Rihanna is more than a global music icon. She’s also a billion-dollar entrepreneur.
Rihanna created Fenty Beauty to redefine beauty standards and inclusivity. Her brand offers extensive shades for people with deeper skin tones. This has filled the void of products that perform across all skin tones and types.
This blog will cover Rihanna’s journey, Fenty Beauty’s rise, and lessons for women entrepreneurs.
A Little About Fenty Beauty
Fenty Beauty is a joint venture by Rihanna and the luxury goods conglomerate LVMH, launched in the year 2017. Both partners hold a 50% stake in the company. Rihanna is the visionary behind the brand’s inclusive products and diverse advertising.
Fenty Beauty’s mission is centered on its core philosophy of “Beauty for All.” The brand aims to create inclusive makeup for people of every skin tone, age, background, and gender.
The brand challenges traditional beauty standards by offering products such as its 40-50 shades of foundation, designed to cater to traditionally underserved skin tones, this far.
The mission is more than a slogan – it’s an endeavour to make individuals feel confident and included, and bring more authenticity into the beauty industry. “The Fenty effect” is real, and has marked a paradigm shift in the industry standards of beauty, Fenty Beauty highlighted the importance of representation.
The brand has a significant global presence, originally launching in 17 countries simultaneously across North America, Europe, and Asia, including the US, UK, and Canada.
The brand operates through its website, major retailers like Sephora and Boots in the UK, and in India, through its new retail partner, Reliance Retail. With its launch in India, a key market, the brand has expanded its physical footprint, reaching consumers through Sephora India, and Tira Beauty.
Fenty Beauty is ‘a brand for everyone,’ and this foundational principle was manifested in the launch of its wide foundation shade range, including the ones for underserved undertones and colors. The brand is all about having fun with makeup, rather than feeling pressured by conventional standards. Their commitment to inclusion, and innovation is ongoing. It constantly seeks to improve its formulas and bring high-quality products to its global customer base.
Rihanna’s Background and Why She Started Fenty Beauty
Founded by Rihanna, the brand reflects her vision of creating makeup for everyone. She designs products, and engages with fans, making sure that the mission remains central to the brand’s identity. By proving that a wider range of shades would sell, Fenty Beauty highlighted the importance of representation and contributed to “The Fenty Effect” of shifting industry standards.
Rihanna had a troubled childhood but she also showed promise in singing and poetry. At 16, she moved to the U.S. to pursue her music career. She signed a deal with Jay-Z and released her debut album in 2005.
She is recognized for her trendsetting, bold, and creative fashion choices. Her influence extends from avant-garde red carpet looks and innovative street style to launching inclusive, and diverse fashion lines that resonate globally. Her bold sunglasses, colorful fur coats, tracksuit-stiletto combos, and oversized jackets are a rage the world over.
Fenty Beauty was launched as a brand that represents everyone. Rihanna spotted a major gap in the beauty industry – a lack of products that suited those with deeper skin tones. It is this that became the driving force behind the launch of Fenty Beauty’s now famous wide range of foundations that has a shade for every color, and skin tone.
Why Fenty Beauty Is a Success
Here’s why Rihanna’s beauty and cosmetics brand is a success:
1. Inclusivity at the Core
A shade palette so wide, and inclusive that it fulfilled every woman’s dream of finding the right match for her skin. The brand challenged the status quo of the beauty industry by launching 40 foundation shades simultaneously, and started a revolution with The Fenty Effect in the beauty industry.
2. Strong Brand Positioning
This bold brand built itself on radical inclusivity, creating makeup for everyone regardless of skin tone, age, or background. Fenty Beauty has established itself as a brand that sets trends rather than follows them. This ethos is embodied by Rihanna herself, who serves as the brand’s authentic face.
3. Smart Partnerships
In 2022, Fenty Beauty expanded its retail presence through Ulta Beauty stores. In 2025, it partnered with Reliance Retail to bring its products to the Indian market. The brand is now available through Reliance’s Sephora India, and Tira Beauty stores and online platforms. The brand has also announced its official team sponsorship by joining forces with the New York Liberty, a team in the WNBA.
4. Savvy Marketing
The brand uses social media and influencer marketing through Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Collaborations with influencers who align with the brand’s values enhance its visibility, and reach. Fenty Face, which is a signature makeup look created with Fenty Beauty products, is also a hashtag used by many influencers, and other consumers to showcase the luminous, radiant complexion, and natural definition that can be added to any face using Fenty Beauty’s range of products.
5. Product Innovation
Fenty Beauty has many trend-setting products such as Gloss Bomb for luminous lip color, Diamond Bomb highlighter, the Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint, and of course the Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Foundations. All of its products are designed to perform in various climates, and on different skin types. The brand keeps a close watch on the demands in the beauty markets, and through its close interaction with its customers to keep bringing innovations to its range of products.
Lessons for Women Entrepreneurs Building Similar Brands
If you look up to Rihanna, here are some lessons you can takeaway from her brand and its growth strategy:
1. Solve a Real Problem
A problem, a gap, a lack of something is where innovation starts from, and dreams begin to take root. Rihanna did the same, and so should every woman entrepreneur who is looking at making a place for herself in the hugely competitive field of business, where novelty could well be the same marketed with a tweak.
2. Authenticity Wins
Build a brand that mirrors you. When this happens, the authenticity gives your brand the leverage it needs at the start, and through its growth. Speak of what led you to the business. Build your narrative, and share it openly with your target audience. Storytelling is an important skill to have when establishing a business.
3. Inclusivity Matters
Make a brand that has inclusivity at its core. Representation creates loyalty, and that is crucial for any business to grow.
4. Leverage Partnerships
Scale faster by collaborating with the right people like influencers, celebrities, other digital creators who vouch for your product out of genuine connection, making them more authentic for the masses to easily relate with. This is also needed when you want to grow your retail presence through strategic partnerships with online and offline platforms that will afford you the best visibility.
5. Engage Your Community
Listen, adapt, and evolve with customer feedback. Be ready to make the changes or innovate to get newer, better ideas of products to the market. Listen closely to what the community demands, and engage with it, closely.
Conclusion
Rihanna turned passion, and vision into a billion-dollar brand. This is pretty much how any business is birthed and reared. Find your passion, look at how it can address something that may be missing/ or can be made better. Build where there is need.
Fenty Beauty is not just about makeup; it’s about rewriting industry norms. Don’t shy away from being radical in your approach. Be bold, and unapologetic about your vision.
Women entrepreneurs can take inspiration to build authentic, inclusive, and scalable businesses from Rihanna. If she could, so can you. Just the right takeaways from the stories of inspirational women like her, and you would have taken the first, few steps towards building your dream.
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