From Rihanna To Kim Kardashian: 6 Self-Made Beauty Billionaires

In today’s news, Rihanna officially took Kim Kardashian’s title as the youngest self-made billionaire. 

Though she shot to stardom thanks to her music career, it wasn’t actually her slew of number one hits that made Rihanna her first billion. A large part of her fortune comes from her hugely popular cosmetics brand, Fenty Beauty.

For a glimpse into the brand’s success, in 2020 alone (when we were all trying not to lose our jobs during the pandemic), Fenty reportedly generated $550 million in revenue. And although Kim Kardashian took the title in 2021 after her net worth shot from $780 million to $1 billion (largely in part to her cosmetics brand KKW Beauty), today, Rihanna has secured that self-made crown. 

Sensing a trend here? While it’s true these self-made billionaires have more than one venture on the go at the one time, there’s no denying they’re both cashing in big time on their beauty brands. And it turns out they aren’t the only ones… 

From Kylie Jenner to Pat McGrath, here is a breakdown of all the self-made beauty billionaires.

Rihanna

If you didn’t read the spoiler alert above, then you mightn’t know that as of today, Rihanna is the youngest self-made billionaire in the world. After dropping out of high school at the age of 16 to follow her dreams of a career in music, Rihanna shot straight to stardom as she signed onto Jay-Z’s record label. And though we’re itching for more Rihanna music, we’re incredibly pleased with the work she’s doing with her beauty line. And it turns out we aren’t the only ones, as the success of Fenty Beauty has propelled her to billionaire status. Go RiRi.

Kylie Jenner

There’s something in the water over at the Kardashian/Jenner household because these ladies sure know how to run a beauty business. In 2019, Kylie Jenner was actually awarded the title of youngest self-made billionaire by Forbes, however, further investigation which discovered an inflation in numbers sadly saw Ky stripped of her title. Though it’s hard to get an exact number on Kylie’s current net worth, with numbers claiming anywhere from $700 million to over a billion, we still think she deserves a spot on this list. Because what is celebrity beauty without a Kylie Jenner Lip Kit? Please.

Kim Kardashian

After securing the “self-made” status, fans came for Kim’s legitimacy (in the same way they did for Kylie), with many citing the definition of “self-made” to mean without inheritance or financial aid – two things Kim has been called out for using as a leg up to start her career. Regardless, Kim’s makeup line KKW Beauty (which has since evolved into the recently launched SKKN by Kim) is nothing to scoff at. 

Huda Kattan

With a business recently valued by Forbes at $1 billion dollars, Huda is likely glad she didn’t follow the advice of her parents who were pushing her to study something “serious”. Instead, she followed her passion and took up a career in makeup. What began as a blog soon evolved into a company selling false lashes (backed by a small loan from her sister), and today? Well, a makeup empire and a billion dollars. Sounds pretty “serious” to us…

Anastasia Soare

The last name ‘Soare’ might not ring any bells, but what about Beverley Hills? Yes, that’s right. We’re talking about the self-titled (and self-made) “eyebrow queen.” When no one was concerned with their brows in the ‘90s, Anastasia was obsessed. Launching her brow kits and palettes, she went from a Romanian immigrant to one of the richest women in the USA. We’ve always said it, never underestimate the power of a good brow. 

Pat McGrath

Just as celebs make beauty brands, beauty brands can also make celebs, and this is the case with Pat McGrath. Though her first billion didn’t earn her magazine covers and international media coverage as it did Rihanna or Kim, Pat’s success comes as no surprise considering she’s often the makeup artist behind some of our favourite looks. 

Which self-made billionaire’s beauty brand do you love the most?