Fenty

Corporate brand

An inclusive cosmetics brand founded by Rihanna and developed with LVMH, recognized for broad complexion shade ranges and globally diverse marketing.

Last updated October 14, 2026

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Overview

Fenty Beauty is a cosmetics brand founded by musician and entrepreneur Rihanna and launched on September 8, 2017, through a partnership with LVMH's Kendo division. It was Rihanna's first solo cosmetics brand after earlier collaborations with MAC Cosmetics and fragrance releases made with Parlux. The brand was created around a straightforward market proposition: makeup should work for a substantially wider range of skin tones and types than many prestige brands had historically served. The launch centered on Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Longwear Foundation, initially offered in 40 shades and subsequently expanded. The breadth of the range, particularly at the deeper end of the complexion spectrum, became the brand's defining commercial and cultural feature. Customers and beauty commentators frequently described darker shades as difficult to find elsewhere, while the initial Fenty assortment quickly generated high demand and stock shortages. Fenty's approach helped make shade inclusivity a mainstream competitive issue in prestige cosmetics; rival brands subsequently expanded complexion ranges or introduced new inclusive positioning of their own. Fenty Beauty's portfolio extends beyond foundation. Major categories include concealer, setting powder, primer, highlighter, blush, bronzer, lip color, eye makeup, brushes, sponges, and body illumination. Its best-known products include Pro Filt'r foundation and concealer, Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter, Gloss Bomb lip products, Stunna Lip Paint, and Body Lava. The brand has combined prestige presentation with pricing intended to be more accessible than some luxury competitors, while distributing through Sephora, its own online store, department stores, Boots in the United Kingdom, Ulta Beauty, and other regional channels. Marketing has been central to Fenty Beauty's identity. Early campaigns featured a visibly diverse group of Black, brown, and other models, and later activity addressed makeup across gender lines. The brand has used celebrity, social media, entertainment, gaming, and retail partnerships to extend its reach. Rihanna's 2023 Super Bowl halftime performance included an on-stage Fenty Beauty touch-up, turning a highly visible cultural event into a product demonstration. Fenty also created interactive experiences in Roblox and has worked with ambassadors and creators including Madison Beer, Madison Bailey, Kane Lim, and Nikita Kering. International expansion has proceeded in stages. The United Kingdom initially received the line through Harvey Nichols, followed by Boots availability in 2019. Fenty later announced distribution in eight African countries in 2022, expanded to Ulta Beauty stores and Ulta locations inside Target, and announced a mainland China launch for 2024. In 2025, Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin announced a partnership with the WNBA's New York Liberty, linking brand visibility with sports, diversity, empowerment, and community themes. Fenty Beauty is associated with Rihanna and LVMH rather than operating as a separately listed public company. Public reporting has cited substantial early sales and high brand valuation estimates, but those figures vary by source and period and should not be treated as current audited company results. The brand remains active and is one of the most influential examples of celebrity-founded beauty businesses reshaping product development, advertising representation, and shade-range expectations.

History

Fenty developed from Rihanna's effort to build a consumer business that was not limited to music or conventional celebrity endorsements. The first major operating expression was Fenty Beauty, created with Kendo Brands and launched in 2017. Its initial assortment centered on complexion products, particularly the Pro Filt'r foundation, which debuted with a broad shade range. The launch received extensive attention because it treated representation as a product-development and merchandising issue as well as an advertising theme. Fenty Beauty's subsequent expansion into highlighters, lip products, eye makeup, body products, and skincare reinforced the name's association with accessible prestige beauty and inclusive casting. The brand platform expanded in 2018 through Savage X Fenty, a lingerie venture created with Rihanna and outside financial partners. The business challenged the image of lingerie as a narrowly defined luxury category by presenting a wider range of sizes and bodies. Its runway and streaming presentations became important marketing events, combining fashion-show production, music, dance, and diverse casting. Savage X Fenty operated separately from Fenty Beauty, despite the common founder and visual association. The most ambitious extension came in 2019, when LVMH and Rihanna announced a new luxury house named Fenty. It was structured as a Paris-based fashion business and presented collections spanning clothing, footwear, accessories, and eyewear. The arrangement was notable within the luxury industry because Rihanna became the first woman and first person of African descent to establish an original house with LVMH's fashion and leather-goods group. The label used a direct, contemporary visual language and a digitally oriented launch model rather than relying only on the traditional seasonal fashion calendar. The fashion house's initial momentum did not translate into a long-running ready-to-wear operation. In 2021, LVMH and Rihanna announced that the ready-to-wear activities would be put on hold. The decision reflected the difficulty of building a new luxury house during a period of disruption in fashion and retail, and it distinguished the short-lived Fenty fashion experiment from the still-operating beauty and lingerie ventures. LVMH also remained associated with Fenty-related development through its investment in Fenty Beauty's operating partner, Kendo, while the exact corporate relationships among the ventures remained separate. Across its businesses, Fenty's enduring significance lies in its approach to representation, launch strategy, and founder-led brand architecture. Fenty Beauty's shade breadth became a reference point for competitors, while Savage X Fenty made size inclusion and entertainment-driven commerce central to its identity. The platform also demonstrated both the opportunity and limits of celebrity-founded diversification: a strong founder narrative can accelerate awareness and cultural impact, but each category still requires distinct supply chains, economics, management, and product expertise.

2021
Ready-to-wear fashion activities paused
[4]LVMH and Rihanna put Fenty fashion house on holdlvmh.com
LVMH and Rihanna announced that Fenty's ready-to-wear activities would be placed on hold.
2019
Fenty fashion house announced with LVMH
[3]LVMH and Rihanna create new luxury maison Fentylvmh.com
LVMH and Rihanna announced a new Paris-based luxury house covering fashion, footwear, accessories, and eyewear.
2018
Savage X Fenty launches
[2]About Savage X Fentysavagex.com
The Savage X Fenty lingerie business began operations, extending Rihanna's brand platform into intimates and apparel.
2017
Fenty Beauty launches
[1]About Fenty Beautyfentybeauty.com
Rihanna launched Fenty Beauty with Kendo Brands, initially emphasizing complexion products and a broad foundation shade range.

Products and positioning

Inclusive, culturally influential consumer brand platform combining Rihanna's creative direction with beauty, lingerie, fashion, and digital-commerce partnerships.

Beauty and cosmetics · 2017
Fenty Beauty
Fenty Beauty is the platform's cosmetics business, developed with Kendo Brands. It offers complexion makeup, color cosmetics, lip products, body products, and skincare. Its launch was built around inclusive shade availability and broad representation in product communication. Pro Filt'r foundation and Gloss Bomb are among the best-known offerings associated with the line.
Lingerie and apparel · 2018
Savage X Fenty
Savage X Fenty is a lingerie and apparel business associated with Rihanna. Its range includes bras, underwear, sleepwear, loungewear, and related products. The brand differentiates itself through size diversity, varied body representation, and entertainment-led presentations, while operating as a distinct venture from Fenty Beauty.
Luxury fashion · 2019
Fenty fashion label
The Fenty fashion label was a Paris-based luxury house established with LVMH. Its proposed scope included ready-to-wear clothing, footwear, accessories, and eyewear. The label presented a limited number of collections before its ready-to-wear activities were put on hold in 2021.

Controversies

2021
Artist sues Fenty company over song used in fashion show
An anonymous Islamic musician is suing Rihanna's Fenty company for damages, alleging that the company played the wrong version of her song during its 2020 Savage X Fenty show. The article reports that the musician says the incident led to death threats and forced her into hiding; these are allegations, not findings stated in the source.
Source
2018
Criticism over transgender representation
Rihanna faced criticism after discussing why Fenty Beauty did not conduct dedicated transgender-model castings. She said she opposed tokenistic casting and wanted to respect individuals' privacy; the brand later sponsored a post featuring transgender model Rose Montoya and partnered with transgender influencer Emira D'Spain.
Source

2019Savage X Fenty Show
United States · International streaming audiences
Savage X Fenty used a highly produced music and fashion presentation to promote its lingerie assortment, combining performances with diverse casting and body representation.
Outcome. The format became a recurring brand property and helped distinguish Savage X Fenty from conventional lingerie advertising.
Source
2017Fenty Beauty launch and inclusive shade-range campaign
United States · International
Fenty Beauty introduced its first products through a campaign centered on a broad foundation shade range and models with varied skin tones. The campaign made inclusion a visible part of the product proposition rather than a separate corporate message.
Outcome. The launch generated substantial attention and established Fenty Beauty as a benchmark for inclusive prestige cosmetics.
Source

Brand decisions

2021
Pause Fenty ready-to-wear activitiesStrategy
Background
The new fashion house faced the operating and market challenges of establishing a luxury label during a period of disruption in fashion and retail.
Action taken
LVMH and Rihanna agreed to put the ready-to-wear activities on hold while continuing to work on other Fenty-related projects.
Aftermath
Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty remained the principal active businesses associated with the Fenty name.
Source
2019
Create a luxury fashion house with LVMHM&A
Background
After Fenty Beauty had established Rihanna in the consumer-products market, LVMH and Rihanna chose to extend the name into a new luxury fashion house.
Action taken
The parties established a Paris-based Fenty house covering ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and eyewear.
Aftermath
The house launched collections but its ready-to-wear activities were later paused in 2021.
Source

Recent events

2025
Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin partner with the New York Liberty[6]Criticism over transgender representationen.wikipedia.org
Campaign
The partnership was described as the brands' first official team sponsorship and includes apparel branding and in-arena activations.
2024
Rihanna announces Fenty Beauty mainland China launch[6]Criticism over transgender representationen.wikipedia.org
Other
The brand announced plans to enter mainland China, extending its international distribution footprint.
2023
Fenty Beauty creates Roblox brand experiences[6]Criticism over transgender representationen.wikipedia.org
Campaign · Other
The brand used Roblox experiences to let users engage with Fenty-themed activities and create virtual products.
2023
Fenty Beauty products arrive at Ulta Beauty inside Target[6]Criticism over transgender representationen.wikipedia.org
Other
Fenty Beauty began selling through Ulta Beauty shop-in-shop locations inside Target stores.
2022
Fenty Beauty enters Ulta Beauty[6]Criticism over transgender representationen.wikipedia.org
M&A
Rihanna announced that Fenty Beauty products would begin selling through Ulta Beauty stores in the United States.
2022
Fenty Beauty expands to eight African countries[6]Criticism over transgender representationen.wikipedia.org
Other
The brand announced availability in Ghana, Kenya, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Nigeria, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
2022
Fenty Beauty names Madison Beer as an ambassador[6]Criticism over transgender representationen.wikipedia.org
Leadership change · Campaign
Madison Beer joined a group of brand ambassadors that included Madison Bailey, Kane Lim, and Nikita Kering.
2021
Fenty fashion ready-to-wear activities placed on hold[4]LVMH and Rihanna put Fenty fashion house on holdlvmh.com
Product generation
LVMH and Rihanna agreed to pause the Paris fashion house's ready-to-wear activities while retaining the possibility of focusing on other Fenty-related projects.
2019
LVMH and Rihanna establish the Fenty luxury fashion house[3]LVMH and Rihanna create new luxury maison Fentylvmh.com
M&A · Product launch
LVMH announced a new Paris-based luxury house with Rihanna, extending the Fenty name into ready-to-wear, footwear, accessories, and eyewear.
2019
Fenty Beauty expands its complexion range[6]Criticism over transgender representationen.wikipedia.org
Product launch · Product generation
The brand introduced Pro Filt'r Instant Retouch Concealer in 50 shades, added foundation shades, and launched setting powders and application tools.

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