If every celebrity, athlete and A-list influencer seems to have their own line of something these days, you're probably not imagining things.
Unlike endorsements, which take up less of a high-profile person's time but may also lend itself to less profit, full-on product-line launches are now firmly in vogue.
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That's because owned product lines tend to be far more profitable since a person can own the end-to-end process. It also means they have more creative license to do and change what they want and to promote the product as they see fit.
Of course, owned product lines also tend to be far more work-intensive than simply filming a 20-second commercial.
Luckily for most celebrities and A-listers, entire teams of marketers, product specialists, chemists, PR executives and other specialists don't tend to be too far away. And celebrities often are pitched the ideas for their product launches before they themselves may even think of what might work.
Here are some of the best-loved celebrity product lines, owned entirely or partly by actors, models, athletes and other high profile folks:
- George Clooney: Casamigos tequila (he co-founded it and later sold it to Diageo for $1 billion)
- Ryan Reynolds: Mint Mobile, Aviation Gin
- Kylie Jenner: Kylie Cosmetics, Sprinter Sparkling Soda
- Lady Gaga: Haus Labs makeup
- Selena Gomez: Rare Beauty
- Kim Kardashian: SKKN makeup, Skims shapewear
- Khloe Kardashian: Good American denim
- Jessica Alba: Honey Co.
- Drew Barrymore: Flower cosmetics
- Jennifer Lopez: JLo Beauty
If there seems to be a recurring theme here, that's because there is. Most of the best-known — and potentially most lucrative — celebrity businesses these days are in the cosmetics field. It's a booming business, with the U.S. industry valued at $374.2 billion in 2023.
Serena Williams launches beauty company
Cosmetics seems like one of the perfect markets to be in for celebrities and high-profile A-listers. All those appearances, interviews and red-carpet walks mean a lot of time in the hair and makeup chair. And if you enjoy paying attention to that kind of thing, you typically absorb a lot of the insider tricks and tips.
Since it's such a booming business with wide profit margins and rapid turnover (people are almost always willing to try new products), it's also not a hard business to break into if you know the right people.
The tennis star and Olympic gold medalist Serena Williams is the latest entrant into the space, introducing her Wyn Beauty cosmetics line.
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Williams, who recently told Vogue she was "evolving away” from tennis, unveiled the initial 10 items in her Wyn Beauty line as a preview on April 3.
The initial product launch includes:
- Word of Mouth Max Comfort Matte Lipstick, available in 10 colors
- MVP: Most Versatile Pigment Multifunction Lip & Cheek Color, available in 8 colors
- Say Everything Max Intensity Featherweight Lipstick, available in 10 colors
- Big Vision Lengthening & Defining Tubing Mascara
- No Words Needed Lip Serum
- Taking Shape Brow Shading Pencil, available in 3 colors
- Nothing To See Soft Matte Creamy Concealer, available in 20 colors
- Guideline Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner
- Glideline Longwear Eye Pencil
- Featuring You Hydrating Skin Enhancing Tint SPF 30, available in 36 colors
Each product is in familiar neon tennis-ball-colored packaging and features a wide range of shade-inclusive face and lip products for people of all skin colors.
"When I would travel to places 20 years ago before 40 shades of foundation existed, I had to be the biggest advocate for my makeup," Williams explained.
"I couldn’t rely on makeup artists to have my color, and I had to learn how to do my own makeup. I never found a skin tint that I truly loved and actually worked, so I knew I needed to create something."
Williams said she had been working on the line for more than five years, and after retiring from tennis in 2022 she was able to fully devote herself to its production.
"I felt like we have to include some … and I thought the tennis-ball green packaging, which we call our Wyn chartreuse, made sense and is authentic to my story. [The color] represents a lot of energy to me when you’re holding it in your hands. It means a lot to me because I will always love tennis.”
The line will be available for purchase online and in stores — including at beauty super-retailer Ulta (ULTA) — beginning April 7.
