Rare Beauty Case Study

💄 How did Rare Beauty become the most googled brand?

Celebrity-founded brand Rare Beauty never fails to impress.

In 2023, they reached an impressive $400 million in revenue!

But let’s go back to the beginning.

Rare Beauty was founded by Selena Gomez in 2020, inspired by her desire to spark conversations around mental health.

Why?

😢 Post-pandemic research revealed a 60% increase in U.S. teen girls feeling persistently sad or hopeless in 2021.

"I wanted a conversation to start," said Selena.

Now, Rare Beauty has become one of the most talked-about celebrity beauty brands.

So, how did they get there?

The answer is simple:

1. Selena

2. Influencer Focus

3. Built a UGC Community

4. Reels

5. Strategic Product Launch

Stick with me as I break down each strategy so you can apply it to YOUR business.

1️⃣ Celebrity Endorsement

There’s no point hiding it…

Selena herself is a powerful force behind the brand.

Her deep involvement and endorsements attract a loyal following.

Key stats:

→ Rare Beauty shares 36% of its followers with Gomez's personal account.

→ On TikTok, videos featuring Selena see a 211% boost in views compared to the brand’s usual engagement rate.

2️⃣ Influencer Marketing

Rare Beauty's main marketing strategy?

Partnerships with influencers.

The brand focuses primarily on TikTok creators.

The reason is the platform’s rapid growth post-pandemic.

(Remember, Rare Beauty launched during Covid!)

→ Fact: 98% of Rare Beauty's recent ad conversions came from influencers.

According to Click Analytic, 32k TikTok creators mentioned the brand.

3️⃣ UGC

Rare Beauty doesn’t chase UGC; they attract them.

How? They successfully built a strong and loyal customer base.

And it’s through several techniques:

1. They engage with customers on social media.

2. Rare Beauty reposts customer pictures on social media.

3. The brand utilizes customer UGC on the landing page of its website.

This community-first approach opens doors to more UGC content for the brand.

Now, user-generated content helps Rare Beauty increase visibility and engagement.

According to Click Analytic, the brand was mentioned by 63K creators on Instagram.

4️⃣ Reels-first approach

On Instagram, Rare Beauty has also developed a witty approach.

Generally, Rare Beauty’s Instagram strategy shares similar pillars with its TikTok approach.

BUT!

There’s a unique focus on Reels.

Why?

Reels are currently Instagram’s top-performing feature.

Rare Beauty’s emphasis on Reels has paid off:

Reels earn the brand an average of 1.8M views and 90K likes per post.

5️⃣ Strategic Product Launch

But that’s not all when it comes to the brand’s wittiness!

They also launch products in a very smart way.

Instead of overwhelming customers with numerous products,

Rare Beauty developed a clever strategy: launching one product at a time.

For example, in March, they introduced a new powder blush, followed by an exfoliating body wash in May.

Why is this approach powerful?

• It gives focused attention to each product, boosting visibility.

• It turns each launch into a special event, creating sustained excitement.

• It gives the brand time to gather feedback and insights.

In 2023, Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Liquid Blush generated $70M alone.

6️⃣ Creative Marketing

Selena and her team are true marketing wizards.

Case in point: Rare Beauty recently launched a dog toy…

→ designed to look like their iconic Soft Pinch Liquid Blush.

The impact?

• It exploded with UGC (because who wouldn’t share an adorable pet pic?)

• The launch pulled in influencers

• It boosted brand awareness

• And increased major loyalty

The post about the toy generated 160% more engagement on the brand's Instagram page.

😍 Google Ads now reveals competitors stealing your impressions!

✍️ TikTok launches Marketing Education platform

🥳 Instagram adds DM filters to assist creators

🧐Instagram downgrades video quality for less viewed clips

🫢 The brand value of X has declined by 747%