Words by Robyn Rihanna Fenty was born on Feb. 20, 1988, in Saint Michael, Barbados. Within two decades she was one of the best-selling pop singers in the world. By 2017 she had started a second career, and by 2021 the business side had made her the richest female musician of her time, with a net worth of $1.7 billion according to her Wikipedia biography.
The company that did most of that work is Fenty Beauty. It deserves a look on its own terms, because it grew out of a music career that was already long.
From Barbados to Def Jam
Her parents divorced when she was 14. In 2003 she formed a trio with two classmates, and the American producer Evan Rogers invited the group to record demos in Connecticut. In early 2005 she performed for Jay-Z and Antonio “L.A.” Reid in New York and signed with Def Jam, which Jay-Z then led. She had left high school at 16 and moved to the United States soon after.
Her debut single, “Pon de Replay,” came out in May 2005 and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album Music of the Sun followed that August. “SOS,” from 2006’s A Girl Like Me, was her first No. 1 on the Hot 100. Good Girl Gone Bad, released May 31, 2007, became her best-selling album, at about 9 million copies by 2023.
Her first No. 1 on the Billboard 200 came with Unapologetic in November 2012. A second, Anti, arrived in January 2016 as a Tidal exclusive. She moved her management to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in 2010 and left Def Jam in May 2014. Her Grammy count stands at nine, including a 2008 win for “Umbrella” with Jay-Z.
Fenty Beauty
LVMH signed the deal in 2016, and Fenty Beauty put its first products on sale on Sept. 8, 2017. Rihanna is founder and CEO, and she and LVMH each own 50%. The line was made through Kendo, an LVMH division that develops cosmetics brands, and Sephora, another LVMH company, was the first U.S. retailer. Women’s Wear Daily reported that LVMH may have paid $10 million to start it.
The launch was built around Pro Filt’R foundation, first described as a 40-shade range. In January 2019 the company added 10 foundation shades and introduced a concealer in 50 shades. Stunna Lip Paint went on sale Nov. 23, 2017.
The numbers came quickly. The first month of sales was valued at $72 million. Bernard Arnault, LVMH’s chairman, said sales reached almost €500 million by the end of 2018, and Forbes reported $570 million in revenue for 2018, after 15 months of operation. Forbes also reported the whole operation was worth $2.8 billion.
Distribution widened over the next several years. Harvey Nichols was the exclusive U.K. retailer until Boots began carrying the line in May 2019. Ulta Beauty started selling it March 6, 2022, and Ulta at Target followed Oct. 1, 2023. An African launch in eight countries began May 27, 2022. In April 2024 the company announced it was entering mainland China. The brand has been sold in more than 150 countries.
Other ventures
Savage X Fenty, a lingerie brand, launched in 2018 and showed at New York Fashion Week that September. Rihanna stepped down as its CEO in June 2023. A fashion house under the Fenty name began with LVMH in May 2019, then was suspended by mutual agreement in February 2021. Fenty Skin appeared in July 2020 with a cleanser, a toning serum and a moisturizer with sunscreen. Fenty Hair followed in June 2024.
In 2025, Fenty Beauty and Fenty Skin announced a sponsorship with the WNBA’s New York Liberty.
She founded the Clara Lionel Foundation in 2012, naming it for her grandparents, Clara and Lionel Braithwaite. Its first Diamond Ball, in 2014, raised more than $2 million; the second raised more than $3 million.
Barbados proclaimed a Rihanna Day on Feb. 22, 2008. In 2018 the country made her an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary, a role meant to promote education, tourism and investment. On Nov. 30, 2021, during the ceremony that made Barbados a republic, Prime Minister Mia Mottley declared her a National Hero.
On Feb. 12, 2023, she headlined the Super Bowl LVII halftime show, her first live performance in more than five years. It drew 121.017 million viewers, the most for a halftime show on record, and she revealed her pregnancy during it. She and the rapper ASAP Rocky, her partner, have three children; the youngest, a daughter, was born in 2025. That year she also voiced Smurfette in Smurfs.
Sources: Wikipedia entries for Rihanna and Fenty Beauty, which cite Forbes, Women’s Wear Daily and other outlets.