Rihanna’s Business Ventures: From Pop Start to Billionaire Beauty Mogul

Published May 19, 2025 by Alfie
Business - Economic Figures
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Robyn Rihanna Fenty, widely known as Rihanna, has come a long way beyond the confines of music and stardom. No longer basking in the praise of her top-selling songs and style icon red carpet moments alone, Rihanna is now looked up to as one of the greatest businesswomen of all time. With a 2025 net value of $1.7 billion, Rihanna’s business includes beauty, fashion, skincare, and haircare categories she has disrupted with a unique blend of inclusivity, creativity, and authenticity.

Fenty Beauty: Redefining Inclusivity in Cosmetics

Rihanna’s business venture began with a bang in 2017, when she launched Fenty Beauty alongside luxury conglomerate LVMH. The brand opened with 40 foundation shades, which were later increased to over 50, and was widely praised across the world for its skin equity commitment. Prior to Fenty Beauty, all the major makeup companies lacked shade ranges that satisfactorily catered to darker skin — a gap Rihanna courageously filled.

Its impact was immediate. Fenty Beauty reportedly generated over $500 million in its first year of existence alone. Rihanna’s ownership of 50% of the brand (LVMH owns the other 50%) helped catapult her to billionaire status. Her plan worked to illustrate how value inclusion marketing not only is morally just but also fabulously lucrative, and it set a new industry benchmark that others moved swiftly to emulate.

Fenty Skin: Skincare for All

In 2020, continuing the thrust of Fenty Beauty, Rihanna entered the skincare segment with Fenty Skin. True to her brand values, the range focused on gender-neutral products, clean ingredients, and eco-friendly packaging. Items such as the Total Cleans’r and Hydra Vizor quickly became bestsellers, earning devoted followers from across society.

Fenty Skin’s minimalist aesthetics and uncluttered product line were designed to appeal to both skincare newbies and aficionados. The venture’s success not only diversified Rihanna’s brand portfolio but also solidified her status as a serious businesswoman with a keen sense of untapped market potential.

Savage X Fenty: Disrupting the Lingerie Market

Whereas the beauty segment was her first playground, Rihanna then turned to the fashion industry with the 2018 launch of Savage X Fenty. The lingerie label departed from the restrictive, exclusionary image that for so long had been common to the category. With body-positive campaigns, inclusive sizing, and messaging that celebrated all genders, Savage X Fenty was as much a movement as a brand.

Annual fashion shows surpassed Victoria’s Secret in production quantity and social relevance. The shows were cultural reference points, hosting inclusive models, including plus-size, disabled, and LGBTQ+ models. As of 2022, Savage X Fenty had a claimed valuation of $3 billion. Rihanna had significant creative control, guiding product lines and campaigns according to her forward-thinking nature.

Business Partnerships and Strategic Growth

Rihanna’s business achievement. For Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin, partnering with LVMH has given her state-of-the-art production facilities and international reach. For Savage X Fenty, she partnered with TechStyle Fashion Group, and subsequently had L Catterton, a private equity firm backed by LVMH, make an investment.

These alliances enabled Rihanna to expand rapidly without compromising on creative freedom — something that few celebrity entrepreneurs are capable of managing. Her ventures are not vanity projects; they are thoroughly invested business operations backed by world-class strategy and infrastructure.

Fenty Hair: A New Frontier

Rihanna’s latest revelation lends another pillar to her expanding empire: Fenty Hair. Launching in June 2025, the new project enters the thriving global haircare industry, expected to expand by $19.6 billion to reach $107.5 billion by 2027.

In a promotional video posted on social media, Rihanna, who had a platinum pixie cut at the time, unveiled Fenty Hair as a versatile line of products created to restore and repair all hair. Citing her own experience with a variety of styles and textures — from weaves and braids to natural curls — Rihanna stressed the value of versatility and hair well-being.

She posted on Instagram, “I’ve sampled almost every texture, shade, and length. So I am launching a universal line of products for not only every hair whim, but every one of these products is designed to repair and strengthen any hair type, which is what we truly need!”

The new line will probably carry on Fenty brand traditions of inclusivity, innovativeness, and visual attractiveness. With Rihanna’s record, there are high hopes — and there should be.

A Personal Brand Built on Authenticity

What distinguishes Rihanna in the business world isn’t just the breadth of her activities — it’s the genuineness and personal interest she brings to each of them. Rihanna doesn’t just put her name on products; she creates them, tailors them, and sells them in ways that are highly personal and true to who she is.

Whether she’s designing an underwear line that makes every body look sexy or developing foundation shades for all skin types, Rihanna forgoes superficial branding in favor of everyday outcomes. She’s honest, socially conscious, and dedicated to quality, and it’s earned her a devoted customer base and massive global fan base.

Rihanna Net Worth and Business Legacy

In 2025, Rihanna’s net value is $1.7 billion, not just one of the richest women on the planet but also the richest female artist. But only a small fraction of her revenues ccomesfrom music these days. The majority comes from her interest in Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty, both of which are profitable even when she’s releasing new songs or not.

Rihanna’s ability to evolve from a music icon into a full-fledged business mogul has inspired an entire generation of artists and entrepreneurs.

Conclusion

Rihanna’s entrepreneurial ventures are not merely brand extensions — they are claims. She has upended not one, but several industries, and rewritten 21st-century rules for celebrity entrepreneurs. Her empire is a powerful combination of beauty, empowerment, and authenticity rooted in her experiential expertise and rock-solid sense of self.

As she gets set to launch Fenty Hair and venture into new frontiers in wellness and lifestyle, one thing is sure: Rihanna’s entrepreneurial path is only beginning. It might be only the beginning, as a matter of fact.

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Alfie