The concept of a celebrity beauty brand isn’t anything new. People have been hooked on the idea since Elizabeth Taylor launched a fragrance empire in 1987, proving its massive marketability. Later on, the 1990s saw supermodel Iman create a shade-inclusive makeup line, setting the stage for models to become industry moguls. The 2000s saw the rise of pop star perfumes, with Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, and Mariah Carey turning their personas into best-selling scents. Back then, everyone wanted to smell like their idols—a blend of candy, glamour, and fantasy.
But the 2010s changed the game entirely. Social media gave celebrity brands unparalleled visibility, with Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics serving as the blueprint. The Lip Kit’s viral success was fueled by Jenner’s online magnetism, proving that the power of a well-hyped launch—and sustained digital engagement—could turn a celebrity’s name into a billion-dollar empire.
Fast forward to today, celebrities across the globe are jumping into the beauty business, including male superstars like Brad Pitt (Le Domaine) and Lebron James (The Shop). Locally, several female stars and influencers have been launching their own beauty lines, each business a sensible offshoot of their personal brands. But with whispers of a slowdown1 of the celebrity beauty trend in the U.S., could the Philippines follow suit?
Here, we give a rundown of both established and rising celeb brands to discover just what makes them work—and if it’s enough to make people stick around.
The Pillars: Early Entrants-Turned-Big Players
blk cosmetics

Anne Curtis-Smith is one of the founders of this giant beauty line made possible by the expertise of Jacqe Gutierrez, who was also behind Happy Skin Cosmetics. Curtis-Smith, a celebrity who needs no introduction, launched blk alongside Gutierrez and managing partner Stephanie Abellada in 2017, marketing it as “uncomplicated beauty.”
In a video sharing the origins of blk, Curtis-Smith says that it was a “love project” of hers that felt “personal” because makeup had always been her passion and something she was known for: “It all started kasi with everyone always asking me what’s the shade of your lipstick?”
According to data from Statista, blk cosmetics’ revenue was valued at approximately 4.1 million U.S. dollars in the first quarter of 2020.
VICE Cosmetics

Vice Ganda launched his eponymous makeup line shortly after blk in 2017, first with a range of 16 bullet lipsticks. In an interview with Pep.ph, the TV host, comedian, and box-office royalty said that he decided to make a brand because of the qualms he had endorsing other products before. “I want this brand to be me, to be mine, to be my name. I want this brand to be Vice Ganda.”
VICE Cosmetics now has everything from lip oils, foundation, powders, and eye products, staying true to its mantra “ganda for all.” In 2018, the brand sold a year’s supply of lipsticks in one month.
Sunnies Face

Georgina Wilson, Bea Soriano-Dee, Eric Dee, and Martine Cajucom aren’t just enviably stylish people. They’re born entrepreneurs. So when their first business Sunnies Studios took off, it was only a matter of time for a beauty spinoff to take flight.
Sunnies Studios and Sunnies Face were never marketed as the personal brands of its founders but their natural coolness extended to the brands’ identities, resulting in covetable ‘It girl’ products. Going beyond the local beauty scene, Sunnies Face blends global trends and innovation while catering to Filipina needs, creating a name for F-beauty worldwide. The brand is known for its cult-favorite Fluffmatte which sells a piece every 30 seconds.
The Promising Stars: Brands With Huge Potential
Five Beauty

GMA star Gabbi Garcia launched Five Beauty in 2023 to expand her portfolio of businesses. After starting a hair salon, venturing further into beauty was a perfect fit given her affinity for makeup. “I’m such a beauty girl from the get-go,” she tells Pep.ph.
With the motto of “ready in five,” the brand interestingly only has one product to date: the Hybrid Colour Stick, a multi-use product for the cheeks, eyes, and lips packed with skin-caring ingredients. Available on Lazada and Shopee, it has nearly five-star reviews on both platforms.
Small Steps Skin

With her string of endorsements and massive celebrity pull, it didn’t take long for Small Laude to monetize her status through her personal skincare brand. The socialite-turned-YouTube superstar released Small Steps in December 2023 as an answer to complicated skincare routines.
Featuring a pared-down ensemble of daily essentials, Small Steps makes use of powerful ingredients like vitamin C, niacinamide, allantoin, and bakuchiol, known for their brightening and hydrating properties. Why skincare? In a YouTube video, Laude explains that people would frequently ask about her glowing skin, and this inspired her to launch her own line. To date, Small Steps has hundreds of purchases per product on Shopee with a steady rating of 4.9 stars.
Lucky Beauty

Mention the term ‘Gen Z celeb’ and people will most likely think of Andrea Brillantes first. Only 21 years old, the former Goin’ Bulilit star has grown into a style icon with undeniable star quality on and off-screen. She has 14.2 million followers on Instagram to date who all rave about her outfits and makeup looks. When she introduced the brand in March 2023, Andrea, also known as Blythe, made sure to inject her brand of playful romanticism through pink and gold packaging, dreamy visuals, and evocative copywriting.
Reflecting her love for makeup, the brand’s range runs the gamut from concealer and foundation to blush, lip gloss, highlighter, and even perfume. Interestingly, the most popular products on Shopee are her fragrance samples which sell around 10,000 pieces per month, while the Aura powder blush sells 5,000.
The Newbies: Recent Releases Worth Trying
CKIN Collective

Camille Co is an “OG blogger” who constantly stays on top of her fashion and social media game through engaging content and keeping her community close. Was an anti-acne skincare brand the first thing people would expect from her? Perhaps not. But considering her personal acne journey, it made perfect sense.
She launched Ckin Collective with utmost thoughtfulness and care, creating it in tandem with skin scientist Dr. Katerina Stevenson, industry veteran Emma Hagemo, and more. Aside from carefully selected ingredients, Co pushes for a “skinfulness” philosophy that promotes holistic acne prevention that starts with mindfulness.
Asul

Celeste Cortesi, Miss Universe Philippines 2022, is the first Filipina beauty queen to make strides in the business of beauty. Just last October, the half-Italian stunner released Asul Lip Care with the launch of its hero product, the Asul Lip Plumper. She reveals to Pep.ph, “I’ve always been so obsessed with my lips and lip care in general” and that for her, lip care is an unaddressed market in the Philippines.
One of Cortesi’s most striking features is her lips, making her lipcare brand a no-brainer. Although it’s too early to measure the brand’s success, Asul has good reviews so far, appreciated for its ultra-hydrating and plumping effects.
ōra by SOLÁ

Another pageant queen making her mark in beauty is Kylie Verzosa. Back in January this year, the Miss International 2016 Winner unveiled Sola, the first modern shapewear line in the Philippines. Recently, Verzosa expanded the brand through ōra, a line of firming body lotions made to complement the shapewear by “toning your skin.”
This isn’t Kylie’s first foray into beauty though. Clearly, as a high fashion icon, she also wears luxury beauty products to go with her trendy outfits. In June 2024, L’Oreal collaborated with Sola to launch its Nude Attitude Collection of Infallible Matte Lipsticks. It was the first time the global brand collaborated with a local one.
Star Power and the Beauty Market
Given the never-ending news of launches from the stars, this just shows the enduring power of ‘celebrity’ in the Philippines, a nation known for its solid pop culture fanbase. According to research, the era of celebrity endorsement began in the 1990s and grew stronger through a mix of PR, advertisement, and televisual media. Researcher Anna Christina Pertierra calls this combination a “national conveyor of popular culture and entertainment in the last decade of the 20th century.”
Despite the insurgence of social media, Pertierra argues that this power was not diminished, but rather, expanded and transformed. So impactful is the consumption of celebrity-led media that, in many cases, these personalities generate political capital. But from a simple business perspective, it’s clear that celebrities, big or small, have found loyal audiences that are more than willing to buy into their brands.
Aside from the ever-evolving “entertainment public” touted by Pertierra, another obvious reason is the natural expansion of celebrities’ personal brands. Now more than ever, celebrities embody the term “larger than life,” with their presence on the silver screen, TV screen, mobile screens, billboards, and endorsements in malls. Social media has given people more access to their lifestyles, creating a desire for more. With all bases covered, the only logical step is to create something fans can incorporate into their own lives, a piece of the celebrity experience.
Such is the progression of brand-building–giving a bit of yourself in fresh new ways—and it’s also part of empire-building. With access to resources and financial capital on hand, it’s easier for celebrities to establish business ventures that could provide a steady stream of future-proof income.
It’s not just for the sake of making more money either. As we’ve seen in celebrities’ answers regarding their brand origins, most of them imbibe a sense of empowerment—why not create their own brand instead of endorsing one they don’t fully believe in? The Los Angeles Times emphasizes this longing for creative autonomy and mentions that large margins of beauty products are an extra incentive for celebrities too.
Ira Nopuente, a former Cosmo beauty editor, gives her take on celebrities venturing into beauty specifically: “Celebrities feel that it’s natural to build a beauty business because it’s something they encounter every day. They sit on the makeup chair almost every day. Their ‘puhunan’ (capital) are their pretty faces. The fans want to get glowing skin like their idol or even own the exact lipstick the celeb used during an iconic event or shoot.”
Obstacles and Opportunities
blk, VICE, and Sunnies Face have withstood their infant years, so much so that their celebrity associations are practically defunct. Newer brands need to surpass this challenge as well by letting the brand speak for itself. How? Quite obviously, “The products need to work,” shares Sephora’s Alison Hahn shares with U.S. beauty publication Allure in a piece called “Inside The World of Mysterious Celebrity Beauty Brands.”
Shares blk’s Gutierrez, “I think blk definitely had a fast track to getting awareness because of Anne. But after that, the next job was to make sure we convert the awareness into sales by consistently providing innovative and high-quality products.”
Moreso, before a brand can stand on its own feet, it’s important for celebrities to “live their brand values,” according to a Nielsen report on celeb beauty. It’s what made Kora Organics by Miranda Kerr, Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, and Fenty Beauty by Rihanna flourish while others merely stayed in the periphery. Nielsen also mentions the challenge of standing out in this attention economy. Celeb beauty brands are not just competing against other local beauty brands but with everything else visible online, from Google search and Instagram to TikTok.
Lastly, celeb beauty brands need to keep in mind that today’s consumers are highly critical. “I believe the consumers now are smarter,” Nopuente points out. “They just don’t buy anything they see being pushed on their feed. They are more mindful of their purchases, but curiosity will always be there. It helps if a celeb beauty brand [does] pop-ups or stores where the customer can experience the products instead of relying on influencer posts or online reviews on social media.”
Amid these challenges, the forecast seems bright for business in general. According to the latest data from Statista, the cosmetics market is projected to reach a revenue of $794.20 million units in 2024 with a growth rate of 1.23% (2024 to 2029). It’s interesting to note that 74% of sales in 2024 is projected to come from non-luxury brands, which celebrity products fall under.
So, Have We Seen the Last of Celeb Brands?
Our verdict: Highly unlikely. Between the Filipinos’ love for artistas, a growing beauty market, and the power of social media, celebrity brands seem poised to thrive. While not all stars are diving headfirst into creating their own businesses, they’re either collaborating with big brands or working with them as endorsers. Recent examples include Lovi Poe’s “Love, You By Lovi” collection with Ready Set Glow and Heart Evangelista’s debut as the face of GRWM Cosmetics’ Face Card Eye Collection.
Such projects further strengthen the celebrity currency in the Philippines, keeping the landscape primed for more artista-owned beauty companies. “I think more and more celebrities will venture into creating their own business because they already have a captured market, they have built credibility over time, and their fans trust them,” says Gutierrez. “They just need to be able to identify a product that aligns seamlessly with the image they’ve cultivated—one that resonates with their audience and earns consumer trust.”
She adds that equally important is assembling a strong operational team that prioritizes product innovation, efficient sourcing, strategic marketing, and seamless distribution—critical components of a thriving enterprise. After all, a famous name can only take you so far.
Beyond star power, the appeal of these brands is undeniable when they promise formulations designed specifically for Filipina complexions and unique beauty needs. Even those who aren’t naturally drawn to celebrity hype might find themselves curious—and tempted. Us, included.
- See: “The Golden Era of Celebrity Beauty Brands Is Ending” (Bloomberg); “For Celebrity Beauty Brands, a Cloudy Future” (Business of Fashion); “Is the Celebrity Beauty Brand in its Flop Era?” (LBB Online). ↩︎
WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY ELAINE REYES.