Product & Pricing · Global · 2017
Fenty Beauty: 40 Shades on Day One
Rihanna’s brand launched foundation in 40 shades at once and made inclusivity the product, not the ad.
By Maer Media editorial teamPublished 4 October 20263 min readFenty Beauty in-houseMarket & Growth · Branding · Influencer
- Brand
- Fenty Beauty
- Market
- Global
- Year
- 2017
- Category
- Product & Pricing
- Agency or team
- Fenty Beauty in-house
- Channels
- Retail, social, creators
The context
Foundation ranges often ignored darker skin tones, leaving many women underserved by major brands.
Many women with darker skin couldn’t find their shade.
The move
Fenty Beauty launched with 40 foundation shades across a wide range of skin tones, sold through Sephora, and showed the full range in its launch content.
How it was executed
- Launched 40 foundation shades at once.
- Sold through Sephora in many markets.
- Showed the full range of skin tones in launch content.
Rihanna’s brand launched foundation in 40 shades at once and made inclusivity the product, not the ad.
What happened Reported facts
Fenty Beauty reportedly made $100 million in sales in its first 40 days. Darker shades sold out first, and competitors expanded their ranges, a shift the press called “the Fenty effect”.
Why it worked Maer’s analysis
Inclusivity was built into the product, and underserved customers responded strongly.
What to take from it Maer’s analysis
- 01Make the product prove the positioning.
- 02Underserved customers are often the most loyal.
- 03Changing the category standard is a lasting advantage.
Indian beauty brands can serve the full diversity of Indian skin tones and drop colourist messaging entirely.
Where Maer applies this
The same thinking runs through these brand templates:
Sources: Press coverage of Kendo Brands figures (2017). Figures are as publicly reported; Maer Media was not involved in this work and is not affiliated with Fenty Beauty.
The Maer Media editorial team studies how brands are built, from positioning and packaging to launches and growth. Figures in each case study come from the public sources listed above; the analysis and the India notes are our own. More about Maer
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