Selena Gomez

The most followed woman on Instagram.

One of the youngest self-made billionaires in America.

Before Rare Beauty, before Cannes, before the billion-dollar headlines, Selena was a kid in Texas raised by a 16-year-old single mom.

They searched for quarters to buy gas.

Walked to the dollar store for dinner.

But Selena dreamed of something bigger.

By 15, she was a Disney superstar on Wizards of Waverly Place.

By 20, she had sold millions of records and headlined world tours.

Unfortunately, five years later, she got hospitalized for lupus, underwent a kidney transplant, battled bipolar disorder, and survived one of the most public celebrity breakups in modern culture.

Most people would’ve disappeared.

She went and built Rare Beauty.

In 2020, Selena handpicked a leadership team of NYX Cosmetics alumni: Scott Friedman (CEO), Mehdi Mehdi (CDO), and Joyce Kim (Chief Product).

And started building before the pandemic hit.

“I wanted people who’ve been doing this for years, but who were willing to take a chance on me.”

They designed the brand around her vulnerability.

They studied her style, her music, her fans.

Rare Beauty donates 1% of all sales to the Rare Impact Fund.

The goal? Raise $100 million over 10 years for mental health services

By the numbers?
- Viral Soft Pinch Liquid Blush: 3.1M+ units sold in 2022
- 2023 revenue: $300M+
- Valuation in 2024: $2 billion

81% of her net worth comes from Rare Beauty.

But she didn’t stop at business...

She’s the executive producer of 13 Reasons Why, Living Undocumented, and Only Murders in the Building.

The latter earned her Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe nominations.

Her 2021 single “Calm Down” with Rema became the biggest Afrobeats hit of all time: 1B+ Spotify streams.

She co-founded Wondermind, a mental health startup with Apple + Thrive Global backing.

She hosted mental health summits with the U.S. Surgeon General.

She raised $360K for nonprofits through her HBO Max cooking show Selena + Chef.

She publicly opened up about bipolar disorder, infertility, body image, and psychosis.

And in 2025?

She released her 4th album (I Said I Love You First), starred in a Cannes-winning film (Emilia Pérez), revived her Wizards character for a sequel series, and dropped the most requested Rare Beauty launch of all time: powder blush.