Elyse Cohen: The Mission Behind Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty

Elyse Cohen

Celebrities and beauty brands are a ubiquitous pairing. Fenty Beauty, Kylie Cosmetics, r.e.m beauty, and other famous faces have launched cosmetic lines reflecting their signature styles. Some have even fused social or environmental issues into their company ethos. Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty has taken social impact one step further, leading with its commitment to mental health support and awareness for all.

This ethos seems to be an integral part of the company’s success, so much so that it nabbed the third best-selling celebrity beauty brand of 2023, beating out brands like Gwenyth Paltrow’s Goop and JLo Beauty. That might have something to do with the steadfastness and heart of Elyse Cohen, the woman who steers the ship on all things related to Rare Beauty’s footprint in the mental health space.

With a Master's in Public Health, Communications, and Marketing from George Washington University and a certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility from Johns Hopkins University, Elyse is a rock star in her own right, teaching businesses and organizations how to grow by creating socially driven programming and initiatives with intention and purpose. From her past positions as Deputy Director for former First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let's Move! and Senior Director for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, it’s clear that she’s been primed for this position for the past two decades. Her passion, however, didn’t begin in an office or classroom but in lessons she learned in childhood.

“I was raised by a single mom who came from a family who prioritized philanthropy. We spent summers on global volunteer trips and holidays centered around gift-giving by adopting families in need…My family being impacted by mental illness fueled my passion for mental health. It’s often felt like a way to turn pain into purpose,” she said.

As COVID-19 intensified the need for mental health resources in 2020, several friends and colleagues forwarded the open position at Rare Beauty, saying, “This is your job.” Within weeks, she was on a Zoom call with Gomez, discussing their shared vision and passion for mental health advocacy. “I understood the power and level of a platform like Selena’s, especially in conjunction with such a strong community-led brand to make an impact. I knew the power of her authentic voice. She reminded me of Mrs. Obama and had some similar qualities as a human, a listener, and a connector.”

Elyse Cohen and Selena Gomez

What also sets Rare Beauty apart from other celebrity beauty brands is that Gomez launched the Rare Impact Fund before products like Kind Words Matter Lipliner lined the cosmetic shelves. The goal was to leverage beauty as a way to expand access to mental health resources, promote self-acceptance and self-love, and create an open dialogue for young people around the world, a goal that Elyse was ready to take to the finish line. She and her team worked on social media campaigns, expert collaborations, and sharing free resources to educate and mental health. She’s spearheaded programs, including Rare Beauty’s Mental Health Council, a team of experts, leaders, and mental health practitioners who have partnered with the brand, a Rare Impact Ambassador Program, and the White House Youth Mental Health Action Forum.

Elyse is particularly proud of Rare Beauty’s "We All Have Baggage" campaign and hosting its first-ever Mental Health Summit. One hundred fifty community members joined in person and 50,000 Gen-z fans worldwide connected on TikTok to express their gratitude to the brand. Messages ranged from ‘You saved my life’ to ‘Rare Beauty has made me feel like I am not alone and I have community.’”

Elyse Cohen and Alek Keshishian participate in a fireside chat at Rare Beauty's Mental Health Summit

“I don't know if we intentionally could do it, but we have created friendships and a feeling of community among our fans. Not a day goes by when we don't hear one of those messages,” Elyse said. She credits Gomez for envisioning and executing a new blueprint for social-driven brands and transforming her star power into a superpower. “Selena is gifting so much to the world because of the power and influence those two assets can have if they are leveraged strategically. It’s not something that everyone is willing to do.”

Rare Beauty's dedication to social impact hasn’t gone unnoticed. They were honored with the Partnerships of the Year award from Mental Health First Aid for their commitment to training employees, raising awareness through educational campaigns, and being the first beauty brand to be nominated and awarded by the origination. By building the Mental Health Council and working closely with non-profit organizations, the brand became a trusted resource for mental health support.

Socially driven or not, Elyse hopes that all companies will feel inspired to use their influence and reach for good. “My hope, which we’re seeing a lot of already, is that social impact becomes less of a nice-to-have and more of a must-have.” She shared three tips that any business can follow to incorporate social impact into its DNA: 1) create a dedicated team to lead and implement the work so that it’s not just an afterthought, 2) Choose one focus that aligns with your business and customers, and 3) Don’t feel discouraged and lean into the inclusive community of social impact leaders for support and guidance.

While Elyse’s impact is felt by fans of the brand and the mental health community at large, her future plan is to position Rare Beauty as a groundbreaking business in its focus and integration of mission and impact on the community. Personally, she wants to be known as a changemaker and an out-of-the-box thinker in all of her endeavors.

“Rare Beauty and Selena have allowed me to do it, and I couldn't have done it without them either. Even if we impacted just one young person, then our work was worth it.”