Rare Beauty puts self-love over perfection in first brand spot with founder Selena Gomez

Rare Beauty, the makeup brand founded by Selena Gomez, launches its first global brand campaign on Wednesday under a creative platform called “Love Your Rare.”

A moody, artful spot called “Every Side of You,” created by agency Fred & Farid Los Angeles with the brand’s internal creative team, depicts a cast of young, diverse talent finding confidence and beauty in every version of themselves as they apply Rare Beauty products.

The campaign, which focuses on loving imperfections and is narrated by Gomez herself, strays from traditional approaches to beauty advertising, which tend to be overly optimistic, to portray raw emotions—negative and positive—that may arise in the quest for self-confidence. 

Directed by Sheila Johansson, the film uses ambient lighting and slow-paced movements to capture each talent’s emotions, which at times include self-doubt. The spot sets out to evoke joy, reassurance, comfort and relatability in owning our individuality, according to a press release. 

“We wanted a campaign that felt as honest as the brand itself. That meant breaking a few rules of the beauty industry, including showing a girl choosing not to put on makeup when we’re telling a story about a makeup brand or showing someone crying alone when the beauty industry has traditionally favored a backdrop of optimism,” said Frédéric Raillard, CEO of Fred & Farid, and Chelsea Steiger, creative director at Fred & Farid Los Angeles. “Rare Beauty stands apart from other beauty brands in the way it champions confidence, vulnerability and self-expression all at the same time.”

Olivia Malone and Emma Trim captured ambient photography for the campaign, which also portrays Gomez and the talent in an open, unfiltered style. 

The narration in the film, which was voiced by Gomez, encourages self-love for every version of you. The campaign is a reflection of Gomez herself, said Katie Welch, chief marketing officer at Rare Beauty.

Also read: Behind Rare Beauty’s brand partnership with Hulu’s ‘Only Murders in the Building’

“Whether it’s sharing a candid look of her life at home or on the red carpet, Selena has become an inspirational icon for unapologetically loving who she is, with and without makeup,” Welch said. “At Rare Beauty, we want people to feel good, with or without our products. We want to empower them to celebrate and love all the parts of themselves because all those pieces are what makes each of us special and rare.” 

“Being rare is about being comfortable with yourself. I’ve stopped trying to be perfect. I just want to be me,” added Gomez.

The campaign will roll out globally across social, OOH, CTV, influencer marketing, paid digital and Sephora locations. The spot marks a first for Rare Beauty, which has traditionally marketed its products on social media and in-store at Sephora locations following its pandemic-era launch in 2020.  

"In addition to an incredible cast, talent and hard work, the room was just always filled with love, which resonates as the campaign goes out into the world,” said Josh Gurrie, creative director at Rare Beauty. “We were able to capture four-plus years of brand building, discourse and our love of community in a single moment, in a new visual tone that will surely inspire how the brand moves forward.” 

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