Despite not being able to afford her first Disney casting, Selena Gomez is now a billionaire startup founder.

According to a recent Bloomberg estimate, Selena Gomez's makeup brand Rare Beauty has made her a billionaire.

In 2008, the 32-year-old singer and actor revealed on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that she started out as a kid from Grand Prairie, Texas, who couldn't afford plane tickets to castings and auditions. Gomez said that when she was 12 years old, Disney Channel had a nationwide casting search, and they couldn't afford to fly out to California. So, she sent in tapes, and they liked her.

Gomez had auditions before, as she appeared on "Barney & Friends" and in commercials for Chili's and T.G.I. Fridays. Her single mom, Mandy Teefey, worked multiple jobs while acting in commercials and local stage productions during Gomez's early childhood.

Gomez landed the lead role in "Wizards of Waverly Place" on Disney Channel after submitting a remote audition, which has earned her numerous Emmy, Grammy, and Golden Globe nominations for her work in film and music.

In 2020, Gomez, who has openly discussed her struggles with bipolar disorder, launched Rare Beauty as a way to promote mental health in the beauty industry. She aimed to make people feel comfortable using makeup for fun, rather than feeling like they needed it to be perfect, as she told Fast Company last year.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the brand, led by CEO Scott Friedman, gained traction on TikTok due to social media influencers promoting its mid-range price point and mental health advocacy. The company supports mental health services for young people by donating 1% of each sale to the Rare Impact Fund, an organization founded by Gomez.

Last year, Rare Beauty generated $350 million in sales, contributing to Gomez's net worth of $1.3 billion, as reported by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Not all celebrity brands are as successful as the ones that fail due to poor quality, lack of authenticity, and misaligned marketing, according to Omar H. Fares, a marketing lecturer and economics researcher, in an article for The Conversation last month.

"Fares stated that consumers expect products to fulfill their promises, and even with celebrity endorsements, brands cannot recover if the quality is poor. He further added that consumers are now attracted to brands that align with the celebrity's personal brand and values."

Since her 2016 "Revival" tour was cancelled due to her anxiety and depression amid a lupus diagnosis, Gomez has been a mental health advocate. However, she initially thought that a makeup brand promoting self-acceptance might not sell, as she told People in 2022.

She has expressed her pride in Rare Beauty's growth and dedication to promoting mental health.

"Gomez stated at the 2024 TIME 100 Summit in April that he believes they have achieved something unique in cosmetics, something that no one has ever done before. This brings him joy every night when he goes to sleep."

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