Fenty Beauty: Everything you need to know about Rihanna’s make up range

She launched the company back in 2017

Author: Georgie HollandPublished 19th Feb 2024

After Rihanna registered the company name 'Fenty Beauty' back in 2014, fans were holding out hope that the singer was working on her own make-up range. And, in 2017 our prayers were answered, with RiRi launching the now world-renowned Fenty Beauty.

Now that the brand has been around for over six years, there are PLENTY of Fenty Beauty products for us to sink our teeth into, including over 50 foundation and concealer shades. Here's everything you need to know about her iconic beauty line!

When did Rihanna launch Fenty Beauty?

Rihanna unveiled the hotly anticipated range on 8th September 2017. The singer launched her brand at Sephora in Time Square, New York, where she served customers who had patiently lined up, and Ri-Ri even tested out the products on some of them.

Upon launching, Fenty Beauty by Rihanna spanned a total of 91 products, with the range dropping simultaneously at 1,600 stores in 17 countries. Offering a wide range, the company was designed for women of all shades.

What Fenty Beauty products are there?

The range initially boasted blushers, bronzers, contour sets, foundations and highlighters, with prices starting at £21 for Shimmer Skinstick and £26 for the Longwear Foundation. The initial launch of Ri-Ri’s range was heavily complexion based, but she has since expanded the range to include eye and lip products, as well as launching Fenty Skin.

Some of the most famous products Fenty Beauty now have to offer include the Gloss Bomb Lip Luminizer, the Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint and the Double Cheek'd Up Freestyle Cream Blush Duo.

How many foundation shades are there?

The foundations come in a seriously impressive 50 shades. Speaking about her range, Rihanna said: ‘It was essential that women everywhere would be included’.

Rihanna was inspired to create Fenty Beauty after noticing a void in the make up market for products that performed across all skin types and tones. So she’s focussed on a: ‘Wide range of traditionally hard-to-match skin tones, creating formulas that work for all skin types, and pinpointing universal shades.’

When was Fenty Beauty launched in the UK?

Fenty Beauty launched in the UK in 2017, in partnership with Harvey Nichols. The product range could also be purchased from FentyBeauty.com, and it is also now available from Boots.

As Rihanna says: “Makeup is there for you to have fun with. It should never feel like pressure. It should never feel like a uniform. Feel free to take chances, and take risks, and dare to do something new or different.”

What is Fenty Skin?

Following the popularity of the makeup range, Rihanna also launched a collection of skin care products called Fenty Skin. The collection currently includes eye creams, cleansers, exfoliating treatments and moisturisers, and continues to expand.

Now take a look through Rihanna's amazing career:

2005: First signing

In 2005, Rihanna was discovered by American record producer Evan Rogers in her home country of Barbados. The 16-year-old's demo was then sent to Def Jam Recordings, where it was played to the company's new CEO Jay-Z. Jay-Z invited Rihanna to audition and RiRi left the audition with a six album record deal... easy as that!

2005: 'Pon de Replay'

It wasn't long before RiRi then released her first album 'Music of the Sun', which sold over two million copies worldwide. It was then in May 2005 the world was graced with the anthem that is 'Pon de Replay' - meaning 'play it again' in Bajan Creole, one of the official languages of Rihanna's home country Barbados. The track had appeared on her original demo that landed her that record deal. The song sold a whopping two million copies, charting top 10 in the UK, US and across the globe.

2006: Ri's first Number 1 single

2006 saw the release of Rihanna's second studio album 'A Girl Like Me', containing bangers such as 'Unfaithful' and 'We Ride'. The album also featured what became her first ever number 1 single 'SOS'.

2007: 'Good Girl Gone Bad'

2007 saw Rihanna go from teen-popstar to legendary icon. With the release of the chart topping hit 'Umbrella', RiRi showcased her new, sleek look that has been described by critics as a turning point in her career. The star well and truly ditched her innocent teen look, opting for an edgier, bad girl vibe.

2008: Rihanna's first grammy

After receiving four nominations for the 2008 GRAMMYs, including 'Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals', 'Record of the Year' and 'Best Dance Recording', Rihanna walked away from the annual award ceremony the winner of the 'Best Rap/Sung Performance' award - her first ever GRAMMY crown!

2009: 'Rated R'

2009 warmly welcomed the hard-hitting album 'Rated R', including hits such as 'Rude Boy', 'Te Amo' and 'Russian Roulette'. The mature album reflected on the star's recent struggles and was described by critics as her most layered and heartfelt effort.

2010: 'LOUD'

Now 2010 was quite the year for this superstar; after ditching her signature dark hair, the star opted for a vibrant red do. Oh, and she also released her fifth studio album 'Loud' that landed her her first ever GRAMMY nomination for 'Album of the Year', featuring her and Drizzy Drake collab for the first time ever. The legendary collab 'What's My Name' featured on the album alongside 'S&M', 'Only Girl (In The World)' and 'Love The Way You Lie (Part II)'. Since then, Rihanna and Drake have gone on to team up on multiple other tunes, including 'Take Care'.

2011: 'We Found Love'

In 2011 the world welcomed with open arms one of Rihanna's most iconic songs 'We Found Love'. Featuring on her sixth studio album 'Talk That Talk', the star teamed up with Scottish DJ Calvin Harris to produce this, how do you say it... masterpiece. Other than becoming a staple song at any teen disco and/or house-party, the song went on to win the singer awards for 'Best R&B/Urban Dance Track', 'Best Commercial/Pop Dance Track', 'Video Of The Year' and 'Best Short Form Music Video'. WOWZA.

2012: Acting career begins with Battleship

Queen Ri's talent didn't stop there. In 2012 the Barbadian beauty made her big screen debut in summer blockbuster 'Battleship' as Petty Officer Cora Raikes. This lead to her winning the Teen Choice Award for 'Choice Movie Breakout Star - Female'.

2012: First number 1 album

That same year (2017) Rihanna's seventh studio album 'Unapologetic' became her first No. 1 album, winning her the GRAMMY for 'Best Urban Contemporary Album' in January 2014. The album boasts hit tracks such as 'Diamonds' and 'What Now'. Also featured on the album was the incredible 'Stay', which after being released as a single from the album made no. 1 in Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic and Denmark, as well as charting in the Top 5 in the UK, Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland.

2013 - 2014: Win win win!

Throughout 2013 and 2014, Rihanna took the crown for various awards, including the GRAMMY Award for 'Best Music Video', the Billboard Music Award for 'Top R&B Artist', 'Top R&B Song' AND 'Top R&B Album', the NRJ Music Award for 'International Female Artist of the Year', the BET Award for 'Best Female R&B/Pop Artist' and the GRAMMY Award for 'Best Urban Contemporary Album'...you know, just to name a few.

2014: Puma

2014 saw the superstar named the creative director of, and a brand ambassador for, Puma. These roles lead to her launching the 'Fenty x Puma' range, responsible for fashion trends such as fur sliders and suede creepers.

2016: 'Anti'

After three years of waiting, fans were not disappointed with Rihanna's surprise release of 'Anti' - her eighth studio album. Shooting to number 1 just two weeks after its initial debut, going on to spend 159 weeks on the Billboard Hot 200. 'Anti' graced us with hits such as 'Work', 'Kiss It Better' and 'Love on the Brain'.

2017: The launch of Fenty Beauty

Welcoming 2017 by being awarded Humanitarian of the Year by Harvard University, it was set to be a good year for the singer/actor/fashionista extraordinaire with her also launching her incredibly successful beauty line Fenty Beauty. September 8th, 2017 saw the line officially hit Sephora's website. The line was praised for boasting 40 different foundation shades, with many describing this as the new 'standard of inclusivity for skin tones'. Fenty Beauty went onto be listed by Time Magazine as one of the best inventions of 2017. The brand has gone onto release body shimmers, eye shadows, highlighters, concealers and the infamous Fenty Beauty Fairy Bomb (ie a massive fluffy pink pom pom full of glitter).

2018: Savage Fenty

In 2018, the the popstar-turned-entrepreneur launched her largely anticipated lingerie line 'Savage x Fenty'. The collection was launched with 90 pieces of lingerie, sleepwear, and accessories with an extensive sizing range. "I can only hope to encourage confidence and strength by showing lingerie in another light," she told Vogue.

2020: PARTYNEXTDOOR Collab

In March 2020, Rihanna finally gave us some music when she teamed up with PARTYNEXTDOOR on the hit 'BELIEVE IT'.

2020: Fenty Skin

In July 2020, Rihanna announced the launch of beauty brand Fenty Skin. Sharing a video of herself using all the products she wrote, 'Ima try my best to be humble about this but, @fentyskin is coming July 31st exclusively at FENTYSKIN.COM!! "Y'all ain't hear it from me 🤫 but you can shop it early if ya drop me your email through the link in my bio...'. (sic)
It was then in December 2020 that the range became available in the UK.

2021: Rihanna's new music

With Rihanna's last album, 'Anti', being released way back in 2016, it's no secret that RiRi fans are desperate for new music from the star! In 2019 reports broke that Rihanna was working on her ninth album, with the singer revealing to Vogue in 2020 that she was "very aggressively working on music", with her new material being on a "different level" and "worth the wait". After testRihanna's savage response to a fan requesting her new album in 2021, here's hoping that we get to hear it soon!

2021: Rihanna is officially a BILLIONAIRE

Queen RiRi was announced as a billionaire in August 2021. She's now worth an estimated £1.2 billion according to Forbes, making her the wealthiest female musician on the planet due to her shares in Fenty Beauty and Savage x Fenty. She's now the second richest female entertainer behind Oprah Winfrey.


In July 2022, Rihanna's worth increased further, de-throning Kim Kardashian to become America's youngest self-made female billionaire, with a net worth of $1.4billion.

2022: Rihanna pledges $15million to help climate change

In January 2022, it was revealed that Rihanna pledged $15 million (£11.1million) to fighting for climate justice through her Clara Lionel Foundation, which is named after her grandparents. The donations were spread across 18 climate justice organisations working in seven Caribbean nations and the US.

2022: Rihanna promises new music following pregnancy announcement

Rihanna sent her fans into a frenzy as she revealed that she was pregnant in January 2022, with the singer expecting her first child with her boyfriend A$AP Rocky.


The exciting announcement had many fans thinking that they would have to wait a little bit longer for new music from RiRi, however the singer put all our minds at ease as she revealed that despite expecting baby No.1, we will still get new music from her. She said: "Yes, you're still going to get music from me." before joking: "My fans would kill me if they waited this long for a lullaby!"

2022: Rihanna makes debut on Forbes billionaires list

Despite Forbes revealing in 2021 that Rihanna was officially a billionaire, it wasn't until April 2022 that the singer was officially listed in the business magazine's billionaires list. Forbes reported Rihanna's fortune to be around £1,400,000,000.


Ranking at number 1729 (on 5th April), the singer joins the Forbes billionaires list alongside other huge names such as Kanye West, Jay-Z and director Peter Jackson.

2022: Rihanna announced for Super Bowl 2023

In September 2022, Rihanna was announced for the Super Bowl 2023 Half Time Show with an iconic photo.

2022: Rihanna releases new single 'Lift Me Up'

The moment we were all waiting for! After Marvel teased that Rihanna may have some involvement with their upcoming film Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, the singer soon confirmed the news that she was releasing a new single for the huge film. Then, on 28th October 2022, Rihanna dropped the track 'Lift Me Up'.


The song serves as the lead single for the Black Panther 2 soundtrack, with the rest of the film's songs being released on 4th November.

2023: Savage x Fenty release Super Bowl collection

In January 2023, a month ahead of the Super Bowl, Rihanna's brand Savage x Fenty released a Super Bowl collection, including a 'surprise tee' which included a photo of Rihanna on the inside!

2023: Oscars nomination

Rihanna received an Oscars nomination in January 2023 for 'Lift Me Up', which features on the soundtrack of Marvel's Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. She was up against Lady Gaga and Bloodpop for 'Hold My Hand' from Top Gun: Maverick, as well as songs from Tell It Like a Woman, Everything Everywhere All at Once and RRR.

2023: Super Bowl performance

Rihanna took to the stage during the Super Bowl Half-Time show performing 17 years of hits in just 13 minutes - and casually announced she was pregnant by rubbing her baby bump as she appeared on stage! She welcomed her second baby in August 2023.

2023: Savage x Fenty maternity range

Rihanna shared new photos of her son RZA as she launched her new clothing range in August 2023 - a maternity collection of her underwear brand, Savage x Fenty. Rihanna was praised around the world as she shared some empowering photos of herself breastfeeding RZA, along with some other pics of her modelling some of her new range.

2023: First female to have 10 songs with 1B Spotify streams

In June 2023, RiRi became the first female artist to have 10 songs with 1 billion Spotify streams! She celebrated the news on Instagram, writing: 'Bad Gal billi … wit no new album lemme talk my sh-- 😜🇧🇧'. (sic)

2024: Rihanna sets RIAA Diamond records

In May 2024, Rihanna was awarded the huge achievement, by the RIAA, of Most Diamond Singles For A Female Artist, and Most Diamond Certified Titles For A Female Artist! She took to Instagram to share the huge feat, writing: 'ain't no back n forth' (sic). RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) Diamond certifications entail the song/album moving at least 10 million equivalent units (combining sales and streaming numbers) - in increments of 1,000,000 thereafter.

2024: Rihanna launches Fenty Hair

10th June 2024 saw the launch party of Rihanna's highly-anticipated haircare range! Fenty Hair - the latest of her Fenty Beauty brands - was launched with nine products, including shampoo, conditioner, a treatment, heat protector, defining cream/gels and even a 3-in-1 edge tool. The new brand had a launch date of 13th June 2024, with Rihanna expressing: 'a new family is moving in! @fentyhair is pullin up and it's time to finally have the hair experience you've been waiting for.
'you know how much switching my hair up matters to me. I've had almost every texture, color, length, from weaves to braids to natural- so I am launching a flexible line of products for not only every hair want, but every single product is designed to strengthen and repair all types of hair, which is what we truly need! It's time to play and get stronger by the style 💁🏿‍♀️'. (sic)


Prior to the range's release, Rihanna gushed over her love for haircare, expressing how scent was a huge factor she worked on for her brand new range.

2024: Rihanna becomes the new face of Dior's J'adore perfume

In early-September 2024, Dior confirmed that Rihanna is the brand new face of popular perfume J'adore. Dior said: 'An icon meets a legendary fragrance. As "she" has never been seen before, Rihanna transforms into a unique goddess, without limits and without boundaries, a noble incarnation of J'adore. The fragrance of a dream in gold, which Rihanna has always loved, as if it were destined for her.'

Rihanna replaces Charlize Therone as the new face of J'adore.

Now Read:

10 Rihanna songs we just can't get enough of 🎶

Everything you need to know about the multi-talented Rihanna

Rihanna has officially become a BILLIONAIRE 💰

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