Ever since launching her enormously successful Kylie Cosmetics empire in 2015, Kylie Jenner went from being a teenage reality star to Forbes naming her the youngest self-made billionaire. The TV personality, who earns over $1 million per sponsored post on Instagram, has certainly become a force to be reckoned with in the makeup industry, which has since seen the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Lady Gaga, and Kesha debut their own respective cosmetic brands.
The truth is, there’s a lot of money to be made in the beauty industry, and celebs have realized that instead of endorsing other brands, why not just start your own and self-promote it on social media? That’s exactly what Kylie did, and now she has one of the most successful cosmetic brands in the world, which certainly isn’t an easy accomplishment.
Another celeb who has been getting a lot of attention with her cosmetics line is Rihanna, who launched her Fenty Beauty back in September 2018 and quickly becoming a fan-favorite company for its inclusivity and wide range of shades for women of all colors.
With their booming businesses both surpassing the billion-dollar mark in worth, it’s fair to assume that Rihanna and Kylie have made a fortune from their firms, but that still begs the question of who’s been doing it better than the other?
Who’s Richer: Rihanna Or Kylie Jenner?
In late 2020, Kylie’s net worth was estimated to be $700 million, with a huge chunk of that money stemming from the deal she signed in November 2019 when KJ sold 51% of her company to Coty Inc. for a reported $600 million.
Kylie Cosmetics’ value as a company was believed to be around $1.2 billion at the time of the sale, which left the mother of one with just about $340 million after taxes.
Over the summer of 2019, Travis Scott’s ex-girlfriend had also launched a skincare brand called Kylie Skin, which has done tremendously well in earnings — so much that the sales of products such as moisturizers, exfoliating face scrubs, and cleansers are bringing her another hefty source of income.
Prior to the Kar-Jenners ending their 14-year-run on E!, which the family announced in a statement given in September 2020, Kylie and her family were making a ridiculous amount of money shooting episodes for their hit reality show, Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
In 2017, for example, Kris Jenner inked a $150 million deal to extend the partnership with the network for another five seasons. The famous momager later went on to tell Ellen Degeneres in November of that same year that the money made from E! has always been split evenly between each family member.
“I’m lucky if I get paid by the time the girls get finished with me,” Kris joked during her chat on Ellen’s talk show. “Everybody gets paid pretty much equally, ‘cause we all film a lot and we all work hard, and we’ve created this show and this brand for the last decade…Everybody’s happy.”
That would technically mean Kylie’s share of that amount would have been no more than $3-4 million per season, which in comparison is nothing compared to the $1 million she reportedly commands to post sponsored content on her official Instagram account that boasts over 200 million followers.
In comparison, Rihanna, who has had a tremendous career in the music industry, having sold over 80 million records worldwide and being ultimately known as the Princess of R&B, her start in the beauty business came rather late — at least not as early as Kylie.
Since Fenty Beauty’s launch in 2018, the company was estimated to have made $570 million in revenue by the year’s end, leaving the “Umbrella” with a generous income. It should be noted, however, that RiRi only owns 15% of the firm since the beauty brand was launched with several investors including Kendo Holdings and LVMH.
Rihanna has two sub-brands including Fenty Beauty: Fenty Skin and her lingerie line Savage x Fenty. As a collective, the Fenty empire is bringing in more than $650 million in revenue per year, but RiRi would only get a 15% stake of that fortune.
Rihanna, nonetheless, has still amassed a huge net worth because of her success not just as a fashion designer, entrepreneur, actress, but also one of the best-selling female artists of all time, whose career took off in 2005 following the release of her debut album, Music of the Sun.
Some of her biggest singles include “We Found Love,” “What’s My Name?” “Only Girl In The World,” “Diamonds,” and “Needed Me.”
The Bajan beauty is currently rumored to be working on her ninth studio album, which is expected for a highly-anticipated release later this year.
