Selena Gomez reveals her inspiration behind creating Rare Beauty, calls it the “gift that keeps on giving”

Selena Gomez recently opened up about the inspiration behind her vegan and cruelty-free makeup brand, Rare Beauty, in the August 7 episode of the Therapuss with Jake Shane podcast.

Explaining the inspiration behind Rare Beauty, Gomez shared that it all began five years ago when she recorded her song Rare. She emphasized that the lyrics, particularly the line "I'm not perfect but I know that I'm special," deeply resonated with her and shaped her perspective on self-worth.

"You know, this is the gift that keeps giving. To be honest," Gomez said.

The 33-year-old American singer also revealed that her expectations were low when launching the brand in 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, "considering we were all trapped inside anyway."

However, she shared that social media and the rise of makeup trends driven by influencers and makeup gurus played a major role in Rare Beauty's early success.

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"I want people to feel good" -6 lv—Selena Gomez shares the mission behind Rare Beauty

Selena Gomez Celebrates The Launch Of Rare Beauty's Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush Collection (Image via Getty)

Furthermore, in the podcast, Selena Gomez explained that her mission is to help people feel good about their bodies, minds, and who they are. She added that she doesn't feel the need to measure the success of Rare Beauty as her main goal is to ensure it reflects everything she believes in

"I work on it every day. It's not easy, and we just we've built a really strong community, and I think that's what I'm proud of," Gomez added.

Jake Shane, the host of the podcast, also asked Selena whether working on Rare Beauty feels more like fun than actual work

"Is it one of those things that doesn't feel like work cuz it's so fun?" Jake questioned.

Selena enthusiastically agreed and stated,:

"Definitely doesn't. Even the photo shoots and the meetings everything is so fun. The music and us laughing and sharing stories, and it's so cool to start a company with just a handful of people to now see it expand into so many employees, interns, and all these things that we're doing with the company and giving people opportunities. It's been really fun."

Jake further highlighted the mental health campaign launched by Rare Beauty. According to the Beauty Brands website, 1% of Rare Beauty’s annual sales go directly to the Rare Impact Fund, which supports expanding mental health services in underserved communities.

In response, Gomez explained that the inspiration behind the initiative comes from her own experience with mental health struggles. She shared that when she publicly opened up about her bipolar disorder, it was both a way to help others and a release for herself. She claimed that this made her realize that anything she's involved with should give back to others in some way.

"And that just always has been my key demographic, that it's people who don't feel seen or heard or even know what's going on in their own mind," Selena Gomez added.

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The full conversation between Selena Gomez and Jake Shane is available on Shane's self-titled YouTube channel.