Unhinged celebrity cosmetics from the 2000's

Everyone knows the 2000's were the wild wild west for many reasons. People were still allowed to smoke in bars, clubs and even aeroplanes. Early reality TV shows speak for themselves. But there is one tantalising corner of crazy that I still go back to in my mind every now and then and that is the unhinged plugs that celebrities made during this era. Cosmetics and fashion mainly, but the Kardashian Mastercard was also kooked.

Something in the 2000s made celebrities go crazy for licencing deals. Despite the fact that Elizabeth Taylor is probably the OG at shilling perfumes, after J.Lo dropped Glow in 2002 things just kicked into high gear and any business manager worth their salt was telling starlets to drop some kind of line. Britney and Celine followed in Lopez's newly minted footsteps.

The business model continued for many years, leading to some entertaining collaborations that I can't decide whether the celebrities look back on fondly or not. If the latter, it would explain why the model has been refined from sheer cash grab licensing deals to the more refined product placement we see today à la Fenty Beauty or Haus Labs.

First and definitely not least is Dessert Beauty by Jessica Simpson. Targeted at young teens (obvi) it served as a edible cosmetic line. As in not only you could apply the goo to your lips for gloss, you could also eat it. Ditto the instant tanner. What could go wrong? I remember watching the photo shoot on Newlyweds and thinking how gorge she looked but even my adolescent brain knew eating cosmetics did not seem above board. The misguided adventure ended in lawsuits but surprisingly not for poisoning teenagers but over money and payments. It now remains a relic of the era upon which many people look back on and have a good laugh.

Remember Stuff by Hilary Duff? It was a cosmetics and lifestyle brand launched by Hilary in 2004 to expand her empire. It's been pretty much scrubbed from the internet now except people selling memorabilia and this old WWD article talking about it's expansion. Nothing super unhinged about it per se but the name Stuff by Hilary Duff is hilariously glib.

Beyonce had "True Star" in collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger. While admittedly more thought out and considered than Simpson's line of edible goo, it's fun to remember a time when even the queen had to do brand deals. 

While many of these campaigns have been quashed, there is one perfume queen who still remains and embraces this arm of their empire and that is one Britney Jean Spears. This article from March this year in Girlfriend indicates that the girlies are still hooked on her perfume offering from another time, suggesting that nostalgia remains the most intoxicating scent of all.