Selena Gomez Shares Her Thoughts on Dealing with Unrealistic Beauty Standards

Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty: A Blend of Authenticity and Altruism

When Selena Gomez announced the launch of her beauty brand, Rare Beauty, in February 2020, she entered a saturated market that had seen numerous celebrity beauty lines emerge over the past decade. Yet, Gomez managed to carve out a distinctive niche by genuinely intertwining her brand’s mission with effective products.

Rare Beauty quickly garnered a loyal following, as evidenced by over 400,000 positive videos about its products on TikTok, collectively amassing billions of views. Alongside its booming popularity, the brand has also championed conversations about mental health.

Mental health advocacy is central to Rare Beauty, a priority rooted in Gomez’s personal passion. Upon launching the brand, she introduced the Rare Impact Fund, aimed at improving access to mental health services and education for young people worldwide.

“Mental health is really at our core and I’m so proud that 1% of all Rare Beauty sales globally go to the Rare Impact Fund,” Gomez remarked, highlighting the commitment behind her brand. Earlier this year, Rare Beauty expanded its product line with the Find Comfort body care collection, designed around self-care rituals, featuring items like a calming aromatherapy pen and a hand cream that also serves as a hand massager.

The connection between beauty and mental health may be more significant than it seems. A 2022 report indicated that 80% of respondents—teenagers and adults alike—agreed that their body image negatively impacted their mental health. “I think unrealistic standards of beauty affect everyone. I was feeling so much pressure to look a certain way, and I saw my friends were, too,” Gomez stated. “Having this conversation in the beauty space is so important.”

Gomez aims to change perceptions surrounding beauty and mental health through her brand. “I wanted to change the way we talk about both beauty and mental health. I hope all of our products capture this ethos,” she said, emphasizing her focus on inclusivity with an extensive shade range and product names like Hope, Joy, and Worth.

Reflecting on societal pressures, Gomez expressed her efforts to maintain positivity. “There is a lot of noise out there and I do my best to ignore it. I’m really grateful to have wonderful fans and an amazing community,” she added. Her aspiration is to foster a safe space for individuals to be vulnerable and to challenge unrealistic beauty standards.

At the brand’s inception, Gomez made clear her intention for Rare Beauty to not just be about changing appearances. "These products aren’t about being someone else; it’s about being who you are," she said. “I want every person to feel beautiful exactly as they are.”

Her relationship with makeup has matured over the years. “It’s become a lot healthier as I’ve grown up,” she confessed. “I used to want to wear makeup to look older or look more like other people. Now I have a lot of fun with makeup… I want to accentuate the features that make me unique instead of covering them up.”

On days off, her makeup routine is simple, often featuring the recently launched Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush. “I love a simple routine on days off,” Gomez explained, detailing a pared-back look that includes a brightening under-eye product and mascara.

The recent introduction of the powder blush, which complements its highly successful liquid blush range—boasting 129.5 million views on TikTok—marks a significant move for Rare Beauty. "It was really inspired by two of my favorite products—Soft Pinch Liquid Blush and Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter,” Gomez disclosed, adding that the new blush offers a mix of vibrant color and a glassy finish.

Rare Beauty has thus become synonymous with effective products and a strong social impact, firmly establishing itself as a brand that resonates with authenticity and purpose.