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Rihanna's Fenty Beauty officially launched in Guyana on March 28, bringing the billionaire's flagship cosmetics and skincare brand to the South American country for the first time through a partnership with local retailer Glamour Beauty at its MovieTowne location in Georgetown.
The launch drew strong crowds despite inclement weather, with customers turning out to test products, receive shade matching from professional makeup artists and pick up items they had previously been ordering from overseas or sourcing through informal channels. Guyana now joins more than ten Caribbean territories where Fenty Beauty products are available through direct retail partnerships.
Glamour Beauty founder Varsha Sharma said the launch came a full year after she secured a contract with Fenty Beauty, a process she described as a significant achievement reflecting both the complexity of entering a global brand partnership and the growing recognition of Guyana as a viable market.
"This launch proves that Guyana is no longer on the sidelines of beauty," Sharma said. "We're part of it now. We're not just launching a brand. We're making a statement that Guyana is ready, that we deserve global brands and that we can deliver world-class experiences right here at home."
The rollout was supported by Miami-based distributor Essence Corp, which is managing Fenty Beauty's Caribbean expansion. The brand's regional push has been gathering pace as consumer demand across the Caribbean diaspora, built up over years of online purchasing and informal resale, translated into formal retail interest from local entrepreneurs willing to do the work of securing brand agreements.
For Rihanna, the Caribbean expansion carries a personal dimension. The Barbadian singer and entrepreneur has described the region as close to her heart, and her brand's move into Caribbean markets has been accompanied by her own public comments about the community's long wait. Ahead of the Guyana launch, she said she was excited to bring Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin and Fenty Fragrance to the Caribbean, describing it as a place near and dear to her.
Fenty Beauty launched in 2017 with a foundation range of 40 shades, a line-up that challenged the industry's longstanding failure to cater to darker skin tones. The brand's commitment to inclusivity, later extended across its skincare and fragrance lines, built a loyal following in markets where mainstream beauty brands had historically offered limited options. That loyalty was especially visible in the Caribbean, where the brand's diaspora following had been buying products through international shipping or returning from trips with items unavailable locally.
The Guyana launch eliminates that friction. Customers now have access to new product releases at the same time as global markets and can test and buy in person rather than committing to online purchases based on swatches seen on screen.
Local makeup artist and influencer Chantelle Sewett, who attended the launch, said the arrival of Fenty Beauty represented more than a product range becoming available. "It's a huge deal. It's big for our country, the fact that we are being recognised," she said.
The timing also intersects with a wider shift in Guyana's economy. The country's oil sector expansion has driven rising incomes and increased consumer spending power, attracting greater attention from international brands assessing the country's retail potential. Fenty Beauty's arrival reflects that shift in perception, with a prestige global brand committing to the market through a formal retail partnership rather than leaving consumers to navigate informal channels.
Rihanna, whose net worth Forbes has estimated at over $1.4 billion, built that fortune primarily through Fenty Beauty and her lingerie line Savage X Fenty rather than through her music career. Fenty Beauty is majority-owned by LVMH through its Kendo subsidiary, making it one of the most commercially backed celebrity beauty brands in the world. That institutional backing gives the brand the distribution infrastructure to expand into markets like Guyana with the support of regional distributors and local partners willing to meet the brand's global standards.
The Caribbean expansion is still building. More than ten territories now stock the brand, with Guyana the latest addition. The direction of travel is clear: Rihanna's brand is working its way through the region her founder considers home, territory by territory, one retail partnership at a time.
