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 was in such high demand that it sold out within seconds of its release in 2015, causing the website to crash. This sudden success catapulted the youngest Kardashian-Jenner sibling to the status of beauty mogul at the age of 18. The Lip Kits became extremely popular, with demand even reaching the New York City bar and bat mitzvah circuit, where emcees would throw the products into a crowd of dancing tweens in bandage dresses. Five years in the future, the global beauty market is flourishing with celebrities promoting various beauty products such as lip gloss, face lotion, and even vibrators. Sales in this market last year amounted to nearly $500 billion according to Euromonitor. New beauty lines are constantly being released, including Harry Styles’ Pleasing nail polish, Machine Gun Kelly’s UN/DN LAQR nail polish with paint splatter shades, and makeup lines by Ariana Grande and Chiara Ferragni, each with their own unique themes. Billie Eilish and Addison Rae have launched perfumes, Lori Harvey has released a skin care collection called SKN by LH, and Demi Lovato has introduced the Demi Wand, an eight-speed vibrator created with Bellesa, a website catering to female pornography viewers. Hailey Bieber has announced that her Rhode Beauty line will be available for purchase next year, with Rhode being her middle name. The situation is beginning to seem like a parody. When the Alex Rodriguez concealer for men, a product created with Hims & Hers, was released in May and gained attention in celebrity news outlets like The Shade Room, many people thought it was a joke. Dua expressed skepticism, stating that she does not trust celebrity beauty brands. According to research by Hana Ben-Shabat, founder of Gen Z Planet, many of Dua's peers feel the same way. Ben-Shabat's findings show that only 19% of Gen Zers are influenced by celebrities when making purchasing decisions, compared to 66% who are influenced by their friends. Stacey Berke, a 34-year-old addiction counselor from Rochester, New York, noted that celebrities often promote their own skincare products by claiming that they do not use Botox, attributing their appearance solely to their own products. "It becomes difficult to believe." The traditional method of having celebrities endorse products is no longer sufficient. Consumers now seek reassurance that there is expertise or at least a genuine interest in the product being promoted. According to trend forecaster Lucie Greene, the transactional nature of celebrity endorsements is becoming more apparent, and consumers are skeptical of endorsements that lack authenticity. Additionally, the public is aware that many celebrities undergo cosmetic procedures to maintain their appearance, leading to doubts about the effectiveness of certain products. Richard Gersten, an investor and founder of True Beauty Ventures, cautioned that transitioning from making money by promoting others' brands to creating one's own brand may not always be the best motivation. He mentioned that their 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, noted that in the past, fans could only access celebrities' private lives through their perfume, but now social media allows for real-time access to their food, fashion, opinions, and personal moments. This has redefined how the public connects with celebrities. According to ten Brink, owning a product endorsed by a celebrity on social media allows you to connect with them in a unique way. After the popularity of celebrity fragrances in the early 2000s, Kylie Cosmetics introduced a new type of celebrity brand that focused on selling makeup and skincare online. Jenner revolutionized the marketing and selling of brands, which had previously been done at 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 promoting inclusivity, expanding shade ranges, and sparking conversations about race. In its first full year, the label produced more than $500 million in revenue, according to LVMH, the French luxury group and co-owner of Fenty Beauty. Goop, founded by Gwyneth Paltrow, has established itself as a lifestyle brand over the past decade, selling skin care, supplements, bath salts, and athleisure. Many have tried to imitate these successful business models, but some industry insiders, like John Demsey, executive group president of the Estée Lauder Cos, remain skeptical of brands with famous founders. He has collaborated with many celebrities, but he stated that there will not be a brand solely focused on one celebrity. On December 1, 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. Demsey explained that the decision felt right at this time, with red, blue, and yellow lipsticks featuring Keith Haring designs on the tubes. The focus was on the product and brand essence. Collaborations represent a moment, while a brand is long-lasting. The majority of celebrity beauty brands are not successful. Everyone who was interviewed for this article, ranging from executives at large companies to high school students, was requested to identify one to three successful celebrity beauty brands other than Kylie Cosmetics, Fenty, and Goop. However, none were able to do so. John Demsey remarked that simply relying on influence is not sufficient, even if one has millions of followers on platforms like 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 offers a personalized regimen based on a DNA test from a cheek swab. Know Beauty made a big entrance when it first launched, but has not been very active lately. However, their products are still available for purchase on their website. Lady Gaga's Haus Laboratories, which was launched with great excitement two years ago, did not resonate with her dedicated fan base. This year, the brand has hired a new executive team to concentrate on improving their products, ingredients, and packaging. Their latest Casa Gaga collection has a different aesthetic 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 did not provide a comment on their business. Other notable incidents include Tati Westbrook closing Tati Beauty in November and Rflct, a skin care brand by Rachell Hofstetter, shutting down after two weeks due to unfounded anti-blue-light claims. It is not widely known that a few companies are behind many of the popular celebrity beauty lines on the market. These companies, known as brand factories or "incubators," are experts at quickly creating multiple beauty labels simultaneously. They are either created in collaboration with a celebrity or designed with the goal of partnering with a celebrity later on. For instance, Beach House Group is responsible for Millie Bobby Brown's Florence by Mills, Kendall Jenner's Moon oral care line, and Tracee Ellis Ross' Pattern hair care. Forma Brands, which owns Morphe, is the force behind Jaclyn Cosmetics and Grande's R E M Beauty. Maesa has developed Drew Barrymore's Flower Beauty, Kristin Ess Hair, Taraji P Henson's TPH by Taraji hair care, and Jada Pinkett Smith's Hey Humans personal care line. According to experts, most brands created by these companies are not meant to last long-term, but Pattern, by Ross, seems to be thriving and could outlast many of its competitors. Greg Portell, a partner at the Kearney consulting firm, explained that incubators are designed to quickly produce results rather than focus on building a brand. Shaun Neff, a founder of Beach House Group, mentioned that his team develops ideas for new companies and then partners with celebrities. Neff specifically mentioned Kendall Jenner, citing her popularity and style as reasons for choosing her to co-create products like the Kendall Jenner Teeth Whitening Pen and promote the Moon oral care brand. The decrease in popularity of celebrity brands is also influenced by changing cultural values. Older customers are more likely to be attracted by celebrities, but it is more difficult to attract young millennials and Gen Zers who value authenticity. Dua expressed doubt about the skin care knowledge of Brown, the 17-year-old star of "Stranger Things," whose line was released when she was only 15: "I don't really trust it because what expertise do they have?" Additionally, young people believe that wearing someone else's makeup goes against self-expression, which is a key value for their generation. "They do not want to mimic anyone, not even a celebrity," ten Brink explained.