• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

2

When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all

3

Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026

1

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back

2

When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all

3

Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
MPWmichelle phan

This is Michelle Phan’s plan to create the next generation of YouTube stars

By
Jaclyn Trop
Jaclyn Trop
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jaclyn Trop
Jaclyn Trop
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 1, 2015, 1:27 PM ET
Courtesy of Ipsy

YouTube’s most successful makeup guru has launched a free program that she hopes will help other entrepreneurs to follow her path.

Eight years ago, Michelle Phan was an art student and waitress, using a webcam in her spare time to make videos showing how she uses makeup to transform herself into celebrities from Angelina Jolie to Barbie. Today, Phan, 28, boasts a YouTube following of more than 7.5 million, her own makeup line with L’Oreal and a growing lifestyle empire composed of a suite of websites and digital channels.

This is exactly the type of success story she and her co-founders at Ipsy, a monthly beauty product sample delivery service, say they want to help other men and women achieve. On Friday, Ipsy launched Open Studios in Santa Monica, Calif.—a sort of tricked-out coworking space for beauty entrepreneurs looking to build their personal brands. Members will get access to Ipsy’s studio space, audio and lighting equipment and editing suite in Santa Monica, as well as mobile apps and other digital tools. Participants also receive mentoring with Phan and Ipsy staff at the studio or via Google Hangouts, access to industry events, how-to tips, and more. And here’s the key: For applicants who make the cut, the whole thing is free.

The idea is that, by helping launch the next generation of beauty gurus, Phan’s profile will become even more prominent, says Ipsy CEO and founder Marcelo Camberos “Those are the people creating the next generation of beauty brands. If we can provide a platform for all these beauty creators as they’re growing up and getting more famous, it builds an affinity between us and them.”

“When I first started, there really was no beauty guru community,” Phan, drinking green juice in her airy, white-walled studio, told Fortune on Friday. “I didn’t have the right production resources. I had to learn how to edit. I didn’t even have beauty products. I had to go out and buy them myself because beauty brands didn’t even know what a beauty guru was.” She’s come a long way since her webcam days: last month she launched ICON, a lifestyle network and YouTube channel, with partner Endemol Shine Group. Meanwhile, Ipsy, which Phan founded four years ago to connect brands with beauty influencers, generates more than $150 million in annual revenue and boasts over a million subscribers.

“I’ve build the roadmap for the past eight years for any beauty creator,” Phan says. “It’s something I had to build out, and now I want to go into the next stage of my career and mentor other creators and pave a new road.” And there seem to be plenty of would-be beauty moguls out there, itching to take that road: Ipsy says the Open Studios program received more than 1,000 applications within hours of its launch. The Ipsy team will manually evaluate all submissions for consistency in style and voice, as well as posting frequency and social media clout, but “our goal is to let everyone in,” says Camberos.

Phan’s rise has clearly influenced the multi-billion beauty industry, which is doubling down on the importance of user-generated content to reach consumers. “Everyone’s realizing the beauty industry is changing,” says Jennifer Goldfarb, Ipsy co-founder and president. “The sphere of influence is shifting entirely to digital content creators. For years, the beauty brands have been creating their own beautifully produced content and putting it up on YouTube and Instagram, but the problem is no one was watching it. Now, they’re recognizing that Michelle and her peers have the influence and authority.”

It’s not clear whether Ipsy Open Studios’ resources can help aspiring entrepreneurs replicate Phan’s success. Considered a unicorn among content creators, Phan is a self-described nerd with a relentless work ethic. She’s also an early adopter who is currently experimenting shooting video with drones and virtual reality. “There is no question that viral marketing can work,” says Bob Dorf, who teaches entrepreneurship at Columbia Business School. “But can it work predictably, and does it provide a sustainable advantage?”

 

About the Author
By Jaclyn Trop
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in MPW

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in MPW

t
Arts & EntertainmentTaylor Swift
Taylor Swift is youngest woman to make Songwriters Hall of Fame at 36, but blew out her voice cheering for the Knicks
By Maria Sherman and The Associated PressJune 12, 2026
10 hours ago
Bridgit Mendler speaking at Fortune's conference
SuccessCareers
Ex-Disney star Bridgit Mendler reveals she was rejected hundreds of times by Hollywood—but it primed her for her current job as a space start-up CEO
By Preston ForeJune 12, 2026
10 hours ago
Melania launches Trump Accounts for foster kids — and Democratic governors want no part of it
MPWWhite House
Melania launches Trump Accounts for foster kids — and Democratic governors want no part of it
By Fatima Hussein and The Associated PressJune 12, 2026
19 hours ago
amodei
AIAnthropic
Anthropic is worth $965 billion and just hired 1,000 coaches for nonprofits: ‘The fox can’t guard the henhouse’
By Glenn Gamboa and The Associated PressJune 11, 2026
2 days ago
pope
EuropePope
‘Human dignity has no passport’: Pope rips into developed world for indifference to immigrants
By Nicole Winfield, Helena Alves, Renata Brito and The Associated PressJune 11, 2026
2 days ago
Bridgit Mendler speaks on stage at Fortune Brainstorm Tech 2026 in Aspen, Colorado.
Startups & VentureBrainstorm Tech
The space economy’s next frontier is in ground infrastructure, Northwood Space CEO says
By Sebastian HerreraJune 10, 2026
2 days ago

Most Popular

Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
Environment
Corporate America has been draining the world's water. Matt Damon's new campaign calls on Gap, Starbucks, and Amazon to help give it back
By Catherina GioinoJune 9, 2026
4 days ago
When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
Investing
When SpaceX starts trading, some 'shareholders' will discover they own nothing at all
By Jim EdwardsJune 12, 2026
15 hours ago
Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 12, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 12, 2026
13 hours ago
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
Energy
Analysts expected oil to surge above $200 but China has quietly kept prices half of that—and can’t for much longer
By Sasha RogelbergJune 10, 2026
2 days ago
American taxpayers have spent $33 billion on sports stadiums. They got fewer seats—and higher prices
Success
American taxpayers have spent $33 billion on sports stadiums. They got fewer seats—and higher prices
By Catherina GioinoJune 11, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of June 11, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 11, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 11, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.