has clearly resonated — especially with Gen Z, who often view makeup as a form of self-expression and a tool to celebrate individuality. It’s that sense of authenticity that lies at the heart of Gomez’s brand. “The name Rare took a while to get, but I knew it had to be called that,” she explained, “because I believe that each and every one of us is rare.”
Word of Wisdom: “There’s power deep down inside yourself, and you can find it when you don’t give up on yourself and when you can be vulnerable and ask for help.”
Shaping the Future: Skims, $70 million
From the internet-breaking Nipple Push-Up Bra to the sold-out-in-a-day Ultimate Face Wrap, Kim Kardashian’s Skims has gone from viral buzz to full-blown business juggernaut. But beneath the headline-grabbing products lies a deeply personal mission. “I always loved shapewear,” Kardashian, 44, has said. “But… I couldn’t find shapewear that would be my skin tone.” After years of cutting, dyeing and Frankensteining her own to fit her curves and complexion, she decided to do something about it. In 2019, she launched Skims with a mission to be radically inclusive across sizes, skin tones and ages. That hands-on hustle, paired with a sharp eye for what sells, has turned Skims into a cultural and economic force, reshaping the industry one buzzworthy drop at a time.
Words of Wisdom: “You absolutely do not want to be in business with people you don’t want to spend holidays with or people you don’t like.”
*Dollar amounts are approximate revenue for 2023 and based off of a study conducted by Arka
