Do we really need more celebrity-run beauty brands?
It is no secret that Jennifer Lawrence is a fan of the Kardashian clan. From frequently mentioning them in interviews to forming a bond with Kris Jenner, and most recently naming Khloe Kardashian as her favorite, Lawrence has made numerous headlines invoking the reality television stars.
And while many of us enjoy the occasional dip into the witless world of Kardashian affairs, Lawrence is taking it a step further by following in the footsteps of the family’s youngest, Kylie Jenner.
Almost 11 years after Jenner launched her lip kit line that landed her on the cover of Forbes magazine—as well as a highly contentious candidacy for the world’s youngest “self-made” billionaire—Lawrence is launching a beauty empire of her own.
The haircare brand Mes Beauty was announced via Instagram this October to mixed online reactions.
Preempting the criticism
About a month prior to launching Mes Beauty, the internet was rabid with enthusiasm as Lawrence joined Instagram for the first time. Her first post announcing her arrival and humorously threatening to quit upon receiving any negativity went immediately viral, with many fans and celebrities rushing to welcome her in the comment section.
Why she decided to join Instagram after opting out of a public account for years did not remain a mystery for long. Instagram, after all, is the most effective platform to launch a beauty brand.
Mes Beauty made its debut on Oct. 27. And while a few of the announcement’s top comments expressed excitement for the brand, as Lawrence anticipated, her comment section indicated that many fans were unhappy with the turn of events. Some even alluded to the movie star’s regression from her radical character in “The Hunger Games” to her newest venture into the beauty industry.
Lawrence must’ve known that fans would have mixed feelings about Mes Beauty, as the oversaturation of celebrity beauty brands has led to growing fatigue. She is also presumably aware of the precarity of today’s political climate; millions of her potential consumers struggle to pay their bills, and the frivolity of a beauty brand becomes increasingly apparent amid multiple Israel-aligned military operations.
For a celebrity to launch a beauty brand, now, is for them to behave as if the events of the past few years have not transpired. To leverage one’s social capital for this purpose, at this point in history, is to profit off people’s desire to look away.
The problem with celebrity beauty brands
In the past 10 years, we’ve seen an exponential growth in the celebrity beauty industry. But a lot has changed since Kylie Cosmetics became a billion-dollar company.
While many celebrity beauty brands followed—such as Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty, Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty, and Hailey Bieber’s Rhode—many are also no longer in business. Kim Kardashian’s SKKN by Kim, for example, launched in 2022 and shut down only three years later.
Among the other celebrities-turned-entrepreneurs who have shut down their beauty brands are beloved A-listers like Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johansson, Kate Moss, and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, proving that a brand needs more than a Hollywood name to succeed.
A heightened criticality
This points to a larger trend that originated from cancel culture, where fans rally online to de-platform celebrities engaged in problematic behavior. And while for some, the term “cancel culture” evokes a pitchfork-bearing hypersensitivity, its dissidents are mere sympathizers.
Cancel culture is criticized for its seeming ruthlessness, but at its core is something valuable: the reminder of who truly holds power. As celebrity beauty brands have proven, the ultimate authority on worthwhile products belongs to the consumers themselves, not the face plastered on the packaging.
One can enjoy celebrity beauty brands while still being critical of the consumer habits they engender. Recently, Hailey Bieber came under fire for claiming not to care for overconsumption while selling five variations of her incredulous lip cases and strategically dropping limited editions.
Our favorite singers and movie stars are often responsible for art that has moved us and changed our lives for the better, and therefore have immense persuasive power. But at the end of the day, it is the everyday individual who feeds the machine.
As celebrities continue to profit from their platforms, it’s critical to evaluate what is truly worth our money. And to consider as well the disparity that is buttressed by a blind commercial adherence to mere wealth and fame.
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