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Celebrities-owned companies are no longer just faces endorsing a product; many celebrities are active leaders in their companies’ mission and operations. Consumers are more concerned than ever about spending their money ethically, and celebrity entrepreneurs want their brands to be associated with good character and positive impact. In a market flooded by celebrity-endorsed products, these five celebrities are setting their products apart with the B Corp Certification label, and consumers are taking note.
In fact, products displaying ESG (environmental, social, and governance) claims averaged 28% growth over the last five years, compared to just 20% growth for ordinary products. These five companies are appealing to a growing base of consumers seeking to feel good about the products they spend their money on. Everyone, from smaller businesses to large corporations, can learn from these celebrity-owned companies’ creative approaches to achieving social and environmental responsibility, certified by B Lab.
The B Corp Certification is a reliable tool for concerned shoppers to discern an ethically produced product from competitors. In order to become a Certified B Corp, companies must demonstrate their positive impact in the areas of Governance, Workers, Community, Environment, and Customers. The B Impact Assessment measures companies’ performance in each of these five categories and requires a cumulative score of 80 in order to pass the first step to certification. For reference, the median B Impact Assessment score for an ordinary business is 50.9. Therefore, the minimum required score of 80 demands that B Corps be leaders in responsible business, upholding the highest standards for accountability. Achieving B Corp status is a rigorous process that verifies a company’s commitment to its driving values.
Khloé Kardashian, reality television star turned businesswoman, reenergized the denim market when she co-founded Good American in 2016. Good American’s founding principles are inclusivity and women’s empowerment, offering an expansive size range from 00 to 32 Plus. The company’s models also have a diverse range of body types, challenging industry norms. Good American is committed to offering well-fitting, confidence-boosting jeans for women of all sizes.
Good American reached new heights in its do-good brand identity in 2021 when they secured their B Corp Certification with an overall impact score of 80.7. Staying true to their promise of transparency to their customers, Good American made changes to elevate people and the planet over pure profits. Their denim uses 70% responsible materials, including recycled cotton. Good American is also committed to diverse hiring practices. Open castings are instrumental to Good American’s mission to represent real women of all shapes, backgrounds, and identities.
Becoming a B Corp asserted Good American as a premium, values-oriented fashion brand, setting it apart from competitors and attracting new customers who want to make ethical purchases. Good American’s size-inclusive, ethically produced denim products—as certified by B Lab—are driving the brand’s success as a unique player in the fashion world.
Venus Williams founded Viking Drinks in 2020 after recovering from her battle with an autoimmune disease. In 2011, Williams withdrew from her tennis career and the U.S. Open due to her diagnosis. However, Williams then made a shocking recovery after transforming her health through plant nutrition.
Alongside a team of nutritionists, Williams formulated a plant-based protein shake to deliver the nutrients she needed to get back into the game. By 2017, Williams earned back her spot in the top five, as well as multiple titles. Williams now advocates for others to fuel their bodies with plants to enhance their performance and health. She created Happy Viking to deliver a meal’s worth of whole-food nutrition in just two scoops.
Happy Viking earned its B Corp Certification in October of 2022 with an impressive impact assessment score of 92.5, far exceeding the mandatory minimum of 80 for certification. Happy Viking prioritizes giving back to the community, especially for women-led causes. Happy Viking recently collaborated with World Cup Champion Megan Rapinoe to create a limited-edition protein flavor, with all profits benefiting Girls Inc. Through mentorship and advocacy efforts, Girls Inc. empowers low-income communities and girls of color to achieve success and leadership positions.
Williams’s adherence to B Corp’s principles of social and environmental responsibility demonstrates her authenticity as a businesswoman and athlete. Happy Viking’s B Corp Certification reaffirmed its commitment to human health, women’s empowerment, and plant-based fuel.
Atelier Jolie Lifestyle is one of the very first luxury brands to earn B Corp Certification. Angelina Jolie’s lifelong interest in fashion led her to sustainable luxury fashion. Jolie worked closely with tailors to assert their importance in the artistic design process at this designer clothing company. The studio is a space for creative customers to collaborate with tailors, artisans, and pattern makers from diverse backgrounds. Jolie’s in-house team of skilled tailors helps customers bring their fashion visions to life while cultivating creative expression.
Atelier Jolie made sustainable luxury news in November of 2023 after securing B Corp Certification with an impact assessment score of 85.6. Atelier Jolie stands out amongst other luxury clothing designers because of its focus on people and the planet. The tailors only use leftover vintage fabrics and discontinued clothing pieces to create their designs. A pillar of Atelier Jolie is repairing and upcycling, bringing new life into materials that would otherwise be wasted. Their business model is the antithesis of fast fashion; each clothing item is designed with intentionality and personal meaning.
B Corps honor not only their planet, but their people. Atelier Jolie invests into its employees, providing them with long-term mentorship. Employees have the opportunity to curate a clothing line to be sold under their names, encouraging them to build their portfolios and even launch their own sustainable business after leaving Atelier Jolie. The studio also recruits clothing creators from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, such as through their apprenticeship initiative for refugees. In an effort to lower the barriers to entry of the ethical fashion world, Jolie clarifies that she does not expect applicants to have prior sustainability experience and will mentor employees in this skill.
Earning B Corp status solidified Atelier Jolie as a trailblazer in the fashion world. Atelier Jolie provides a high-quality niche product, sustainable designer clothing, while investing in the people and communities behind the clothes. Angelina Jolie is modeling the transition of fast fashion supply chains into slower, more ethical practices that honor the people and planet.
Kendall Jenner founded 818 Spirits in 2021 with a mission to revolutionize the tequila industry. 818 prides itself on its radical transparency and sustainable supply chain. 818 achieved B Corp Certification in March of 2023, earning a B Impact Assessment score of 81.3.
818 Spirits earned its B Corp Certification through its people- and planet-centric approach to each step of the tequila production process. They work intimately with family-owned farms in Jalisco, Mexico and are committed to giving back to this community. 818 partnered with s.a.c.r.e.d. (Saving Agave for Culture, Recreation, Education, and Development) to implement their 818 Community Program in Mexico. Through this partnership, 818 Bricks were born. Agave waste and other tequila byproducts are transformed into durable adobe bricks to be used by locals. At 818, the product life cycle is regenerative, transforming waste into usable tools for community building projects. 818 Bricks exemplify a pillar of B Corp Certification—the delicate balance of people, profit, and the planet.
818 has a strategy for each stage of production for rebuilding the environment it extracts from. Their distillery is fueled by biomass and solar power. Their packaging suppliers are selected based on their sustainable product life cycles. For instance, their labels and corks are sourced only from sustainably managed forests, as certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
The B Corp Certification process pushed 818 to investigate each stage of their tequila’s life cycle, from farming agave to packaging bottles, searching for areas where sustainability can be improved. 818 grew as a company through the certification process. Being a B Corp enriched 818’s identity as a leader in ethical liquor, making it a standout option for customers wanting to put their money towards products they can feel good about.
Liah Yoo is an influencer in the social media beauty space with a loyal follower base of 1.23 million YouTube subscribers. She founded Krave Beauty with a values-driven business plan that set her skincare line apart from other influencer- and celebrity-owned beauty brands. Krave Beauty was awarded B Corp status in April of 2024 with an impact assessment score of 81.6.
In order to keep up with fleeting online trends, the skincare industry must rapidly produce new products. Krave Beauty takes an alternative approach with its #SlowDownSkincare campaign, selling timeless products and encouraging conscious consumerism. Krave Beauty prioritizes sustainable, long-term growth over churning quick profits with trendy products. Yoo does not tell her social media followers that they need a 17-step skin care routine to achieve healthy skin. Rather, Yoo discourages customers from purchasing more than they need, with the goal of reducing Krave Beauty’s environmental footprint. Krave Beauty also sources its packaging from post-consumer recycled materials.
Krave Beauty also invests in its people. At least 50% of all paid sponsorship opportunities are reserved for content creators of color, LGBTQ+ creators, and creators with disabilities. Krave Beauty also honors its commitment to inclusivity by prioritizing diverse representation of skin tones, facial features, and gender expressions. Krave Beauty achieved B Lab recognition through honoring its employees, customers, and the planet over pure profits. Krave Beauty further demonstrated its commitment to dependable, timeless products to its loyal customers by completing the B Corp Certification process.
These five celebrity-owned companies are raising consumers’ expectations for how businesses treat their surrounding communities and natural resources. From circular product life cycles to diverse hiring practices, these celebrity entrepreneurs take unique approaches to responsible businesses. B Corps, beyond just these five companies, are spearheading the future of shopping, while products lacking social and environmental claims are falling behind consumer expectations.
Balancing purpose with profit is not just for celebrities. Securing B Corp Certification sets any business apart, whether it be a large celebrity-owned company or a small startup. Products displaying ESG claims enjoy greater growth than ordinary products, demonstrating the importance of sustainability for maintaining a cutting edge in the rapidly evolving market—especially for young companies in their growth stage. Request a demo today and find out how B Corp status can boost your company’s growth with Ecolytics. Ecolytics is there for each step of the certification process, streamlining your company’s impact strategy and providing creative solutions to bolster your company’s identity as an ethical market player.
