Ranking Celebrity Beauty Brands From The Best To… DJ Khaled

I fondly remember the days when celebrity beauty brands were a rare treat. A little it-girl perfume here, a glorious lip-smackers collab there. It was a cute time.

But that era has been ousted by celebrities determined to become beauty juggernauts – building empires of lip glosses and highlighters and flogging them to their millions of followers. And I can’t really blame them, because it’s a business move that really, really works.

Just take one glance into my makeup bag and you’ll see that I’ve been sucked in time and time again by the likes of Rihanna, Drew and even Jenny from the Block swindled me of a few bucks. 

But which of the celebrity beauty brands are the best? I thought this would be an impossible question to answer, but after careful consideration and ruthless reviews, I’ve ranked the 25 biggest celebrity beauty brands from best to… DJ Khaled.

1. Rihanna, Fenty Beauty

There are absolutely zero acceptable arguments that can dispute that Rihanna should be at the top of this list. While her fans may be fuming that she hasn’t dropped any new music in a long time, when you see the scale of her beauty brand, Fenty Beauty, then it all makes sense. 

The first line launched in 2017 with a bang when Fenty dropped the most inclusive shade range of foundations in existence. The range offered a whopping 40 shades and has since expanded to 50, delivering stunning makeup in previously overlooked skin tones. 

Beyond the diversity of the shades, the makeup is very highly regarded – especially by makeup artists – and sells out in seconds whenever a new product drops.The most coveted cosmetics from Fenty Beauty are definitely the Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer ($36) and, of course, the Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation ($59) both available from Sephora.

2. Britney Spears, Britney Spears Scents

Britney jumped on the celebrity fragrance bandwagon at just the right time. It felt like absolutely everyone had a bottle of either Fantasy or Curious lingering in their bedrooms. I was a Curious girlie, but was recently sent a bottle of Fantasy and good lord that scent is nostalgic – and so seductive!

Britney deserves to be high on this list for the fact that she has sold more than 500 million bottles of Curious alone. And she still rakes in around $30 million every single year from her fragrance range. Snaps for Britney.If you want to get a whiff of the past, you can pick up your own bottle of Curious ($34.99) or Fantasy ($29.99) from Chemist Warehouse now.

3. Drew Barrymore, Flower Beauty

I know that Drew is kinda, sorta, maybe getting a little bit cancelled right now, but drama aside, the lady knows how to dominate in a drugstore. Drew launched her beauty brand, Flower Beauty, with the aim to be a lovely, natural option for fans who didn’t want to spend a bazillion dollars on makeup.

Her full range is sold at Chemist Warehouse and is often on sale too, but the absolute best bits to scoop up from Flower Beauty are Drew’s Flower Light Illusion Lique Foundation ($13.99) and Flower Pots Powder Blush ($13.99), which is an absolute dupe of the famous NARS Orgasm Blush, btw.  

4. Selena Gomez, Rare Beauty

Selena Gomez appeared with her beauty brand almost out of thin air. I don’t know about you, but I personally didn’t associate Selena with makeup at all before she dropped Rare Beauty into the world. And now, she is a beacon of beauty knowledge and I get all giddy whenever her brand teases a new blush.

With the ethos that her brand would do ‘good’ for the world, the names of all the products are positive affirmations to bring a smile to your face. But beyond the cutesiness of that, Rare Beauty holds real clout in the industry, with other brands constantly trying to replicate the insane pigmentation of Rare Beauty. 

Everyone froths over Rare Beauty blushes, so I have to recommend their Soft Pinch Liquid Blush ($41), but I also love, love, love the Positive Light Liquid Luminzer ($44), both available at Sephora.

5. Issa Rae, Sienna Naturals

Issa Rae has been quietly working on a stunning beauty brand for yonks, and while she may not be plugging it left, right and centre, I WILL because it’s damn good. She specialises in curly hair care and has even developed patented formulas to nourish natural curls, putting her magic into gorge little bottles and pots. 

You can take a hair quiz on the Sienna Naturals to find out the best product for you – but their most buzz-worthy bottle is definitely the Dream Curl Cream ($28).

6. Hailey Bieber, Rhode

No one knows how to build up beauty excitement quite like Hailey Bieber. Remember that time she got everyone into ’Strawberry Beauty’ and craving ‘glazed’ lips and then she dropped a strawberry glazed doughnut collection with Krispy Kreme?! The woman is a marketing MASTERMIND. And her lip glosses aren’t half bad either. 

While the whole of the Rhode collection is a bit of alright, the most coveted products are definitely the Peptide Lip Tints ($16) and the Peptide Glazing Fluid ($29).

7. Jennifer Lopez, JLo Beauty

I thought JLo may have undermined her own skincare line when she foolishly said in a press interview that the secret to her glowy skin was “joy” and “olive oil”. But it seems the success of JLo Beauty wasn’t hindered one bit, as it’s quickly becoming one of the biggest brands in the beauty scene.

She’s got approximately a million products covering face, body, bundles, masks, the lot. And absolutely everything is wrapped in a gold glowy plastic, making every product look a little bit like an award. I totally buy into the hype of this brand, because who doesn’t want to glow like JLo? I wanted it so bad that I underwent a ‘JLo HydraFacial’ myself, which you can see the results of here if you’re feeling nosey. 

The most popular pickups from the JLo Beauty range are the That JLo Glow Serum ($79) and the That Blockbuster Hydrating Cream ($58).

8. Victoria Beckham, Victoria Beckham Beauty

Victoria Beckham decided that taking on the fashion world wasn’t enough and she simply needed to dominate the beauty scene too. So on top of her fashion house, Spice Girl commitments, filming a Netflix documentary, navigating her husband’s crazy schedule, raising four kids and allegedly feuding with her daughter-in-law, she casually launched a seriously extensive beauty brand.

The brand has makeup, skincare and fragrances because she simply couldn’t do things by halves. Everything is super sleek and high-end, but unfortunately, that comes with a rather chonky price tag. Eyeliners are over $50 and one tube of lippie can set you back nearly $70. Yes, my wallet is screaming too.

Faves from the Victoria Beckham Beauty brand are by and far the Eyewear in Macaron ($54) and the Reflect Highlighter Stick in Amber ($68).

9. Jonathan Van Ness, JVN

Darling Jonathan can do no wrong in my eyes. Which may have you thinking why aren’t they at the top of my list? Well, that’s simply because my hair isn’t super compatible with the JVN range. And that’s MY FAULT. 

You see, I’m quite a greasy girly and my hair gets oily super fast. And JVN specialises in hydrating hair products for people with more crust than slick. What I will say though is that every bottle JVN releases smells so good, so I sincerely hope that they drop a fragrance line STAT. 

If you need a little hydration situation for your locks, pick up the Complete Nourishing Hair Oil Shine Drops ($37) and the Complete Hydrating Air Dry Hair Cream ($39) both from Sephora.

10. Halsey, About Face

I bet you hadn’t heard of About Face until this very paragraph. But you’ll thank me now you have it in your life. Halsey’s makeup brand is pure, unadulterated FUN. Bright colours, bold pigments and chuck-in-your-back-pocket-on-a-night-out packaging.

It’s also not stupidly expensive, which will give you the confidence to experiment with shades you haven’t tried before – like the Matte Fluid Eye Paint in Vertigo Flowers ($16) and the On The Bright Side Glossy Lip Balm in Dragonfruit Fusion ($48).

11. Kylie Jenner, Kylie Cosmetics 

Kylie has come such a long way since the launch of her sellout lip kits. Now she stands on a cosmetic empire that is raking in billions of dollars. She has a full makeup line, a skincare line and a baby skincare line – but out of all the products, I reckon these are the ones really worth the hype: The Kendall Collection Pressed Powder Palette ($61) and the Mini High Gloss Duo ($34).

12. Jessica Alba, The Honest Company

Jessica Alba was one of the first celebrities to properly dive into the world of wellness and skincare, launching her organic brand The Honest Company in 2012. While it’s definitely moved more towards the parenting and home space, its most popular beauty products are the Hydrogel Cream ($21.99) and the Daily Green Juice Antioxidant Super Serum ($24.99).

13. Paris Hilton

I would like a moment of silence for Paris Hilton’s perfume range. For a beautiful chapter of time, she whipped out a new fragrance every other week. They all smelt virtually the same, but I gobbled them up regardless. In my opinion, an iconic in the celeb-beauty space. If you’re going to pick up anything from Paris’ range, it has to be Heiress ($29.99 from Chemist Warehouse).

14. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Rose Inc

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is a model turned Transformer-actor turned beauty mogul – quite the confusing trajectory I know, but her stuff is legit. Her brand, Rose Inc, has been stocked in Mecca for a while and so I’ve obviously smudged a bunch of samples into my face while in store. And because of that, I have two very beloved front-runners from Rose Inc, and they are: the Brow Renew Enriched Clear Shaping Gel ($26) because it holds your brows without stiffness or stickiness and the Cream Blush Refillable Cheek & Lip Colour ($32) because who doesn’t love a combo deal?!

15. Ariana Grande, R.E.M. Beauty

Ariana hasn’t been overtly plugging her beauty brand which has meant it’s fallen down the list a bit – because if she’s not even into the products, why should we be?!

But she does have two cult lip products that everyone seems to be loving – the Essential Drip Lip Oil ($25.63) and the Mini Plumping Lip Gloss Set ($40.05).

16. Gwyneth Paltrow, Goop

Ahh Gwynnie. She’s built a damn iconic brand, but not one without controversy. Goop has become a bit of a laughingstock when it comes to some of their products (looking at you, a candle that smells like Gwyneth’s vagina and $50,000 swing set), so it’s easy to overlook some of the *properly good* beauty bits that Goop are selling.

These are two that are almost worth the whopping price tag: Goop Lift + Depuff Eye Masks ($125) and the Goop Dark Spot Exfoliating Sleep Milk ($95).

17. Lady Gaga, Haus Laboratories

I didn’t even know that our Saviour Lady Gaga had a beauty brand, but it turns out it’s very highly regarded by makeup artists. Haus Laboratories has a relatively concise collection but with some seriously pigmented goodies in their makeup department, the only major downside is that their makeup is rather pricey – so it definitely falls into the ‘investment’ bucket. 

Top picks from Gaga are their Atomic Shake Lip Lacquer ($50) and the Triclone Skin Tech Medium Coverage Foundation ($86) which has an incredible shade range.

18. Elle Macpherson, Welleco

Another Aussie makes the list! Elle is a little further down the list because she really just does edible beauty – AKA collagen powders and natural calming pills. And while that’s lovely for her, these pots of powder are expensive. Like $88 for a sachet, expensive. 

She’s best known for her Super Elixir Greens ($88) and her Sleep Welle Calming Tea ($66).

19. Emma Chamberlain, Bad Habit

Emma Chamberlain is the internet darling that has every Gen Z-er hooked on her content, so it’s no surprise that she’s decided to capitalise on that clout and launch her own beauty brand. Bad Habit uses cute copywriting and poppy colours, giving it a bit of a Drunk-Elephant-meets-Go-To energy. 

Plus points for Bad Habit are that it’s very reasonably priced and has some good gifting options. Minus points for the fact that Bad Habit actually stopped selling a little while back, as the brand has folded.

20. Miranda Kerr, KORA Organics

Look, Miranda Kerr’s beauty brand isn’t bad by any stretch – in fact, it’s won a bunch of awards – but it’s just a bit… boring. Sorry, Miranda. 

The products with the most clout from KORA are the Tumeric Glow Moisturiser ($83) and the Milky Mushroom Gentle Cleansing Oil ($59). Yes I know these are ingredients more commonly found in a slow-cooked curry, but if Miranda’s skin is anything to go off, I’m sure these actually work.

21. Harry Styles, Pleasing

The boy released some $34 nail polishes with names like ‘Lion’s Underpants’ and ‘Hairy Mermaid’ and gave me the ick. If you’re going to bother releasing a beauty brand, just try a little harder, please. 

If you have to purchase anything from Pleasing, don’t. Just don’t.

22. Kim Kardashian, SKKN

No one can argue that Kim knows how to launch a business. I mean, Skims is one of the most talked about businesses, ever. But I feel like she missed the mark a smidge with SKKN. The branding was on point, the collection just the right size, and the price point wasn’t too disgusting for a designer brand, but it just didn’t kick off in the same way that her sister Kylie’s cosmetics brand did.

And I think that’s because it was very on trend for the moment, but then aged really quickly. Plus it’s a 10-step skincare routine, which feels excessive now we’re out of our lockdown skincare state, and when you add all the steps together it’s a not-so-cute $673 to pick up all the bits.

But, if you’re going to join Kim’s SKKN cult then these two are the bits to buy: The Resurfacing Mask ($65) and the Face Cream ($85).

23. Gwen Stefani, GXVE Beauty

Gwen is a lover of bold beauty looks, so it comes as no surprise that her makeup collection is jam-packed with reds, purples and shocking pinks. It has a fairly decent price point, but I feel like it’s too much of a divisive beauty brand to be ranked higher. 

If you’re into boldness too, you’ll love a bit of the Bubble Pop Electric High Shine Gloss ($20) and the Check My Glow Illuminating Highlighter ($30).

24. Jennifer Aniston, LolaVie

It would be silly if Jennifer Aniston didn’t captialise on one of her most iconic features: Her hair. For a solid chunk of the 90s approximately every single woman trotted off to the hairdressers, sat in the chair and requested ‘The Rachel’. 

So Jen launching LolaVie – a hair care range – makes total sense. It’s just that she launched it 30 years too late. While Jen still gives great hair, if she had dropped this back in the 90s, I’m sure she would be a certified bajillionaire. 

If you are still craving ‘The Rachel’ for your own mop, then this Restore & Protect Travel Kit ($40) is a good place to start.

25. DJ Khaled, Blesswell

Yes, the DJ Khaled has his own beauty brand. While not best known for his skincare routine, he dropped a cleansing scrub, charcoal mask, shave cream, body wash, moisturiser and beard oil for his fans to lather up with. And for his little twist on skincare, everything is a little bit laced with CBD oil. 

The beauty brand didn’t have the best feedback, with people leaving one-star Amazon reviews saying, “I never felt the need to use so much moisturizer as I did using this, and my face still was flaky and nasty”. Cute.

Blesswell no longer has a functioning website, so I thought it had died, but FEAR NOT. The scrubs and moisturisers are still being flogged on Target. Phew.

So you can pick up the Facial Cleansing Scrub ($9.99) and if you want another one then treat yourself to the Daily Facial Moisturiser ($11.99) too.

MY GOD THAT WAS A LONG LIST. The world of celebrity beauty brands seems to be an unstoppable beast, so no doubt I’ll return to this ranking and make some amendments when another celeb makes a big cosmetic splash. But until then, go buy some Fenty Beauty and spritz a bit of Britney on you. 

Image credit: SKKN, Rhode, Goop, Lolavie, Bad Habit, REM Beauty, Blesswell, Kylie Cosmetics, Fenty Beauty, Haus Laboratories + Punkee