The celebrity skincare brands that are actually worth your money
From Rihanna’s Fenty Skin to Rose Inc by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, skin experts pick out the best brands from famous faces. By Prudence Wade.
It feels like you can hardly move for celebrities launching skincare lines.
In an already crowded marketspace, a big name might draw you to buy their products – but how can you know if it’s actually worth your money?
“Before investing in any skincare, always remember: it’s not just about the brand, but how the product resonates with your unique skin needs. Always choose wisely, and your skin will thank you,” says dermatologist Laura Geige from Glowbar.
While everyone’s skin is different, experts have picked out these celeb-lead skincare brands as the best of the bunch…
Rose Inc by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley
Rosie Huntington-Whiteley took everything she’d learned as a supermodel and transformed that into a beauty brand in 2018.
GP and aesthetician Dr Ahmed El Muntasar suggests Rose Inc’s pricing is reasonable: “Celebrity products are usually £100-£150 for things like vitamin C serum, whereas her serums range from £55 to £60, so that’s really great.”
His hero product from Rose Inc is the Skin Resolution Clarifying Toner (£24.50, Sephora UK).
“It’s less than £25 and it has got a nice cocktail of acids, such as glycolic and lactic, which are good for gently exfoliating your skin,” he says.
“It will naturally exfoliate the skin without stripping the skin barrier and without causing damage, so this is a great product. It’s also great for a variety of skin colours, because this could be used on black skin without causing risks of things such as hyperpigmentation.”
Fenty Skin by Rihanna
After taking the make-up world by storm, in 2020 singer Rihanna launched Fenty Skin – with a similar emphasis on catering to all types of skin tones and textures.
“I’ve seen a lot of brands come and go, but Fenty Skin by Rihanna truly caught my attention, not just because of its star-studded name but due to its commitment to inclusivity and thoughtful formulation,” says Geige.
She particularly appreciates Fenty Skin’s “sustainable approach” with its packaging, as well as its ethos: “Rihanna’s mission is clear: skincare should be for everyone. The brand embraces all skin types, tones and textures, filling a significant gap in the market.”
Plus, when it comes to ingredient, the products are “not just about omitting harmful ones, but also infusing beneficial ones like Barbados cherry and hyaluronic acid to hydrate and brighten”, Geige adds.
Her favourite product from the range? The Hydra Vizor Invisible Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen (£34).
“I cannot stress enough to my clients the importance of daily sun protection. This product not only moisturises but also offers robust protection against UVA/UVB rays without leaving that dreaded white cast,” Geige says. “It’s lightweight, blends seamlessly, and is coral reef-friendly.”
The Outset by Scarlett Johansson
Marvel star Scarlett Johansson launched The Outset with former fashion and beauty executive Kate Foster in 2022.
Shelly Woods, advanced aesthetics practitioner and founder of Skin Techniques, likes how the brand’s products tap into the trend for ‘skinimalism’ (skin minimalism!).
“If you’re using fewer products, you want them to be as high-performing as possible,” she says – and Johansson’s products might just do the trick.
They “avoid gluten and nut allergens; they’re noncomedogenic (meaning they won’t clog pores), fragrance-free, vegan and cruelty-free, and they’re formulated without over 2,700 ingredients that the brand has flagged as potentially harmful or irritating. That’s a win-win for me,” Woods says.
She particularly recommends the Restorative Niacinamide Night Cream (£45).
“Niacinamide helps to boost cell turnover, improve texture and protect skin from environmental stress,” she says, and it also contains bakuchiol – “a gentler and non-irritating botanical alternative to retinol, [which] smooths the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.”
Rhode Skin by Hailey Bieber
Model Hailey Bieber has taken over TikTok with the sleek packaging of her brand, Rhode Skin. But are the products themselves worth your money?
Woods suggests so, saying: “It moves away from the traditional celebrity approach of using natural or low-impact ingredients but instead focuses on barrier-boosting ingredients.”
These include niacinamide, as well as peptides and squalene – “in concentrations that have a proven efficacy”, she adds.
Woods recommends the Peptide Glazing Fluid (£29), saying it’s “Hailey’s signature step to dewy, glazed skin”.
Kora Organics by Miranda Kerr
Australian model Miranda Kerr was one of the original celebrities to dive into the now-crowded world of skincare, setting up Kora Organics back in 2009. The clue’s really in the name: Kerr focuses on plant-powered ingredients that are ‘certified organic’.
Dr Ashwin Soni from The Soni Clinic says the ingredients in many of the products are “known to brighten and tighten the skin and reduce inflammation”.
He recommends trying the Turmeric 2-in-1 Brightening And Exfoliating Mask (£45, Sephora UK via the Klarna App), as the ingredients “gently polish the skin to reveal smoother and a brighter looking complexion”.
He suggests using it either as an exfoliating scrub, or left on as a detoxifying mask.
