Disclaimer: The Fenty-related content presented on this website was created solely for an academic project, and Jiayue Celeste Xiong has no association with the brand.

Strengths:

• Strong brand reputation, awareness and recognition: Fenty Beauty is known for its inclusivity including offering extensive shades for various skin tones and representing all genders, races and ages in advertising. The brand is also founded by Robyn Rihanna Fenty, who is a world-renowned artist and second-best-selling female music artist of all time. Rihanna’s popularity helps the brand gain organic reach and credibility;
• High-quality products at reasonable prices: Fenty Beauty positions itself as a luxury brand with good quality and meets the customers’ beauty requirements. At the same time, it allows customers with a smaller budget to afford the products because the brand hopes everyone gets to use their products;
• Animal-friendly and cruelty-free products: Fenty Beauty never tests products or ingredients on animals, nor do they allow suppliers to conduct testing on their behalf;
• Strategic marketing efforts: Not only Fenty Beauty utilized the founder Rihanna’s social influence (148 million followers on Instagram), but it also promotes the products with influencer marketing. By partnering with social media influencers, the brand also reaches even more potential customers because influencers are more relevant, relatable and respected by customers;

Weaknesses:

• Product available in Limited Stores: The products are sold in limited online and offline stores including Sephora, Ulta Beauty, Kohl’s, Harvey Nichols, Boots, and their official website. This means that the brand could lose customers who shop at other retail stores;
• Dependent on Founder’s Endorsement: A big part of Fenty Beauty’s popularity is because of Rihanna’s success, which could lead to doubt from customers because they don’t trust the celebrity’s capabilities of running a non-art-related business. At the same time, if there’s any downturn in Rihanna’s status, the brand might be affected severely;
• Narrow selection for specific products: Although Fenty Beauty is leading the selection range on foundation shades, their selection of eye shadow colors and fragrance scents is limited;

Opportunities:

• Integrate technology into marketing: Technologies such as AR and AI are growing rapidly in various industries. Fenty Beauty could use the trend to implement a digital transformation strategy with tech innovations for better shopping and personalization experience;
• Multifunctional products: Due to the impact of inflation and economic uncertainty, customers are becoming more shrewd and leaning towards purchasing multi-functional and more affordable beauty and personal care products;
• Clean beauty and natural ingredients: The global clean beauty market was valued at $7.22 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $14.36 billion by 2028. Fenty Beauty could include more non-toxic, safe ingredients in their products and promote how they prioritize transparency and use safe, effective ingredients；
• Having more gender representations in marketing: To be even more inclusive, Fenty Beauty could strengthen gender-neutral marketing and include more people with different gender expressions;

Threats:

• Competition: Beauty and cosmetics are highly competitive industries and Fenty Beauty faces competition from both emerging and established brands. Therefore, staying on top of trends and keeping innovating is essential to stay ahead;
• Brand imitation: Since the launch of Fenty Beauty and its concept of offering an inclusive range of foundation shades, brands such as CoverGirl and L’Oreal followed and expanded their selection of foundation shades;
• Less expensive alternatives: Cosmetic or skincare brands that are at a lower price point and offer similar products could negatively impact Fenty Beauty’s sales;
• Counterfeits: Fake Fenty Beauty products could damage the reputation of the brand because they usually have inferior quality and are made of harmful ingredients. It can also lead to revenue loss for the company;
• Rise of “No Makeup Look”: More and more people are advocating for a natural and real look without makeup to embrace their true selves and empower people to feel confident in their own skin.