Fenty Beauty has created so much conversation it actually eclipsed the discussion of Fashion Week itself, as reported by the New York Times. The sassy songbird teased her beauty line about a year ago, leading to much buzz about her current venture. It’s slated to be a wild success, considering her sold-out sneaker line, Fenty Puma by Rihanna, and her sock partnership, Fenty X Stance, which garnered a shout-out from fellow performer, Drake. No stranger to the beauty realm, the songbird has been a face of CoverGirl and has worked with MAC Cosmetics on a collection. Here, a few reasons Fenty Beauty is well positioned for today’s consumer in the current market.
1. One major differentiation from the brand’s competitors is that it’s utterly complexion-focused. Committed to offering foundation shades for every skin tone — not simply a close match — Fenty Beauty’s variety in color is rivaled by only a few other beauty brands. This focus on diversity is important in the overall beauty conversation as it relates to inclusivity, but it’s also an important political statement in these divisive times. (Already several of the foundation shades for deeper skin tones have sold out on both Sephora.com and fentybeauty.com.) It’s a common complaint that even when beauty brands offer a wide range of hues, they often miss the mark when it comes to medium to dark skin tones, especially when providing enough shades at the darkest end of the spectrum. Fenty Beauty’s sheer breadth of colors for its Pro Filt’R Soft Matte Longwear Foundation makes choosing a shade a breeze for everyone.
2. Another reason this brand will sell well: innovation. Fenty Beauty’s blotting papers incorporate a never-before seen functional package inspired by Saran Wrap. They roll out like aluminum foil in a tube that looks like it could be a lipstick, which is not an accident. Who needs everyone knowing you’re powdering your nose? This allows you to shine surreptitiously.
3. Similar to Kim Kardashian West’s KKW range, Rihanna’s foray into the makeup space offers mostly nude tones, which have proven to be hugely popular with the Millennial demographic. The packaging is similar to Kardashian West’s, as well. In keeping with the aesthetic of many new beauty brands that launched within the last few years (KKW Beauty, Ouai, Playa), Fenty Beauty features white and dusty rose packaging. Fenty Beauty also offers stick application highlighters in addition to powder ones; the former tends to be popular with Millennials and Gen Z (much like NudeStix, another brand that does well with this segment of the population).
4. Lastly, in a sea of beauty brands that follow the adage “more is more,” Fenty Beauty takes a curated approach when it comes to lips. The range is unique in that it boasts a single lip offering in a widely flattering hue, perhaps as a contrast to Kylie Jenner’s line, which caters mainly to the lip category, expanding into face products only recently. Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer is a creamy glitter-tinged rose nude, enriched with shea butter to moisturize pouts. The shade looks good on every skin tone, providing a cosmetic foil to the veritable parade of foundation tints the brand provides.