Written by Hannah Dang, with support from the DAC Team
Many world stars have released their own cosmetic lines, including Lady Gaga (Haus Laboratories), Jennifer Lopez (JLO Beauty), and Rihanna (Fenty Beauty) – it was only a matter of time until Selena Gomez broke down the makeup industry’s doors. Thus, the revolutionary Rare Beauty was born (Billboard).
Introducing Rare Beauty.
Founded in 2020 by singer and actress Selena Gomez, Rare Beauty is a cosmetics line launched to “[break] down unrealistic standards of perfection. This is makeup made to feel good in, without hiding what makes you unique—because Rare Beauty is not about being someone else, but being who you are” (Rare Beauty).
Beautiful message aside, Rare Beauty’s fame rides on Selena’s success as an established celebrity, but the brand must reach the standards set by their consumers – in particular, the makeup products being sold should be accessible.
Recently, the makeup industry has transformed, releasing ingenious breakthroughs of all kinds – quality ingredients, scents, variety of shades for different skin tones, vegan products, and cruelty-free manufacturing. To this very moment, the majority of makeup brands are taking their shoppers’ feedback into heavy consideration to expand their influence.
Just as makeup brands have evolved, their PR marketing strategies have as well. On more than one occasion, makeup companies have claimed to prioritize “inclusivity” in their advertising and commercials just for clout and profit, without following through with their promises. That kind of marketing is what causes consumers to lose faith in the industry. From there, public accusations of customer discrimination run rampant.
Back to Rare Beauty, is the brand’s popularity due to mainstream culture’s obsession with celebrity, or is there something else drawing people in?
On BeautyTok, the beauty community on TikTok, and across other social media platforms, Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty was received positively by consumers and influencers due to the “disability-friendly” makeup products, for example, the knobbed caps atop the product packaging. But Rare Beauty has neither confirmed nor denied the purpose of the knobbed caps other than it being a stylistic choice by Gomez herself. Since some people have decided to read in-between the lines of Rare Beauty’s stance on the matter, let’s study it.
Selena Gomez has openly confirmed she has Lupus, a chronic type of autoimmune disease responsible for causing the human body’s immune system to damage the host. Typically, the organs and tissues are targeted and other symptoms include extreme inflammation in the skin, joints, and blood (Cleveland Clinic). Because her condition is open knowledge to the public, consumers have inferred that her makeup products were designed to intentionally be easier to use for people with dexterity or mobility issues. Not only that, Rare Beauty has repeatedly emphasized the quality of their products, ensuring they are vegan, cruelty-free, and dermatologist-tested. Some people believe their devotion to their products is Rare Beauty’s attempt to make their products accessible to people with different skin conditions.
According to Rare Beauty’s official website, the brand stated the following:
“We are on a mission to help everyone celebrate their individuality by redefining what beautiful means. We want to promote self-acceptance and give people the tools they need to feel less alone in the world. Our vision is to create a safe, welcoming space in beauty—and beyond—that supports mental well-being across age, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, cultural background, physical or mental ability, and perspective.
We believe in the beauty of imperfections.
We nurture a caring, respectful community.
We create meaningful connections and relationships.
We champion authenticity and positivity.
We lead with transparency to build trust.
We believe there is power in being vulnerable” (Rare Beauty).
The brand also openly advocates on their website for mental health awareness: “1% of Rare Beauty annual sales will go directly to the Rare Impact Fund to expand mental health services in underserved communities.” Alongside Mandy Teefey, Gomez is also the co-founder of Wondermind, a charity dedicated to advocating and supporting people with mental health struggles (Wondermind).
Their social campaign, Rare Impact, states: “With a focus on Mental Health and Self-Acceptance, Rare Impact aims to support the mental health of our community, employees, and partners everywhere. By celebrating everyone’s uniqueness and making people feel more connected, Rare Beauty works to reduce the stigma associated with mental health and give people access to the resources they need to support their mental well-being” (Rare Impact).
Considering Rare Beauty’s public declaration advocating for mental health, it’s not far off the mark to believe the brand was intended to be accessible to people with disabilities. There are, however, people who are steering towards thinking that Rare Beauty is profiting off of their consumers through this campaign, using the disability community as a stepping stone for a greater degree of influence in the makeup sphere.
Based on the video reviews published by beauty YouTubers Skelotim, Jen Luv, and Jackie Aina, one of the main problems each of the influencers encountered was the brand’s choice of packaging. Each of the influencers explicitly claim that although there are little to no issues when it comes to the product itself, the packaging is another matter entirely.
In Skelotim’s video, Skelotim discussed Rare Beauty’s response to his email about the rumor of the company’s products being accessible to people with disabilities. Rare Beauty emailed Skelotim the following:
“Thank you for reaching out to Rare Beauty regarding our packaging. Each Rare Beauty product was designed to Selena’s personal preferences to emphasize ease of use. While we’re thrilled to hear that some individuals with dexterity challenges find the design helps them open and use our products more easily, we have not conducted official testing on the packaging for these claims. Ease of use and inclusivity are highly prioritized at Rare Beauty, and it’s something we’re continuing to test and explore in the future” (Skelotim).
Rare Beauty contradicts themselves by stating that they prioritize “ease of use and inclusivity,” but that their packaging wasn’t officially tested. Skelotim is right to question the legitimacy of Rare Beauty, which is intended to be a disability-friendly makeup brand. Considering their choice of words, Skelotim is more convinced the company is running with their customers’ assumptions about their products having dexterity aids to enhance their brand’s image.
According to Jen Luv, Rare Beauty’s “Find Comfort Line,” consisting of a body lotion, a hand cream, a body mist, and an aromatherapy pen, comes boxed and stored inside Post-Consumer Recycled (PCR) plastic bottles. As she was testing the products, Jen noted the bottles for the lotion, hand cream, and aromatherapy pen were especially difficult to open and squeeze. Jen herself has no dexterity or mobility issues, yet she experienced trouble opening the products in her video review. PCR plastic is proven to be environmentally friendly, but she and Jackie Aina believe the product would have benefitted from a bottle with a pump or a more “squeezable” bottle.
The only packaging Jen praises is the hand cream, in which the brand implemented a more triangular design for the container to be used as a massaging tool for people’s hands. People on the internet have assumed the design was created with people who have arthritis or other dexterity issues in mind, but Rare Beauty has neither confirmed nor denied the consumers’ questions. Jen also praises the packaging of the body mist, as it allows the user to spray it upside down, meaning people will have an easier time spraying the lower half of their body. In the end, her feedback revolved less around the product but around the packaging and the pricing/value (Luv).
Jackie Aina, another beauty YouTuber, reviewed the line’s foundation, concealer, liquid blush, powder puff, lip balm, spray mist, and lip oil. Like Luv, Aina said the packaging for the foundation and the concealer were too difficult to open. For her, a non-disabled person, Aina noted that applying the products cleanly was also a struggle. Although Rare Beauty provides an applicator tool for their liquid makeup products, Aina also believed swapping the tool for a pump would be a better design choice (Aina).
There is no definitive proof that Rare Beauty’s products are designed for people with disabilities, but perhaps, Rare Beauty’s design choice is a blessing in disguise. As Buzzfeed News Reporter Katie Camero said, “Rare Beauty [unintentionally or not] sparked a critical conversation about the beauty industry’s lack of inclusivity” (Camero). In her article, Camero used many primary sources in the form of several people with a variety of disabilities and their reactions to Rare Beauty’s cosmetics line. From Christen Roos, who has a rare genetic disorder affecting the length of her arms, to Brittany Wisowaty, who has “Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, and cyclical vomiting syndrome, among other conditions,” Rare Beauty has become a source of validity for people’s lived experiences. The people interviewed for Camero’s article brought up multiple solid points about the industry’s double standards for able-bodied people and disabled people as well as the areas the beauty industry has the potential to explore. In the end, what matters is the steps we take to destroy the barrier between us, merging our shared love for makeup and self-expression.
Stigmatization has risen towards non-makeup artists entering the beauty industry to sell their own brands, particularly toward celebrities (Aina). Just as makeup should be accessible for everyone regardless of differences, the same thinking must be applied to people who wish to join the community. As a makeup enthusiast, I have followed Selena Gomez’s career as an actress, singer, influencer, and now, makeup ambassador, for a long time. I am a huge fan of her products, but I believe there is always room for improvement. Of course, some people may think it is unrealistic for one makeup brand to be accessible to everyone in the world, but I know Rare Beauty and the beauty industry are making headway in the right direction.
WORKS CITED
Camero, Katie. “Rare Beauty Is Creating Makeup For People With Disabilities.” BuzzFeed News, 14 Apr. 2021, www.buzzfeednews.com/article/katiecamero/rare-beauty-makeup-for-people-with-disabilities
Cleveland Clinic. “Lupus,” 2024, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/4875-lupus
Jackie Aina. “Interested in Rare Beauty? Watch This Review First!” Youtube, uploaded by Jackie Aina, 13 Sept. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-oW7F9T9IE
Jen Luv. “What Selena Gomez DIDN’T Tell You About the Rare Beauty Find Comfort Line!” YouTube, uploaded by Jen Luv, 26 Jan. 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8ET_W3B2r8
“Music Artists Who Launched Their Own Beauty Brands.” Billboard, 2023, www.billboard.com/shop/music-artists-who-launched-their-own-beauty-brands-1235021642/
Skelotim. “Rare Beauty By Selena Gomez FINALLY Speaks Out About Packaging Concerns.” Youtube, uploaded by Skelotim, 24 Sept. 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTBSbHjp-Lw
Rare Beauty. www.rarebeauty.com/
Rare Impact. https://rareimpactfund.org/
Wondermind. www.wondermind.com
Disability & Access Collective 