Fame, Meet Function: The Case for Celeb Product Brands That Actually Serve Us

Aug 3

📌 The Point:

Luxury is saturated—it’s time for celebrities to disrupt the essentials aisle.

From lip glosses to liquor, celebrity-led brands have become a fixture of the modern marketing playbook. These ventures aren’t just side hustles for the stars, they’re multimillion-dollar brand empires, designed to transform cultural capital into commercial dominance. But as the economy cools and consumer habits shift toward practicality, I think it’s time for a more grounded question:

What if the next big celeb brand didn’t sell fantasy, but necessity?

Let’s zoom out.

Celebrities are past simply endorsing products; they’re being appointed as creative directors at heritage luxury houses. ASAP Rocky at Ray-Ban. Pharrell at Louis Vuitton. Harry Styles at Gucci. It’s a deliberate shift from the traditional designer model toward influence-as-infrastructure. As Vogue Singapore’s Desmond Lim puts it, these multi-hyphenates “view design from a unique perspective,” informed by proximity to fashion’s inner circle.

But while their star power drives headlines and sales spikes, there’s an elephant in the showroom: sustainability, accessibility, and longevity often get left behind in favor of clout and cachet.

Meanwhile, economic pressures are reshaping the average American cart. Yes, people are still spending, but they’re being pickier, smarter, and more value-driven. Amazon Prime Day saw record-breaking sales this year, but most of the purchases were essentials like paper towels and dish soap. Even luxury consumers are bargain-hunting, turning to refurbished goods and justifying splurges through “investment value.”

This raises a bigger opportunity: If celebrities truly want to build lasting brand equity, they might want to pivot from launching aspirational lifestyle brands to innovating everyday essentials.

Case in point: Jaden Smith’s JUST Water. It’s not sexy, but it’s sustainable, accessible, and necessary. And it's working. The brand is stocked in national retailers like CVS and Whole Foods and has carved out real market share as an eco-friendly alternative to traditional bottled water.

Compare that to the saturated fields of celebrity skincare, liquor, or lingerie, where many new entrants struggle to stand out, let alone drive lasting change.

Of course, there's a reason most stars opt for champagne over shampoo. A luxury launch feels more “on brand,” and frankly, paper towels aren’t exactly dripping in clout. But this is where creative marketing could shine. Like, I’d absolutely buy makeup remover wipes from Megan Thee Stallion or Mariah Carey laundry pods. Just me?

This isn’t about asking celebs to cheapen their personal brands. It’s about challenging them to think broadly and meet the moment. Right now, the moment calls for more sustainable, inclusive, and value-driven products that serve real needs.

Do we need another celebrity spirits brand? Or do we need a reimagined everyday, built with the same cultural influence and design thinking that made those stars icons in the first place? Food for thought.

Sources:

“Which Celebrity Beauty and Fashion Brands Are Actually Sustainable? Not Many …” (The Hollywood Reporter)
“Why more celebrities are taking the creative reins at luxury brands” (Campaign)
“The economy enters its budget shopping era, with consumers doubling down on value even as they ramp up spending” (Fortune)

Briaan L. Barron is a media and cultural studies writer, brand architect, and CEO of Heye Frequency, a creator-led marketing agency. Based in Seattle, she has led marketing and development efforts at some of the region’s most impactful arts and cultural institutions. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and Boston University’s Graduate School of Communication, Briaan’s work centers on liberating overlooked voices from personal and systemic barriers to autonomy and authenticity.