Rare Beauty

Rare Beauty is an American cosmetics company founded by the singer and actress Selena Gomez. It launched publicly on September 3, 2020, and takes its name from Gomez's third studio album, Rare [6]. The brand sells makeup alongside smaller fragrance and body lines, and it built the mission of mental health and self-acceptance into its identity rather than treating it as an afterthought.

Headquartered in El Segundo, California, the company remains privately held and is owned by Gomez herself. Within a few years of launch it had grown into one of the best-selling brands at Sephora, and by 2024 it crossed US$400 million in net sales for the twelve months ending that February [6]. It reaches customers through its own website and through Sephora and Ulta Beauty across North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Gomez developed the line for roughly two years before it reached the public, saying in the launch announcement that she had assembled "the right partners and the right team." The company traces two dates: it was legally incorporated on February 22, 2019, while its public launch and brand-facing founding are recorded as September 3, 2020 [6]. Wikipedia's infobox and general coverage treat the 2020 launch as the founding year, with the 2019 incorporation noted as a corporate milestone.

The name comes directly from Gomez's 2020 album Rare, and the founding idea was personal. Gomez described her main purpose as breaking down "the unrealistic standards of beauty we see in society today," framing the brand around how people see themselves rather than how others see them. Her stated tagline captures the tone: "Being rare is about being comfortable with yourself."

According to the company, Rare Beauty is "breaking down unrealistic standards of perfection," making products meant to help people embrace what makes them unique instead of hiding it. The brand summarises its mission as helping everyone "celebrate their individuality by redefining what beautiful means," and lists values including a belief in the beauty of imperfections, championing authenticity, and leading with transparency.

That positioning has translated into a specific audience. In 2025, Marketing Dive reported that Rare Beauty ranked as the second most-popular beauty brand among teens according to Piper Sandler data, behind E.l.f. Cosmetics [9]. The company grew largely through influencer-first, community-driven marketing rather than traditional paid media; its chief marketing officer, Katie Welch, described community as "a long-term commitment," not a one-off campaign.

Rare Beauty's original 2020 lineup included 48 foundation shades, matte lip creams, eyebrow definers, liquid blush, and lip balms. Its clearest breakout is the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, a highly pigmented, buildable formula that the company markets as an "award-winning bestseller that's sold every four seconds." The product went viral on TikTok in 2022 and, by one account, moved 3.1 million units for roughly US$70 million in revenue that year [7]. The hashtag #rarebeautyblush has drawn close to 50 million views, and a Get the Gloss review judged the blush to outperform established rivals such as Glossier Cloud Paint and NARS Liquid Blush in wearability [8].

The range widened over time. In December 2023 the company introduced The Find Comfort Body Collection — a body lotion, hand cream, a body and hair fragrance mist, and an aromatherapy pen — and it also sells a fragrance, Rare Eau de Parfum. Other products include the True to Myself Natural Matte Longwear Foundation and the Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer.

A distinctive strand of the brand's product work is accessibility. Through its "Made Accessible" initiative, Rare Beauty partnered with the Casa Colina Research Institute to study features that make packaging easier to use for people with dexterity limitations, resulting in matte finishes for firmer grip, spherical caps, and single-handed opening on several items. The company says it intends to share the research across the industry to help set wider accessibility standards.

The company states its products are cruelty-free and vegan, certified through PETA's Beauty Without Bunnies program, and formulated without ingredients such as parabens, formaldehyde, phthalates, and oxybenzone. It says it follows European Union cosmetic standards, "which means we ban more than 1,600 chemicals." Rare Beauty describes its outer packaging as "100% recyclable boxes" made from FSC-certified materials and printed with water-based ink, with a corn-based, compostable protective foam, and it stated a plan to introduce post-consumer recycled materials into packaging from late 2021.

Social impact is a formal part of the business through the Rare Impact Fund, to which the company directs one percent of annual sales. Gomez created the fund to expand young people's access to mental health resources and committed to raising US$100 million over ten years [6]. In its first year the affiliated non-profit gave US$1.2 million in grants to eight mental health and education organisations, including the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.

Rare Beauty received the WWD Beauty Inc Award for Startup of the Year in 2020, a Webby Award for Best Social Brand Presence in 2024, and a place on Time's list of the 100 most influential companies of 2024 [6]. Business and trade press have followed its rapid commercial rise, and by 2024 the brand was widely reported as valued at over US$2 billion [7]; a 2025 figure attributed to Fashion magazine put the valuation above US$2.7 billion [6]. Both are outside estimates from different reporting periods, and the company has remained private with no confirmed sale.

Rare Beauty is active and expanding. Its products became available at Ulta Beauty on February 1, 2026, and Gomez attended a Rare Beauty event in West Hollywood that year marking the launch of a new matte foundation [6]. Gomez has publicly stated she has no plans to sell the company, describing it at the 2024 Time100 Summit as her "pride and joy" and saying, "I don't think I'm going anywhere" [7].