Here’s a billion-dollar empire in the making with the receipts to prove it: Following up on projections made in January of this year, pop culture aficionados PopCrave reignited talk of Fenty’s domination over the beauty industry via a tweet, comparing the ongoing success of the brand with that of the Kardashian-Jenner beauty brands KKW Beauty and Kylie Cosmetics, which Rihanna’s brand was already outpacing by 34 percent in its second month of operation.
No telling why the discussion was suddenly revived, but given the controversy that was caused when Forbes declared Jenner a soon-to-be “self-made billionaire” in July, Twitter had plenty to say about the revelation—especially given the fact that Rihanna didn’t even make its list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women this year.
What has been the key to Rihanna’s success? All indicators point to diversity. From her 40-shade launch to her super-inclusive advertising, Rih has created a brand identity that appeals to all types of beauty lovers, and while significantly bolstered by her celebrity status, isn’t exclusively tied to her image alone.
But does it really have to be a competition? Of course not. Mostly, we’d all just like to see Rih get the same shine for achieving Kardashian-Jenner levels of success in record time (see also: Pat McGrath’s two-year-old billion dollar cosmetics empire).
And while her fans are still clamoring for new music, it’s hard not to respect Rih’s current—and clearly very lucrative—hustle. After all, pop superstardom can be a very fickle business. But the beauty industry? That’s forever.