Fenty Beauty LLC (stylized asFEИTY BEAUTY) is acosmetics brand ofRihanna andLVMH, launched on September 8, 2017. Popular for its broad inclusivity across various skin tones, its Pro Filt'Rfoundation became in high-demand upon its first release.
In June 2014, Rihanna trademarked her surname, Fenty, for use on various and more products, leading to speculation that she would begin working on endeavors other than her music.[1] Fenty Beauty was among these new trademarks.[2][3]
Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty in 2017, when she was 29 years old.[4] Previously, she had collaborated withMAC Cosmetics,[5][6] as well as released 10 fragrances via Parlux Ltd,[7][8][9] but Fenty Beauty was her first solo cosmetics brand.[10] She developed the line with luxury conglomerateLouis Vuitton Moët Hennessey (LVMH), signing a deal in 2016, to produce Fenty Beauty through LVMH's Kendo division.[7] Kendo Holdings, Inc is an "incubator" company that manufactures cosmetics aswhite-label products[11] for sale through cosmetics retailerSephora, another LVMH subsidiary, as well as other outlets.[7]Women's Wear Daily reported that LVMH may have paid $10 million (USD) for the agreement, which followed Kendo deals to produceMarc Jacobs Beauty andKat Von D Beauty lines.[7]
Rihanna created Fenty Beauty to provide an inclusive range for all skin tones, including extensive shade offerings for people with deeper skin tones, thus adding items to fill the void of products that performed across all skin tones and types.[12]
In the UK, Fenty Beauty was initially exclusive toHarvey Nichols department stores.
Fenty Beauty's first products went on sale on September 8, 2017.[13] The launch coincided with Rihanna's collaboration withPuma duringNew York Fashion Week. In theUnited States, the line launched in Sephora stores, on the Sephora website, and on Fenty Beauty's website. In theUnited Kingdom, Fenty Beauty was exclusive toHarvey Nichols department stores[14] until May 2019, where the line would also become available in the high streetchemistBoots UK.[15] Currently, Fenty Beauty is available in 17 countries.[16][17][18]
Fenty Beauty products have drawn universal acclaim for the range of shades offered,[19][20][21][22][23] particularly for the inclusion of darker shades for its Pro Filt'Rfoundation,[24] addressing a long-criticized gap in cosmetic industry offerings for black women and other women of color. Many brands soon followed Fenty's example after their initial release and added more inclusive shades to their own collections.[25][26] Subsequent launches of new products and lines have been widely criticized for their lack of inclusive shades and overall failure to meet the new standards set by Fenty Beauty, such asKim Kardashian's line KKW Beauty,[27][28]Tarte's Shape Tape Foundation,[25] andBenefit's Hello Happy Foundation.[29]
Rihanna in a promotional campaign for Fenty in 2018
On November 23, 2017, the first Stunna Lip Paint, a red long-wearliquid lipstick, was released, drawing broad enthusiasm.[30][31][32][33][34] Reviewing the product atBuzzFeed News, Leticia Miranda noted the history of controversy around red lipstick for women of color, stating the context made the choice of color for Stunna "assertive, confrontational, unapologetic".[35] Following the release of the original red Stunna Lip Paint, Fenty Beauty released four more lip paints in baby pink, peach nude, chocolate brown, and black.[36]
On March 23, 2018, the brand launched a limited-editionhighlighter called, "Dirty Thirty", forRihanna's 30th birthday.[37] Taken from the line's popular Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter "Trophy Wife" (metallic gold),[38] "Dirty Thirty" was packaged with XXX (the Roman numerals for 30) instead of the brand's FB logo.[39]
On April 6, 2018, Fenty Beauty released three products in its Beach, Please collection. Fenty Beauty's first body product "Body Lava", a liquid product that could be buffed into any part of the body for illumination.[40] To apply the Body Lava, the Kabuki Brush is available for purchase separately. Meanwhile, the Fairy Bomb Glittering Pom Pom is both applicator and product: the vanilla-coconut scented pom pom was packed with rose gold glitter designed to fit all skin tones.[41] Shortly after the luminizer products were released, Fenty Beauty launched in Saudi Arabia.[42]
On October 4, 2018, Fenty Beauty launched their winter collection "ChillOwt",[43] which included a variety of winter-themed and cool-toned products. This collection included the Killawatt Foil Palette[44] (highlighter palette with seven metallic shades),[45] "Snow Daze" and "Snow Nights" (two lipstick sets), and sets of crayons for lip and eye and "Avalanche Powders" (loose pigmented powder).[43]
On January 11, 2019, Fenty Beauty launched Pro Filt’r Instant RetouchConcealer in 50 shades.[46] Additionally, the Pro Filt’r Foundation added 10 new shades,[47] with the concealer and foundation shades corresponding with the same number. The Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Setting Powder (setting powder product) was also released in eight translucent shades, as well as a series of beauty tools, including Powder Puff Setting Brush 170, Precision Concealer Brush 180, and Lil Precision Makeup Sponge Duo 105.[48]
In 2023, Fenty Beauty provided experiences withinRoblox, including user-creation of their own Fenty products.[52] On October 1, 2023, Fenty Beauty began being sold at Ulta Beauty inside Target stores.[53] On April 1, 2024, Rihanna announced that Fenty Beauty would be launching in mainland China.[54]
In 2025, Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin have announced a partnership with the WNBA team New York Liberty, marking their first official team sponsorship. The collaboration includes branding on team apparel and in-arena activations, aligning with both parties' commitments to diversity, empowerment, and community engagement.[55][56]
The initial products released by Fenty Beauty were seen as reasonably priced (compared to other prestige brands)[57][58] and accessible to a broad range of consumers,[59] following Rihanna's approach to her fragrance releases.
Rihanna in a promotional video for Fenty Beauty in 2018
In the brand's first month, Fenty Beauty recorded $72.0 million in earned media value,[60] ahead of other high-profile brands includingKylie Cosmetics,Benefit,Urban Decay, KKW Beauty and,NYX.[4] Also in the brand's first month, Fenty Beauty-related content received 132 million views onYouTube.[61]
In February 2018, Fenty Beauty released an ad featuring rapperSaweetie that showed a group of women getting ready to attend theSuper Bowl.[62] The spot drew enthusiasm for its send-up of the award-winning 1990sBudweiser ad campaign "Whassup" (in which a group of men acknowledged one another only by repeating an intoxicatedly slurred "What's up?" over and over), but the Fenty version also attracted some criticism as the women greeted each other in "Whassup"-style drawl with the word "bitch".[63]
Rihanna performed at the 2023Super Bowl Halftime Show where she featured Fenty Beauty to touch up her makeup.[64] The feature reportedly earned the brand $5.6 million within 12 hours.[65]
As with the product line, Fenty Beauty also drew international acclaim for diversity in its advertising campaign, which prominently featured numerous Black models and other models of color.[58] Faces of the initial Fenty Beauty campaign includedSlick Woods,Halima Aden,Leomie Anderson, Indyamarie Jean,Paloma Elsesser,Selena Forrest, Camila Costa, andDuckie Thot.[66] Soon after Rihanna released the line, other brands such asMake Up For Ever andL'Oréal started ad campaigns aimed at women of color.[67]
Fenty Beauty has embraced makeup use across gender lines,[68] producing an ad in March 2018, called "My Fenty, My Mood", in whichInstagram star and comedian Kway plays his comic character Titi promoting the brand.[69][70] Also in March 2018,Daniel Kaluuya, nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actor for his starring role inGet Out, appeared on the Oscar red carpet wearing Fenty Beauty's Pro Filt'R Foundation (specifically, shades 480 and 490).[71]Time magazine described him as looking "luminous";[72] in the UK edition ofThe Huffington Post, Patricia Ekall said his "dewy glow brought the "no-makeup-makeup look" to another level."[73] Several outlets noted men's use of makeup was "not unusual", but said the news nevertheless "pleasantly surprised" fans.[73][74]
Rihanna has drawn some criticism for failing to casttransgender models in Fenty Beauty campaigns.[70] In response, she invoked a desire to avoidtokenism and respect privacy, stating:
"...worked with many gifted trans women throughout the years. However, I don't go around doing trans castings! Just like I don't do straight non-trans women castings! I respect all women, and whether they're trans or not is none of my business! It's personal and some trans women are more comfortable being open about it than others so I have to respect that as a woman myself! I don't think it's fair that a trans woman, or man, be used as a convenient marketing tool!"[75]
Fenty Beauty made a sponsored post onInstagram with transgender modelRose Montoya.[76] They later partnered with transgender model and social media influencerEmira D'Spain.[77]
Within one month of release, Fenty Beauty's sales were valued at $72 million,[78] and sold-out products were widely reported, with darker shades of foundation particularly in demand (shoppers noted even testers were often gone from stores).[79] In the UK, the line becameHarvey Nichols's biggest beauty launch ever (passing previous leaderMAC Cosmetics): in September the department stores sold one Fenty Beauty foundation every minute and one lipstick every three minutes.[78] The launch also helped raise LVMH's cosmetic and perfume sales for the third quarter of 2017 by 17%.[80]
According to LVMH executiveBernard Arnault, Fenty Beauty's sales reached almost 500 million euros ($573 million) by the end of 2018.[81][82]Forbes reported that following 15 months of operation, in 2018, Fenty Beauty accumulated US$570 million in revenue.[83] The entire operation is worth US$2.8 billion, of which 50% belongs to its CEO, Rihanna.[84]
Fenty Beauty was named toTime magazine's list of the 25 best inventions of 2017.Time cited Fenty Beauty's 40-shade range of foundations that quickly sold out.[67]
Fenty Beauty also won theWWD Beauty Inc. award in 2017 for launch of the year in the prestige sector.[35]
In 2018, Fenty Beauty also won WWD beauty Digital innovator of the year.[85]
^Conti, Samantha; Naughton, Julie (February 20, 2013)."MAC Joins Forces With Rihanna".Women's Wear Daily.Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. RetrievedMarch 28, 2018.
^"Fenty Beauty by Rihanna llega a España" [Fenty Beauty by Rihanna arrives in Spain].Elle (Es) (in European Spanish). September 8, 2017.Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. RetrievedMarch 26, 2018.
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