In Review: The celeb-backed beauty brands that dominated 2024

The beauty industry was on full speed ahead this year, from store openings and product launches to pop-ups and so much more. The ephemeral industry continued to embrace celebrity-backed beauty brands from Hailey Bieber's Rhode to Negin Mirsalehi's Gisou.

As shoppers can't get enough of celeb-backed beauty, trusting the shiny stars' recommendations, TheIndustry.beauty took a look back at the influencer and A-lister-backed beauty businesses that dominated 2024 and their stand-out 'wow' moments.

Hailey Bieber's Rhode

It's no secret that Hailey Bieber's Rhode topped the beauty charts in 2024. From launching its coveted Pocket Blushes as well as its Barrier Cream to bringing its first in-person retail space to the UK, Rhode certainly made its mark in 2024.

Over the past few years, Hailey Bieber and her beauty secrets have had the beauty industry in a chokehold, whether it be for her 'glazed doughnut' manicure or 'cookie butter' hair colour. Since her skincare brand Rhode launched at the end of 2022, fans have clamoured to snap up her glaze-inducing skincare products.

In June of this year, the brand ventured into colour cosmetics for the first time with its Pocket Blush. The oh-so-small and dainty stick blushes are available in six shades. The formula promises to wake up cheeks and lips with a "diffused flush that melts on smoothly and stays all day".

In October, the brand made headlines once again. It started a frenzy after confirming that it's coming to the UK with its first-ever pop-up in London, from 17-20 October. The pop-up, located at 6-7 Motcomb Street, offered customers a chance to try out the new Barrier Butter before its launch on 28 October and to shop its cult-favourite products.

Ariana Grande's r.e.m beauty

Ariana Grande was in the blockbuster of the year - Wicked. Not only did she see success on the Hollywood stage, but also from her makeup and fragrance lines.

Towards the start of the year, r.e.m beauty received 'strategic investment' from Sandbridge Capital, a private investment firm specialising in high-growth global brands. The partnership powered r.e.m. beauty's global potential through continued product innovation, talent acquisition and geographic expansion. Oh boy, did it do just that.

In August, the Grande launched her new fragrance line, Lovenotes, adding to her portfolio of sweet-as-can-be fragrances. Soon after, as expected, r.e.m launched its Wicked collaboration.

With Ariana Grande starring as Glinda, it's perhaps no surprise that her beauty brand launched a collection of Wicked-inspired products ahead of the movie's release in November.

The range drew on the themes and characters from Wicked, with a magical collection of products including a Glinda Glow Drops Serum, Ozdust Eyeshadow Palette, Tulip Field Lip Stain and So Popular pH Adaptive Lip Oil, each housed in intricately illustrated packaging.

Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty

Controversially, we're including both Selena Gomez and Hailey Bieber in one feature. Not only do they share a similar type in men, but they both have a knack for the beauty industry.

Singer and actress Selena Gomez has more than just her recent engagement to celebrate. This year, she reached billionaire status thanks to her popular beauty brand Rare Beauty. The American actress has amassed a fortune worth $1.3 billion, according to Bloomberg, which added Gomez to its Billionaires Index.

Rare Beauty was inspired by her third studio album, Rare. It promotes self-acceptance and mental health awareness, emphasising that beauty is not about perfection.

Renowned for its evergreen Soft Pinch Liquid Blush, which quickly reached viral status and kicked off the rosy cheeks trend, Rare Beauty expanded its blush offering. Don't fix what's not broken, right? Tapping into the growing trend of glazed blush, similar to its liquid sister, the brand launched the next generation of the Soft Pinch family - the Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush. It may not have reached the same status as Gomez's fame or the Liquid Blush's it certainly reached heights. The "unexpectedly smooth and incredibly weightless"airy blush is highly pigmented and packed with multi-faceted pearls for a natural-looking dimension and glow.

Harry Styles' Pleasing

Backed by major A-lister and heartthrob Harry Styles, there's no surprise Pleasing has made countless headlines in 2024. Not only did it launch an SPF line, but it also embarked on not one but two hit collaborations.

In July, just in time for the extremely sunny (sarcasm intended) British summer, Pleasing launched into suncare with two new products, continuing its category expansion under CEO Shaun Kearney. Suitable for daily use, the brand's new Solar Dew Mineral Serum SPF 50+ (£45) and Big Lip HA Moisture Balm SPF 30+ (£25) promise to protect all skin types against harmful UV radiation.

Then, in September, it launched its first-ever collab with none other than Disney's Fantasia. The highly-anticipated collaboration, which reimagined Disney's iconic animation from the 1940s,  included three limited edition nail polish sets, a freshly packaged Hand + Nail Balm and a new flavour of Big Lip HA Moisture Balm.

On a role, it launched its second-ever collab with JW Anderson, the British-based luxury fashion brand. Styles teamed up with long-time friend Anderson on a collection full to the brim of "colour, joy, excitement, and sensory experiences".

Negin Mirsalehi's Gisou

Turning our attention to influencers, Gisou's recent London pop-up has cemented its place amongst the beauty industry greats. Have you ever seen a more bespoke and glamour-infused pop-up?

Gisou, the brainchild of influencer Negin Mirsalehi, is a luxury haircare brand inspired by her family's beekeeping heritage. Launched in 2015, Gisou harnesses the nourishing properties of honey and propolis to create hair products beloved by celebrities and beauty enthusiasts alike.

Renowned for its bestselling honey-infused hair oil, Gisou brought the festive magic back to London this December with a crystal-adorned holiday-themed pop-up in Covent Garden.  From 11-15 December, the ultra-glam pop-up offered shoppers a chance to "experience the brand in an entirely new way", will limited-edition collector's items, apparel, and more in-store to shop.

Gisou also expanding its product range this year, adding more shades to its beloved Honey Infused Lip Oil and releasing the Honey Infused Hair Perfumes.

Matilda Djer's Djerf Avenue Beauty

Despite its recent fall from grace, after a Swedish documentary was released accusing Founder and CEO Matilda Djerf of poor treatment of staff, Djerf Avenue Beauty certainly took off with a bang this year.

In March Swedish fashion brand Djerf Avenue entered the beauty category for the first time with two haircare products after its Founder received a constant flood of adoration over her swooping bangs and voluminous locks. It launched with a volume spray called The Breezy Styling Mist (£25) and a multi-use styling gel called The On-The-Go Styling Gel (£19).

The minimalist brand, loved by Gen Z and Millenial consumers, celebrated its fifth birthday by hosting a pop-up in London this December. Unsurprisingly, Covent Garden was soon flooded by well-dressed 20-somethings lining up to shop Djerf Avenue in person for the first time. Throughout the pop-up, Djerf Avenue’s community was invited to have their hair styled for free by Dyson Beauty, using Djerf Avenue Beauty products, of course, and Essie manicures will be available on the weekends. Dyson appointments were booked up in less than one minute after launch!

Also in December, Djerf collaborated with Hailey Bieber's Rhode on a viral peppermint lip peptide. However, this has now been removed from the website following Djerf's documentary drama.

Although Djerf Avenue Beauty was climbing the haircare ranks, the documentary has led shoppers to question purchasing from the influencer-from-entrepreneur. Let's see if she can come back from cancellation.

Caroline Hirons' Skin Rocks

Somewhat of a British celeb, thanks to her much-loved skincare blog, Caroline Hirons has taken the skincare world by storm with the launch of her eponymous brand Skin Rocks. Hirons launched Skin Rocks in November 2022, initially with two Retinoid products, and has steadily expanded the line since. This year, not only did the brand hit the ground running with category expansions, but it also entered Liberty and (most importantly, in our opinion) won the 'Experience' TheIndustry.beauty award.

Back in February, Skin Rocks landed at Liberty in its hallowed London beauty hall and online. The move is close to the heart of Hirons, who began her career on beauty counters and has gone on to become one of the industry's most pre-eminent experts, via her Youtube, Facebook and Instagram channels, wider media appearances, and more recently as a brand founder in her own right.

On 4 July, beauty innovators gathered at the Corinthia hotel for TheIndustry.beauty's first ever Awards. Skin Rocks won the Experience award for its counter at Liberty. Not only does the brand offer its full line-up of products in-store, but also exclusive treatments that are only available at Liberty. The services include ROUTINE RESET and THE GLOW BOOSTER, both curated by Hirons and lasting 15 minutes each, to help beauty enthusiasts achieve their healthiest skin.

This year, Skin Rocks also expanded its offering by not one, not two but three categories. In February, it launched two new exfoliating acid toners, followed by a new Illuminating Antioxidant Serum in July and its "most indulgent cleansing experience yet" in November.

Paris Hilton x Tan Luxe

Last, but not least, TheIndustry.beauty is giving a special mention to Paris Hilton's latest beauty venture. Teaming up with Tan Luxe, she created this year's most talked about tan.

Hilton, the self-proclaimed tan-a-holic, teamed up with Tan-Luxe to present the future of tanning in April. According to Hilton, THE FUTURE Airbrush 360 Self-Tan Mist is "the easiest-to-use, longest-lasting, and most hydrating tan ever". The pink-clad tan mist is the latest "groundbreaking" formula that aims to "redefine beauty standards" by bringing professional-grade tanning to one's home.

This isn’t the socialite-turned DJ-turned entrapaner’s first foray into beauty. Back in 2004, Hilton attempted to revolutionise celebrity fragrances with her debut scent – Paris Hilton for Women. This passion project soon turned into a multi-million-pound business.

Fusing her two passions, the tanning mist features an exclusive sparkling Pink Sands scent, curated exclusively by Hilton for Tan-Luxe.