When Fenty Beauty launched in 2017 with an unprecedented 40 foundation shades. It didn’t simply release a product, it reframed who beauty is built for. What emerged was not just a brand, but a cultural shift that centered representation, identity, and the right for everyone to be seen.
When Fenty Beauty launched in 2017 with an unprecedented 40 foundation shades. It didn’t simply release a product, it reframed who beauty is built for. What emerged was not just a brand, but a cultural shift that centered representation, identity, and the right for everyone to be seen.
September 8, 2017
When Fenty Beauty launched in 2017 with an unprecedented 40 foundation shades. It didn’t simply release a product, it reframed who beauty is built for. What emerged was not just a brand, but a cultural shift that centered representation, identity, and the right for everyone to be seen.
Fenty Beauty’s 2017 debut marked a historic turning point
On September 8, 2017, beauty stepped into a new era - one defined not by limited shade ranges or narrow ideals, but by an expansive, inclusive vision led by Rihanna’s boundary-breaking approach to beauty. When Fenty Beauty launched simultaneously in 1,600 stores across 17 countries with a groundbreaking lineup of 40 foundation shades, it did more than introduce a product. It ignited a global cultural awakening. For the first time on a global scale, the beauty world confronted a simple, essential truth: If everyone exists, everyone deserves representation.
For decades, beauty shelves reflected a restricted view of skin tone with darker and uncommon undertones treated as niche or secondary. Fenty Beauty challenged that hierarchy by designing its shade range from the deepest tones upward, ensuring the full spectrum of humanity appeared front and center. The campaign imagery echoed this ethos: faces with deep hues, albinism, warm Middle Eastern undertones, and East Asian tones - complexions that traditional beauty houses had often overlooked.
The emotional impact was immediate and unprecedented
The response was profound. Across the world, customers shared stories of discovering their true shade for the first time, an intimate, validating experience that went far beyond aesthetics. Products sold out instantly online and across Sephora stores. In just its first month, Fenty Beauty generated more than $72 million in earned media value and was later honored by TIME as one of the Best Inventions of 2017.
Fenty Beauty - Fenty 40 created the blueprint for inclusive beauty.
The shift was not symbolic; it was structural. Virtually overnight, “Fenty 40” became the industry’s new standard. Brands that once offered eight or twelve shades expanded to thirty, forty, or even fifty. Inclusivity ceased to be a marketing stance. It became an expectation, and a measure of credibility.
Years later, the ripple effects are still unmistakably influential. Fenty Beauty did more than release foundation. It reframed beauty as a space where everyone belongs. We look back at a moment that expanded the global definition of beauty and proved that inclusivity is not a trend, but a timeless necessity.
