10 Rising Celebrities Beauty Brands Should Tap Into
Here, 10 rising celebrities whose swelling star power beauty brands would be apt to harness.
1. Rachel Zegler
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Having first gone viral on Twitter for her prodigious rendition of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper’s “Shallow” in 2018, 21-year-old Rachel Zegler has since made a name for herself with her powerful, stripped-down vocals.
The New Jersey crooner made her film debut playing Maria Vasquez in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 adaptation of “West Side Story,” and has more recently been cast in the upcoming “Hunger Games” prequel, and as Snow White in a remake of the Brothers Grimm folk tale, both slated to hit theaters in 2023.
The breadth of her musicianship, coupled with her fledgling acting prowess and flourishing Gen Z fan base, make Zegler a fitting potential entrant to the beauty biz.
2. Jack Harlow
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Known for his tongue-in-cheek humor and boundless charm, Kentucky rapper Jack Harlow’s agreeable persona has arguably played as much of a role in fueling his meteoric rise as his lyrical finesse.
To date, the rapper has garnered three Grammy nods, an appearance as “Saturday Night Live’s” musical guest and recent partnerships with Tommy Hilfiger and fast-food giant KFC.
Every so often, a novel clip of the musician exercising his effortless allure goes viral, seemingly seducing the internet all over again. To top it all off, the star has no shortage of prominent friends, often being spotted with rappers Drake and Lil Nas X, as well as beloved internet comedian Druski.
In short: Jack Harlow has got it going on. If the above doesn’t present a strong enough case for his burgeoning candidacy, brands need to look no further than the rapper’s signature mop of corkscrew curls, which is all but imploring someone — anyone — to tap him for a hair campaign.
3. Bad Bunny
Tom Kneller/Courtesy of Jacquemus
Considering his genre-melding music, it comes as no surprise that Bad Bunny isn’t one to conform to gender norms in fashion.
While some may interpret the musician’s gender-bending style as a display of resistance against the powers that be, others simply see it as one of many avenues through which the Puerto Rican artist exhibits his trademark blasé swagger.
A disruptor by nature, the Grammy-winning star can often be spotted donning primped nails, dresses and brightly dyed hair on the red carpet. He’s even sported a full face of makeup — complete with a bold red lip and false lashes — in his 2020 “Yo Perreo Sola” music video.
The artist has more than 41 million Instagram followers, and was the face of Jacquemus’ “Le Splash” spring campaign earlier this year. It likely won’t be long before the beauty industry taps the multitalented powerhouse, too.
4. Simone Ashley
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“Bridgerton” breakout Simone Ashley captivated audiences around the globe with her performance as the headstrong Kate Sharma in the period drama’s recent second iteration.
Since then, she has ruled red carpets (long live the cutout dress discourse), become a magazine cover mainstay and been widely lauded for bringing South Asian representation to the fore.
While Netflix teamed with Pat McGrath Labs on a Bridgerton x Pat McGrath Labs collab, which included an eye palette, blush trio and two highlighters, Ashley has yet to nab a beauty partnership of her own. Considering the many milestones she’s blown through at seemingly record speed, we don’t doubt one may very well soon be on the horizon for the 27-year-old actress.
5. Julia Garner
David Cranford
“World takeover” is hardly an overstated description for the path of 28-year-old actress Julia Garner. Fresh off the success of Netflix’s “Inventing Anna,” in which she depicted notorious Russian-turned-German-turned-Russian-again grifter Anna Delvey, Garner has now been hand-picked by none other than Madonna herself to portray the pop star in her upcoming biopic.
Before “Inventing Anna,” the New York native was best known for her role as Ruth Langmore in “Ozark,” and has minted partnerships with Miu Miu, Prada, Kate Spade and Swarovski.
It seems only fitting that Garner’s next accolade (besides an Oscar) is a beauty campaign.
6. Austin Butler
JULIAN UNGANO/Courtesy of Cartier
Arguably Hollywood’s most promising leading man, it was no surprise when fine jeweler Cartier recently announced it had snagged Austin Butler as its newest celebrity ambassador.
The 30-year-old actor has been applauded by critics for his take on Elvis (beating out Harry Styles for the role) in Baz Luhrmann’s current release.
While his credit in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood” raised his profile as an actor, “Elvis” has been his breakthrough moment. And he’s got exciting projects ahead: Butler will next be seen in Denis Villeneuve’s anticipated “Dune: Part Two,” with the likes of Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh and Zendaya, as well as starring in “Masters of the Air,” the American war drama miniseries coming to Apple TV+.
A Chanel (à la Brad Pitt) or Tom Ford fragrance campaign could easily be in his sights.
7. Dominic Fike
Aitor Rosas Sune/WWD
While his antics in “Euphoria” as broody boy Elliot — meddler, enabler, seeming on-screen manifestation of one’s least favorite ex — haven’t exactly won over the hearts of the show’s cult fan base, Dominic Fike, the singer, songwriter, and frequent fashion week-goer, has, earning nothing but love from the show’s enthusiasts.
In addition to making his acting debut on the HBO hit show, which has routinely been lauded for its standout beauty looks since premiering in 2019, Fike previously made waves with a 2021 Paul McCartney collaboration, in which he reimagined the iconic singer’s track, “The Kiss of Venus.” He also teamed up with Calvin Klein last February as a face in a #mycalvins ad.
Given the prevailing “Euphoria”-breakout-to-beauty-campaign pipeline (Barbie Ferreira has partnered with Becca Cosmetics, Sydney Sweeney with Laneige, etc.), it only seems right Fike will soon follow in his co-stars’ footsteps and nab one of his own.
8. Emma Corrin
Johnny Dufort
Rising to fame playing Princess Diana in “The Crown,” Emma Corrin has been turning heads off screen at every red carpet.
A rising talent who takes risks and makes original, bold style choices, 26-year-old Corrin has been one to watch, and Miu Miu took notice, tapping them (Corrin uses they/them pronouns) as the face of its latest campaigns.
Their future looks bright: In the fall, they’ll be seen in Michael Grandage’s “My Policeman” with Harry Styles. And later, they’ll appear as the star of “Retreat,” a limited series from “The OA” creators Brit Marling and Zal Batmanglij for FX.
9. Iman Vellani
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She doesn’t have the star power just yet, but Iman Vellani is showing promise.
Making her acting debut as Kamala Khan in the Disney+ series “Ms. Marvel,” the 19-year-old actress is the new kid on the block. She’s been quick to stand out, however, receiving rave reviews from critics and holding her own while appearing on the major network talk shows.
By snagging the part (Khan is Marvel’s first Muslim character to headline her own comic book), Vellani is proving she can carry a film (while bringing to life a new kind of superhero), and next year she’ll reprise the role in “The Marvels,” Nia DaCosta’s sequel to “Captain Marvel,” with the likes of Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson.
10. Daisy Edgar-Jones
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Though 24-year-old Daisy Edgar-Jones teamed with Hourglass Cosmetics for an online beauty tutorial, she has yet to be named a beauty ambassador or grace a beauty campaign.
It’s surprising considering her popularity. She currently has 1.3 million Instagram followers, gaining fans after receiving global attention for her breakout role as Marianne (opposite Paul Mescal) in the film adaptation of “Normal People,” Sally Rooney’s novel of the same name.
This year, she was seen in “Under the Banner of Heaven,” the FX on Hulu series with Andrew Garfield that’s been praised by critics. Then came her starring role as Kya Clark in the anticipated film “Where the Crawdads Sing” (also based on a book), in theaters now.
She’s been in fashion campaigns, ads for Jimmy Choo and Simone Rocha x H&M. Perhaps a beauty deal is next.
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