Ranking celebrity beauty brands of 2022 by how random they are

Ever since Kylie Jenner and Rihanna hit a billion dollars with their respective make-up lines it seems like every celebrity on the planet decided it was time to jump on the beauty brand-wagon and get a piece of the pie for themselves. While a couple have done very well – Selena Gomez – and a few have seemed genuinely authentic – Halsey, Tracee Ellis Ross – on the whole, it’s just felt very random. Why do Madison Beer and Vanessa Hudgens have a DNA-based skincare range? Why does Ellen Degeneres have a skincare brand named, ironically, Kind Beauty? 

2022 has given us another fruitful crop of celebrity beauty launches and this year it’s been more random than ever. A skincare range for babies from Krept of Krept & Konan sounds like an idea created by spinning a wheel and a grape-based skincare brand by Brad Pitt could be the work of a random word generator. 

So to round off the year, we decided to rank them. Here are the celebrity beauty brands of 2022 (list not definitive) rated by how random they are. Enjoy.

KREPT (OF KREPT & KONAN) AND NALA’S BABY

Despite sounding like the most random of all the random celebrity beauty brands – the brand was marketed as the first skincare range for babies launched by a rapper – Krept from Krept & Konan’s brand Nala’s Baby is actually grounded in authenticity. It was created after Krept & his partner Sasha struggled to find any baby products with non-harmful ingredients, and it sounds like it is quite good. In November, the brand was named the best baby skincare range at the Mother & Baby Awards.

How random? 3/10. Once you get over the Krept-from-Krept-and-Konan thing, it’s actually very sweet and sensible.

JARED LETO AND TWENTYNINE PALMS

Given that Jared Leto is on record saying he’s “never been really interested in beauty products”, it’s a bit surprising that he launched his own bath and beauty brand full of £77 eye creams and £75 clay masks. And when I say surprising, I mean a transparent cash grab. A collaboration with wellness entrepreneur Jonathan Keren, Twentynine Palms is inspired by “the majesty and myth of the desert” and is described as being for all people but especially for those who “resist limits and boundaries: those who relish freedom and the great unknown.”

How random? 10/10. Pretentious and Leto hasn’t even pretended to be interested in beauty up to this point. Why would anyone buy skincare from someone who said “I know I’m a student here”?

GWEN STEFANI AND GXVE

Gwen Stefani has spent her career giving us iconic beauty looks. The skinny brows and pink hair of the early years, the blue hair with space buns at the 1998 MTV movie awards, the signature red lip. So it wasn’t out of the blue when she launched her own make-up range. GXVE (pronounced ‘give’ – the ‘x’ is from her signature ‘Gx’) features long-wear lipsticks alongside glosses, eyeshadows and eye pencils. For when “performance meets play”, the formulas are designed for durability and made with sustainable ingredients and packaging.

How random? 4/10. Given her legacy of looks, this range from Stefani makes sense. If only she’d launched it five years ago and not when the market was absolutely saturated.

ISAMAYA FFRENCH AND ISAMAYA BEAUTY

Rarely has a make-up launch made more sense: 2022 saw new-gen beauty icon Isamaya Ffrench finally launch her own eponymous make-up range. Designed to push the boundaries of make-up and allow people to express themselves through beauty, the brand launched with the BDSM-inspired ‘Industrial’ collection in June, followed by the rhinestone cowboy ‘Wild Star’ collection, and has quickly become a favourite among MUAs and fans alike. Julia Fox recently shouted out the Liplacq as a game-changer.

How random? 0/10. An expert in the field with over a decade of experience. If you can trust anyone to make good make-up products, it’s make-up artists.

IDRIS ELBA AND S’ABLE LABS

Founded by Idris Elba and his wife Sabrina, this “genderless” beauty range is made from ethically-sourced African ingredients and designed to celebrate ‘coupledom’ (AKA “the realm of shared experiences between two partners in life or business”, also the name of the Elbas’ podcast). The mission makes a lot of sense: the brand aims to support the planet by working with farmers, suppliers and their communities. The skincare bit, less so. 

How random? 6/10. No one was really asking for an Idris Elba skincare range, let’s be honest.

SCARLET JOHANSSEN AND THE OUTSET

Scarlet Johanssen’s Glossier-vibe skincare range is all about the “ease of simplicity”. Think basic products and bundles modelled by Johanssen herself (see: ‘The Regimen’, including a micellar cleanser, squalane moisturiser and collagen serum) in super minimalist packaging. This is more painfully predictable than straight-up weird. Do we get what you’re doing, Scarlet? Yes. Was it totally necessary? Not at all. 

How random? 9/10. Boring. Johanssen has never expressed particular interest in skincare and there are a hundred other brands out there that do the same thing.

WINNIE HARLOW AND CAY SKIN

“If you’re not doing good, why bother?” says Cay Skin, the carbon-neutral suncare brand from supermodel Winnie Harlow. Founded after she suffered severe sunburn on a shoot because the SPF provided left her with a white cast, Cay Skin caters to all skin tones. Given the scarcity of SPF products suitable for darker skin tones and the misinformation around SPF that exploded this year, it’s a welcome contribution from Harlow, although reviews for the products themselves haven’t been good at all.

How random? 1/10. It’s authentic and fills a gap in the market, however it sounds like the quality isn’t there.

TRAVIS BARKER AND BARKER WELLNESS

Founded after his demanding career pushed him to “examine every aspect of his health”, Travis Barker’s self-titled CBD-slash-wellness brand is designed to “help you show up at your best”. The range includes CBD tinctures and CBD-infused body products, as well as a bath-centric collab with his wife Kourtney Kardashian. Considering Kardashian also has Poosh, her wellness platform, and recently launched Lemme, a vitamin and supplement brand, it seems like the couple are determined to be across every category of wellness. It is not entirely clear why they didn’t release everything under the Poosh name, in Goop style – but if there’s one thing the Kardashians love to do, it’s launch a brand.

How random? 8/10. Sorry, but a Travis Barker-branded CBD range and accompanying line of bath crystals is so random.

HAILEY BIEBER AND RHODE

I admit I was sceptical when Hailey Bieber announced she was launching skincare and fully prepared to write it off as yet another celebrity with no experience jumping on the beauty brand wagon. However, I will also admit it looks like I was wrong. I think this launch might actually be good. People love it. Bieber seems authentically and wholeheartedly engaged with it, and the products are sound. The Rhode range currently features just three key products – a peptide lip treatment, peptide skin serum, and ‘barrier restore cream’ – each in dove grey Instagram-friendly packaging and designed to create the dewy “glazed” look that is all the rage with clean girls everywhere at the moment.

How random? 6/10. These ratings are based on randomness, not how good the product is. However, it does seem like Bieber might have found her passion, and could genuinely make a name for herself in skincare.

KIM KARDASHIAN AND SKKN

This year Kim Kardashian swapped make-up for skincare, relaunching her former brand KKW Beauty as SKKN. The rebrand seemed to signal the official end of the contour-and-baking Instagram Face era of make-up and the new popularity of the clean girl aesthetic. The range comprised nine products, all of which were deemed “necessary” by Kardashian, who said it replicated her own elaborate routine. However, despite the high price tag (products range from $43 to $95), no amount of skincare can replicate her looks which are actually the result of years of regular laser, stem cell facials and PRP etc.

How random? 1/10. As we know, if there’s one thing the Kardashians love to do, it’s launch a brand, and considering Kim already had a beauty brand, Kylie is the OG beauty mogul and Kourtney is attempting to build a wellness empire, it’s not that random. Doesn’t mean we actually need any of these products though.

BRAD PITT AND LE DOMAINE

Ahh, Le Domaine – a brand launched just days before explosive abuse allegations against actor Brad Pitt were published in the New York Times. The court filing, put forward by his ex-wife Angelina Jolie, claim that “Pitt choked one of the children and struck another in the face” and “grabbed Jolie by the head and shook her” during a 2016 plane ride. He also allegedly “poured beer on Jolie” and “poured beer and red wine on the children.” We do not need his skincare routine right now.

How random? 10/10.