Jared Leto and Brad Pitt have new expensive beauty brands. But why?
This year, it appears that we’re more likely to see a star reveal a new beauty brand than advertise their following art project. Because in 2022, Gwen Stefani, Hailey Bieber, Ciara, Halsey, and Winnie Harlow all came with new labels. What's more, this is not just women's business anymore, but also men's. You may be familiar with the news already, as just a few days ago, Jared Leto announced his brand of gender-neutral skin, body, and hair care products. This announcement was made for Vogue first. And it comes as a surprise since the celebrity was never into beauty products. Yet, the products he's selling now are quite expensive and made from exclusive, hard-to-find ingredients.
Leto who is 50 has a very good complexion, and he received critiques after launching his new products based on their high prices - cleansers, creams, and other basic items that can be found cheaper. But unfortunately, after Rihanna launched her beauty line - Fenty Beauty - in 2017, more and more celebs are taking this as a standard for side jobs and don't necessarily want to share their talent but rather to make more money. So, Travis Barker, Brad Pitt, and Jared Leto are just some of the most recent newcomers in the industry. Brad Pitt created Le Domaine for skin care as well and Barker made a vegan eye serum.
Kardashian happily hyped Barker Wellness at its Nobu Malibu launch party, but other people weren’t as welcoming. For instance, the beauty industry watchdogs - Estée Laundry, an Instagram anonymous account - admit that they are confused by Travis Barker’s skincare line.
If you look at the comments on that post, there are people saying that they aren't interested in this skincare line, making also jokes about the products ending up on TJ Maxx shelves. It seems that even experts are skeptical of Barker's interest in developing these products, but instead just treating it like a "passion project". This is something that you decide after a brief meeting, a basic chat, and a little bit of brainstorming. Notable ladies behind beauty labels such as Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Ciara, and Hailey Bieber place themselves as specialists in their fields. They are considered authorities in their companies. In the meantime, Leto and Pitt defined themselves as newcomers.
Contrary to celebrities’ massive followings, skincare is a flooded area today. However, each of the brands has its audience and stars know that these projects might not be as successful as they want. But some of them really take off, like Rihanna's fashion house - only to shut down two years later. That's because the era of self-care and individualism is really blooming, so more and more customers become addicted to purchasing beauty products. Plus, the marketing keeps up with the trends and adapts on the way, so we're seeing now products targeted at gender-neutral identifying persons. It is true that a product has no gender and anyone can use it, but at the same time, there are less expensive options on the market and there is no need for high-priced basic items, for example.