Rare Beauty, founded by American singer, songwriter, actor and influencer Selena Gomez in September 2020, announced that its products will be launched in Australia on August 5th 2021. The celebrity-owned beauty brand adopts a unique approach that focuses on shattering unrealistic standards of beauty. The brand was established at a time when beauty standards among people globally are gradually changing to become more inclusive and celebrating individuality. Consumers in Australia are influenced by such global trends, as substantiated by GlobalData’s 2021 Q1 consumer survey, wherein 63% of consumers stated that their purchasing choices are somewhat, often, or always driven by how the world around them is changing*.
The brand was launched along with the Rare Beauty Impact Fund, which aims to raise $100m within ten years to support people with mental health issues, an issue that its celebrity founder is vocal about. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health is one of the most neglected areas of public health, despite approximately one billion people worldwide suffering from some form of mental disorder and one person dying every 40 seconds by suicide^. The Covid-19 pandemic has only worsened the prevalence of mental illnesses^. The brand’s initiatives to support such a pertinent issue will attract 26% of Australian millennials who say that supporting social causes is an essential driver of purchase*.
In addition, the brand claims to make a conscious effort to limit packaging waste wherever possible and has plans to gradually introduce post-consumer recycled materials to its packaging from 2021. The brand claims to use Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified, responsibly sourced, 100% recyclable materials, with water-based inks for printing, for the outer packaging of its products. It also claims that the shipping boxes and every item inside them are made from 100% recyclable or reusable materials. Moreover, the brand is certified by PETA’s Global Beauty Without Bunnies as cruelty-free and vegan. This will strongly resonate with a third of Australian consumers whose product choices are often or always influenced by how ethical, environmentally friendly or socially responsible the product or service is*.
According to the same survey, 40% of Australian consumers say their choice of products/services are often or always influenced by how well it is tailored to their needs and personality. In line with this, Rare Beauty is marketed as a brand that celebrates the uniqueness and the natural beauty of any individual. Therefore, the brand boasts of being inclusive of diversity in terms of age, gender, and race. For instance, Rare Beauty’s product range includes 48 different shades of foundation and concealer to match the natural skin tones of different people.
The beauty brand gained success in North America through social media marketing and plans on replicating the same strategy in Australia. Rare Beauty garnered 2.5 million global Instagram followers within one year of its launch. The brand aims to create a large global community that contributes towards uplifting society. Notably, it uses ‘real people’ in its campaigns, with positive and uplifting content, in what can be a highly curated and filtered digital space. With over 240 million Instagram followers, the founder Selena Gomez also drives online publicity for the Rare Beauty brand.
