Fenty Beauty — Brand Review 2026
Founded 2017 · Los Angeles, CA · Rihanna (with LVMH's Kendo)
"Beauty for all — 40 shades that forced the industry to change."
Fenty Beauty's September 2017 launch is one of the most consequential moments in modern beauty. Rihanna, partnering with LVMH's Kendo incubator, dropped the Pro Filt'r Soft Matte foundation in 40 shades — at a time when an "inclusive" range often meant a dozen — and the "Fenty 40" instantly became the benchmark the rest of the industry had to meet. The brand reportedly cleared over $100 million in its first 40 days and finished year one north of $550 million, proving that a shade range built for everyone wasn't just the right thing to do; it was exceptional business.
Nearly a decade on, Fenty Beauty is a global powerhouse with best-selling icons like Gloss Bomb and Killawatt and a complexion range now hovering around 50 shades. But 2026 finds the brand at a crossroads: sales have cooled from their explosive peak, LVMH has reportedly explored selling its 50% stake, and a wave of newer inclusive brands now competes for the same customer. Over four weeks, our five-person panel blind-tested Fenty's foundation, concealer, and lip products against rivals, judging shade matching, formula wear, and whether the brand still earns its premium price.
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How We Tested Fenty Beauty
Every product was purchased at retail price through fentybeauty.com and authorized retailers — no samples, no PR packages. Our five panelists were selected to mirror the audience Fenty built itself around: fair, medium, and deep skin tones, varied undertones, and oily, dry, and combination skin types. We tested shade-match accuracy across the complexion range, foundation wear time and oxidization over full days, concealer coverage, and lip-product comfort and longevity. Results were then blind-compared against Rare Beauty, NARS, MAC, and Maybelline to separate genuine performance from brand heat.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- Industry-leading shade range — genuinely inclusive across ~50 shades
- Well-loved hero products: Pro Filt'r, Gloss Bomb, and Killawatt deliver
- Bold, confident brand identity backed by Rihanna's cultural cachet
- Wide global retail and e-commerce distribution
- Formulas hold up — solid wear time and strong pigment payoff
Weaknesses
- Premium pricing — consistently above the mid-market and some prestige rivals
- Growth has cooled; LVMH reportedly exploring a sale of its 50% stake
- Product discontinuations and reformulations frustrate loyal fans
- Some complexion formulas can oxidize for certain undertones
- Growing competition from newer inclusive brands like Rare Beauty
Why You Should Trust This Review
Fenty Beauty received no advance notice of this review, and every product was bought at full retail price by PickWealthy. Our panel's skin-tone and undertone spread was deliberate — the only meaningful way to test a brand whose identity is built on shade inclusivity is with the people that range exists for. Shade matching, wear time, and oxidization were measured in real conditions across full days of wear, not swatched and judged at a counter. We cross-referenced our findings with ingredient lists and independent owner reviews of the same products.
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Rating Breakdown
How Fenty Beauty Compares
Against Rare Beauty, Fenty offers a bolder aesthetic and a wider shade range, while Rare Beauty skews softer and more affordable — a real threat at the same price-sensitive end. Against NARS, the two sit in a similar prestige tier, but Fenty wins on range inclusivity and brand energy. Against MAC, Fenty feels more modern and culturally current, while MAC holds the pro-artist heritage and a broader color library. Against drugstore staples like Maybelline, Fenty is unambiguously more premium in formula and packaging, but the price gap is wide. The honest takeaway: Fenty Beauty still wins on shade range and brand identity — its reason for existing — but on price and momentum, the field has caught up.
The Verdict
Final Verdict: The Brand That Made Beauty Inclusive — Even as Growth Slows
Fenty Beauty's place in beauty history is secure. The 40-shade launch didn't just succeed — it forced an entire industry to make makeup for everyone, and the brand's hero products remain genuinely excellent. Pro Filt'r, Gloss Bomb, and Killawatt all held up in our testing, and the complexion range's inclusivity is still best-in-class. For anyone who has struggled to find their shade, or who wants high-pigment formulas with a bold, confident identity, Fenty remains a standout.
The concerns are real but not disqualifying. Growth has cooled from its explosive early years, LVMH's reported exploration of a stake sale adds uncertainty, and premium pricing plus a crowd of newer inclusive rivals means Fenty is no longer the automatic buy it once was. We recommend Fenty Beauty for shade-inclusive complexion and iconic lip-and-highlight products — the value-conscious buyer may simply find better performance per dollar elsewhere.
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Disclosure: Products evaluated for this brand review were purchased anonymously through standard retail channels. PickWealthy received no compensation from Fenty Beauty for this review. Some outbound links may be affiliate links, which do not affect our ratings or conclusions.