Rihanna On 7 Years Of Fenty Beauty, Plus Inside The Fenty Hair Launch At Sephora

 

No one expected a pop star to revolutionize the beauty industry, but that’s exactly what happened when Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty burst onto the scene with one of the widest shade ranges of foundation, forcing other brands to do the same. As the brand celebrates their seven-year anniversary, that was just the start of their massive influence.

“What I'm always most proud of is the impact our brands have had on the industry,” says Erin O’Neill, Senior Vice President and Chief Brand Officer,

Fenty Beauty Brands at KENDO Brands LVMH. “The term ‘the Fenty effect,’ which we didn't coin, is all about bringing Rihanna's vision to life, which has always been at the heart of everything that we do. That idea of her wanting to create brands where everybody can see themselves in the brand, and the products work for everyone, and being able to make an actual change in an industry like this, is pretty incredible. Bringing this mission around the globe has been exciting and unique.”

Fenty Beauty initially launched in 17 countries at the same time on the same day almost exactly seven years ago. O’Neill has been with the brand from the very beginning, and notes that had never been done before. Fast forward to today and Fenty Beauty is now in over 35 countries in-store, plus ships to over 190 countries from their fentybeauty.com website. Fenty Beauty was the fastest growing beauty brand on social in its first three years from launch, according to ListenFirst media.

To honor their seven-year anniversary, Fenty Beauty has even more to celebrate with Fenty Hair, which debuted in June and is entering Sephora stores today. “We launched Fenty Beauty at Sephora almost seven years ago to the day!” Rihanna exclusively tells Forbes. “So, to bring Fenty Hair to the same retailer that started it all is an incredible full-circle moment.”

This marks the first time consumers can play with and experience Fenty Hair in person. “Our clients immediately connected with Fenty Beauty when it launched at Sephora and it’s been so exciting to see the brand’s continued growth and expansion since then,” says Carolyn Bojanowski, EVP Merchandising at Sephora. “Rihanna has ignited a much-needed movement and conversation around inclusion and standards in beauty, and we’re thrilled to be the only in-person destination for all Fenty brands—Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin, Fenty Eau de Parfum and now, Fenty Hair. We know our Sephora community will resonate with this latest game-changing launch from Rihanna and will enjoy the universal, reparative hair care solutions and stylers for all.”

With the launch of Fenty Hair, the brand now covers every step of a beauty regimen, creating a full beauty universe. “I'm so excited to see the consumers post their routines,” says Sukiana Chancy, Vice President of Brand & Marketing, Fenty Hair at KENDO Brands LVMH. “We are owning their whole shower and post-shower routine—their skincare, makeup, hair, body, fully head-to-toe decked out in Fenty. There are so few brands that can claim to do that. Having all of our brands across skin, makeup, fragrance and now hair resonate with consumers around the world is a phenomenal experience.”

Creating a hair line was always on the docket for Rihanna. “The Fenty Hair launch has been a really long time coming for us, since the very beginning of our conversations with Rihanna,” O’Neill says. “For her, it was always about building a big beauty brand that played across all categories. She's equally passionate about makeup, skincare, fragrance and hair, so she always knew that hair was on her list, and we approached one by one with her.”

It took five years to develop Fenty Hair from start to finish, which was Fenty’s longest development journey by far. “It's been a combination of a lot of things,” O’Neill says. “Hair is obviously much more complex of all the categories, and you've got all different types and textures of hair.”

To ensure Fenty Hair would be universal, it required extensive testing over a long period of time, ranging from salon testing to stylist testing, plus a huge consumer panel. Of course, Rihanna tested it too. “She's got her own personal journey with hairstyles,” O’Neill says. “She needed to test it along the way on all different hairstyles. It was a rigorous process for us to get to something that we really loved.” Then there’s the intoxicating fragrance of Fenty Hair, an amber floral that’s sophisticated with a touch of sweetness, meant to elevate wash day.

They also dedicated significant time to develop their unique and new packaging. “Every brand for Fenty that we create with Rihanna, we try to push a little bit further,” O’Neill says. “We are continuing on a journey to become more and more environmentally friendly. With Fenty Hair, we incorporated aluminum, which is infinitely recyclable, and that was new for us. We spent a lot of time figuring out how you could use texture on the packaging to navigate the brand and how we could make things easy to open and use for people. There was a lot that went into creating Fenty Hair that was really different, that took time for us, which is why it's that much more rewarding to finally be here today and be able to bring it to Sephora where we started.”

The hero ingredient across Fenty Hair is Replenicore-5, a proprietary blend of amino acids, proteins and antioxidants that’s designed to deliver stronger, healthier hair, by repairing, hydrating, smoothing and strengthening it. “Replenicore-5 has great nourishing ingredients that balances the protein and moisture,” Chancy says. “Unlike other strengthening treatments, this will not over-proteinize your hair. We've made it foolproof and accessible, so that anybody can get their hair to make a comeback and bounce back quickly in one use. We didn't want to give consumers something that needs a stylist’s touch and almost a lab coat and a beaker to use—we just wanted it to be easy.”

Replenicore-5 was the piece of the puzzle that took the longest to develop because they wanted something that could work in every single product. “It includes amino acids which mimic the natural amino acids that are in your hair organically, so it's kind of rebuilding those pieces,” Chancy says. “There's also Barbados gooseberry, offering smoothness and moisture that is also giving you that balance of protein and moisture. Obviously, it’s a nod back to Rihanna's heritage and sourced from the Caribbean. Upcycled jackfruit is in there to protect the hair and that sustainability is an important part to us.”

 

-Forbes