At the age of 12, she used her mother's credit card to purchase a $29 Kylie Lip Kit in Candy K, which included a matte pink liquid lipstick and matching lip liner. Kylie Jenner's first makeup product sold out instantly in 2015, causing the website to crash, and propelling the youngest Kardashian-Jenner sibling to become a beauty mogul at just 18 years old. The Lip Kits became extremely popular, even making their way into the New York City bar and bat mitzvah scene, where emcees would throw the products into crowds of dancing tweens in bandage dresses. Five years in the future, the global beauty market is thriving, with celebrities promoting a wide range of products on social media, including lip gloss, face lotion, and even vibrators. New beauty lines are being released rapidly, such as Harry Styles’ Pleasing nail polish and Machine Gun Kelly’s UN/DN LAQR nail polish with paint splatter shades. Ariana Grande and Chiara Ferragni have also launched new makeup lines with unique themes. Billie Eilish and Addison Rae have introduced their own fragrances. Lori Harvey has launched her SKN by LH skin care line, and Demi Lovato has released the Demi Wand, an eight-speed vibrator made in collaboration with Bellesa, a website catering to female audiences. Hailey Bieber has announced that her Rhode Beauty line will be available for purchase next year, named after her middle name. The abundance of celebrity beauty and wellness products is beginning to seem like a parody. When the Alex Rodriguez concealer for men, a collaboration with Hims & Hers, was released in May and gained attention in celebrity news outlets like The Shade Room, many people initially thought it was a joke. Dua expressed skepticism towards celebrity beauty brands, a sentiment that is shared by many of her peers according to Hana Ben-Shabat, founder of research firm Gen Z Planet. Ben-Shabat's research shows that only 19% of Gen Zers are influenced by celebrities when making purchasing decisions, while 66% cited friends as the most influential. Stacey Berke, a 34-year-old addiction counsellor from Rochester, New York, mentioned how celebrities endorse their skincare products and deny using Botox, attributing their appearance to their own products. The traditional celebrity endorsement is no longer sufficient as people now require the assurance of expertise or genuine interest in the product being promoted. Lucie Greene, a trend forecaster and founder of Light Years consultancy, believes that the transactional nature of celebrity endorsements is becoming more apparent. It is important for consumers to be aware that celebrities often undergo cosmetic procedures to achieve their looks, making it difficult to trust their endorsements. Richard Gersten, an investor and the founder of True Beauty Ventures, mentioned that transitioning from making money by promoting other brands to creating something of one's own may not always be the right motivation for creating something. He also noted that his firm has been approached by at least 10 celebrity or influencer brands recently. Rachel ten Brink, a general partner of Red Bike Capital and founder of Scentbird, a fragrance subscription service, pointed out that in the past, the only way to experience a celebrity's world was through their perfume, but now fans have access to their food, fashion, opinions, and personal moments in real time, thanks to social media. This has redefined how the public interacts with celebrities. Following a celebrity on social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, or TikTok gives you a unique connection to them, according to ten Brink. In the early 2000s, many celebrities released their own fragrances, but Kylie Cosmetics introduced a new type of celebrity brand that focused on selling makeup or skincare products online. Jenner revolutionized the way brands were marketed and sold, moving away from traditional department store counters or Sephora. A single Instagram post from Jenner could generate millions in lipstick sales. Then, in 2017, Rihanna's Fenty Beauty changed the beauty industry by emphasizing inclusivity, diverse shade ranges, and discussions about race. In its initial year, the brand earned over $500 million in revenue, as reported by LVMH, the French luxury conglomerate and co-owner of Fenty Beauty. Goop, founded by Gwyneth Paltrow, has established itself as a lifestyle brand over the past ten years, selling skincare, supplements, bath salts, and athleisure. Many have tried to imitate these successful business models, but some industry experts, such as John Demsey, executive group president of the Estée Lauder Cos, remain skeptical of brands built around famous founders. He has collaborated with many celebrities, but he mentioned that there will not be a brand solely based on one celebrity. MAC, known for its collaborations with A-listers like Mary J Blige, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Mariah Carey, released a new Viva Glam lipstick without a celebrity for the first time in 27 years on Dec 1. Demsey explained that the decision felt right at this time, and they focused on the core essence of the product and brand. He emphasized that collaborations are temporary, while a brand is long-lasting. It is a common secret in the industry that most celebrity beauty brands are not successful. All the people interviewed for this article, including executives at large companies and high school students, were requested to identify one to three successful celebrity beauty brands other than Kylie Cosmetics, Fenty, and Goop. However, none of them were able to do so. Demsey stated that relying solely on influence is not sufficient, as is having millions of followers on Instagram or TikTok. In June, Vanessa Hudgens (with 43 million Instagram followers) and Madison Beer (with 29 million Instagram followers) launched Know Beauty, a skincare line that recommends a regimen based on a DNA test taken from a cheek swab. It had a flashy introduction but has not been very active since then, although its products are still available on its website. Know Beauty did not provide any comments on the company's operations. Lady Gaga's Haus Laboratories, which was launched with great excitement two years ago, did not resonate with her enthusiastic fan base. Recently, the brand hired a new executive team to concentrate on enhancing product innovation, ingredients, and packaging. The latest Casa Gaga collection is visually different from the original black packaging. Lipsticks, highlighters, blush, and other beauty products are now being packaged in white compacts and tubes with gold accents. Haus Laboratories has chosen not to provide a comment on their business. Other well-known failures include Tati Westbrook closing Tati Beauty in November and Rflct, a skin care brand by gamer Rachell Hofstetter, shutting down in October due to unproven anti-blue-light claims. It is not widely known that a few companies are responsible for developing many of the popular celebrity beauty brands we see today. These companies, known as "brand factories" or "incubators," specialize in creating multiple labels quickly. They are created in partnership with a celebrity or with the intention of collaborating with a celebrity in the future. For instance, Beach House Group developed Florence by Mills for Millie Bobby Brown, Moon oral care for Kendall Jenner, and Pattern hair care for Tracee Ellis Ross. Forma Brands, which owns Morphe, is responsible for Jaclyn Cosmetics and Grande's R E M Beauty. Maesa has created Flower Beauty for Drew Barrymore, Kristin Ess Hair, TPH by Taraji hair care for Taraji P Henson, and Hey Humans personal care line for Jada Pinkett Smith. According to experts, most product lines produced by brand factories are not meant to be long-lasting businesses, but Ross's Pattern seems to be successful and could outlast many of its competitors. Greg Portell, a partner at the Kearney consulting firm, explained that incubators are designed to produce results quickly rather than focus on brand building. Shaun Neff, founder of Beach House Group, mentioned that his team generates ideas for new companies and then partners with celebrities. Neff specifically mentioned Kendall Jenner as an example, highlighting her popularity and style as factors in her collaboration with their brands. The decline of celebrity brands is also influenced by shifting cultural values. Older customers may be more attracted to celebrities, but it is more difficult to attract young millennials and Gen Zers who value authenticity. Dua questioned the skincare knowledge of Brown, the 17-year-old star of "Stranger Things," whose skincare line was released when she was 15: "I don't really trust it because what expertise do they have?" Additionally, younger generations see wearing someone else's makeup as going against self-expression, which is important to them. "They don't want to be like anyone else, not even a celebrity," ten Brink stated. "They don't want to simply emulate Addison Rae."