Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty is officially expanding beyond the world of color cosmetics, but rather than going the basic skin-care route, the brand is getting into body care.
As Fashionista reports, later this month, the brand will debut “Find Comfort,” a line of self-care-oriented formulas, ranging in price from $18 to $28, including a body and hair mist, hand lotion, body lotion and an aromatherapy pen.
“I’ve always loved aromatherapy,” Gomez said at a press event celebrating the launch on Monday morning. “I don’t really like getting massages but I like the oil [they use].” Gomez described the inspiration for the pen as wanting to create something that people can use to take “a moment” for themselves amidst everyday life.
Adding onto the work of the Rare Beauty Impact Fund and commitment to raising mental health awareness, this new launch expands Rare Beauty’s reach beyond cosmetics and into the all-encompassing lifestyle realm.
“With Selena, we’re learning so much about her and her personal branding and how she resonates with her community,” Joyce Kim, Chief Product Officer at Rare Beauty, tells Fashionista. “I think for us this [expansion] was so authentic. When we think about other categories moving forward, as long as it’s authentic to Rare and to Selena, I think anything is possible.”
The fragrances used throughout the collection were developed by Jérôme Epinette, a renowned perfumer who has worked with brands like Byredo and Sol de Janeiro. Despite his extensive career, though, Epinette admits that working with Rare Beauty was a special project: “I don’t do [aromatherapy] often, but I think the concept is something that I understood and I was eager to realize something amazing and that makes you feel good,” he tells Fashionista.
With notes like peppermint and lavender leading the charge, the new products are meant to mimic the aura of a spa experience and evoke feelings of relaxation. With the aromatherapy pen in particular, the push-release packaging allows users control so they can glide the gel across any part of their body for a targeted moment of calm (Gomez says she likes to swipe it across her chest). The gel is nearly weightless to the touch and absorbs quickly, so it doesn’t feel greasy like some essential oil blends can.
Rare Beauty has previously been praised by members of the disabled community for its accessible packaging. While it’s not something the brand has officially commented on, a statement on its website notes, “Each Rare Beauty product was designed to Selena’s personal preferences to emphasize ease of use.” (Gomez has shared her personal journey with dexterity challenges as a result of her Lupus diagnosis.)
The packaging for the forthcoming body-care products was developed mindfully, says Kim. Working with Dr. Esther Bae, a licensed occupational therapist and accessibility expert, the Rare Beauty team crafted the new containers to be opened, handled and used with as much ease as possible. “She’s really helped us develop and incorporate packaging that makes sense for [our] community,” says Kim.
The hand lotion’s packaging, for example, is a triangular case that requires only a single counter-clockwise twist to access the product — no cap removal necessary. Once the lotion is applied, the user can also knead the edge of the packaging into their palms for an easy tension-relieving hand massage.
To further inspire and educate on opportunities for self care, once the Find Comfort line is officially shoppable, the brand will be introducing a “great library of content on how to find comfort using all the products in a physical way” on RareBeauty.com, says Kim.
In contrast to the thick, pudding-like hand lotion (which features lemon zest, jasmine petals and tonka beans among its scent notes), the body lotion is a bit thinner. It’s spiked with niacinamide and doesn’t leave behind a heavy residue, something that was crucial for Gomez’s personal body-care preferences. “I don’t like when [lotions] feel like they’re stuck on me and don’t ever dry down,” she says.
As for the body and hair mist, the brand is clear: Don’t consider it Rare Beauty’s official foray into perfume. “It’s more of an everyday refresher,” explains Kim. “What I love about this is that it has biotin in it, so it’s not like a perfume that has maybe more alcohol content in it that could be hurting your hair, and it feels really good on the skin,” says Gomez, who adds, “Coming up with the scent was really fun. I wanted it to feel like when you hug someone, a specific person that’s close to you, and you just remember all of the wonderful things you love about that person.”
The body and hair mist contain the same fragrance notes as the body lotion, capturing the throughline of the collection. “The first time I met [Selena] it was like, ‘Oh my god, so much energy’ […] the energy of pure personality,” says Epinette. “I used citruses and lemon from Italian rhubarb to make it fun. When you smell it, it makes you smile. It’s a happy moment.”
Ultimately, Gomez hopes this collection offers users an opportunity to de-stress and slow down: “When you take time to enjoy yourself and find your little pockets of peace, that’s something you should always be proud of.”
The Find Comfort body collection will first be available to shop on the Sephora app on Dec. 18, then on Sephora.com and RareBeauty.com on Dec. 19.
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