Singer-songwriter and producer Alicia Keys, who has previously been vocal about her decision not to wear makeup, is teaming up with e.l.f. Beauty to launch a new “lifestyle beauty brand.”
The vegan, cruelty-free cosmetics company said that it is working with the multi-Grammy Award winner to release a line of new products next year.
In a statement published Wednesday, the Oakland, California-based brand said that Keys’ range of “skin-loving, dermatologist-developed, cruelty-free products” will have an “inclusive point of view” and an “authentic voice” that “aims to bring new meaning to beauty by honoring ritual in our daily life and practicing intention in every action.”
It added that the new line will be a “culmination of Keys’ personal skincare journey and her passion for bringing light into the world.”
“This is not another ‘celebrity beauty line,’” said e.l.f’s head of corporate communications, Melinda Fried, in an email, on behalf of the company’s chairman and CEO Tarang Amin. “Because Alicia is more than an icon, she’s an inspiration.
“In her song lyrics, numerous interviews and editorials, and in her (new book), she has openly and honestly shared her skin struggles, her frustration with society’s unrealistic beauty ideals and her own journey to finding clarity, strength and a deeper knowledge of her real self. Now, through this new endeavor, she aims to help others find that same place of peace and power within themselves.”
Keys, who recently partnered with the CNN Heroes campaign, announced in 2016 that she intended to wear little to no makeup for public appearances and in photo shoots, citing the unrealistic beauty standards forced upon girls and women.
Writing for Lena Dunham’s (now-defunct) Lenny newsletter in 2016, the “A Woman’s Worth” singer recounted how the entertainment industry had started to erode her self-esteem.
“I remember when I first started to be in the public eye. Oh my gawd! Everyone had something to say. ‘She’s so hard, she acts like a boy, she must be gay, she should be more feminine!’ But the truth is, I was just from New York, and everyone I knew acted like that.
“I was really starting to feel like that – that, as I am, I was not good enough for the world to see,” she continued.
A 2016 photo shoot, done without makeup, set Keys on the path to promoting her new public image. At the time of her essay for Lenny she said that shoot was “the strongest, most empowered, most free, and most honestly beautiful that I have ever felt.” She has gone on to regularly appear on red carpets and reality singing competition “The Voice,” on which she is a judge, wearing little to no makeup.
Known for its comparable affordability, e.l.f. has yet to announce the specific products Keys’ line will offer, though Fried said it will “encompass multiple beauty categories” and that “Keys has been very involved in the creative process.” Fried said that more details about the range, including a name, will be revealed “in the coming months.”
“Together we are painting the highest vision to blaze a new trail in beauty,” added e.l.f.’s chief marketing officer, Kory Marchisotto, in a press statement. “Now, more than ever, the world is craving a vision that is more than skin deep.”
This story has been updated to attribute a quote to e.l.f’s chairman and CEO.