Selena Gomez is an American singer and actress who founded the cosmetics brand Rare Beauty in 2020 and became a billionaire within four years. But her road to a billion ran through lupus, a kidney transplant from her friend Francia Raisa, eight years of on-and-off romance with Justin Bieber, and bipolar disorder, which she spoke about herself.
In this story:
- Who is Selena Gomez and where is she from?
- What was there between Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber?
- What illness does Selena Gomez have?
- Who gave Selena Gomez a kidney?
- How did the Jelena story end?
- Why was Selena Gomez's brand named Rare Beauty?
- How did Selena Gomez become a billionaire?
- Who did Selena Gomez marry?
In this story:
- Who is Selena Gomez and where is she from?
- What was there between Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber?
- What illness does Selena Gomez have?
- Who gave Selena Gomez a kidney?
- How did the Jelena story end?
- Why was the brand named Rare Beauty?
- How did Selena Gomez become a billionaire?
- Who did Selena Gomez marry?
- Video version of the story
- Frequently asked questions
Who is Selena Gomez and where is she from?
Let's start from the end, because that's where it all began. A hospital room, two narrow beds side by side, two girls holding hands. One has just received a new kidney. The other has just given it.
Outside the clinic walls, millions of fans scroll through their feeds, suspecting nothing. They see a Disney star, magazine covers, red carpets. And she is learning to breathe without pain again.
And now — back to Texas. The town of Grand Prairie, her mother Mandy Teefey, who is only sixteen, and a baby in her arms. Later Selena would recall how they scraped small change out of the car to buy gas.
Her parents divorced when she was five, and the girl was partly raised by her grandparents. The dream of the screen runs up against money that isn't there. Her first role was on the children's show "Barney & Friends," whose main character is a purple dinosaur.
At fifteen, Disney Channel gives her the lead role in the series "Wizards of Waverly Place." The girl with coins in her palm becomes the face of a generation. Could anyone have imagined then how much this fame would cost?
What was there between Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber?
At eighteen, Justin Bieber enters her life — a Canadian teen phenomenon, younger than her and madly in love. He jokes backstage, she laughs until she cries. It seems like simply a first love. And which of us didn't believe that the first one is forever?
His gestures are straight out of a movie. They say he rented an entire arena so they could watch "Titanic" together, just the two of them: thousands of empty seats, a giant screen and two people in the middle. The world blends their names into one — Jelena.
And then comes a roller coaster in front of millions of eyes. They get back together and break up, tabloids savor rumors of cheating, and Selena answers with songs that have too many tears to be a coincidence. Magazine covers get torn up and glued back together, as if their relationship were a series everyone watches without the heroes' permission.
What illness does Selena Gomez have?
In her early twenties — a diagnosis that sounds like a sentence: systemic lupus erythematosus, or lupus. It is an autoimmune disease in which the body's own immune system attacks organs and tissues. Selena goes through chemotherapy and for a long time explains to no one what is happening to her.
The medication makes her face swell — and comments appear under every photo: "gained weight." None of the authors know what is behind it. When she finally names the illness out loud, some of the haters fall silent. Some don't.
At twenty-four, she cancels a world tour because of anxiety, panic attacks and depression. Imagine: tickets sold, the stage built, and you can't walk out to the people. And then her kidneys fail. The wait for a donor can drag on for years — years she may not have.
Who gave Selena Gomez a kidney?
Francia Raisa is an American actress, known for the series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," and a longtime friend of Selena's. In our video, this moment comes down to two words: "Take mine." In reality, according to Selena, Francia volunteered herself when a donor couldn't be found — and turned out to be a match.
The operation, when she was twenty-five, went badly. Later Selena said on NBC that the new kidney had flipped and damaged an artery, and emergency intervention was needed. But both wake up. Alive. How many people in your life would do something like this for you — and for how many would you?
How did the Jelena story end?
A few months after the operation — and Bieber is by her side again. Bicycles in an autumn park, laughter, his hand in hers on a church pew. It seems the fairy tale is writing a happy ending. Have you ever given someone a second chance too — and a tenth?
But in the spring comes the final breakup. And half a year later, Bieber marries the model Hailey Baldwin — we'll soon release a separate episode about her and her brand Rhode. Selena breaks down and checks into a clinic.
Later, during singer Miley Cyrus's live broadcast on Instagram, she names her diagnosis out loud for the first time: bipolar disorder. And still later she will honestly say in an interview with Vanity Fair that carrying a child herself is dangerous for her. Another blow — to the most secret dream.
But this time she doesn't hide. She sits down at the piano and writes a song about how she had to lose him to love herself. "Lose You to Love Me" becomes her first number-one hit on the American Billboard Hot 100 chart. Nobody asked who it was about.
Why was Selena Gomez's brand named Rare Beauty?
The name was born from her album "Rare." The brand launched in the same year she spoke about bipolar disorder, and with a thought Selena repeats again and again: she stopped trying to be perfect. Rare Beauty is about the rarity of each woman, not about a standard.
At launch — the Liquid Touch foundation in 48 shades and the Soft Pinch liquid blush, for which a single drop is enough. It was the blush that went viral on TikTok: girls in front of ring lights showed how a drop spreads across the cheek, and Sephora shelves stayed empty for months.
How did Selena Gomez become a billionaire?
At thirty-two, Bloomberg calls her a billionaire. The main part of her fortune is not songs or series, but her stake in Rare Beauty. The girl who searched for coins in the car now owns a brand that changed the makeup bag of an entire generation.
Brand passport
| Parameter | Value |
| Founder | Selena Gomez |
| Year and city | 2020, Los Angeles (California) |
| Name | From Selena's album "Rare" |
| Launch products | Liquid Touch foundation in 48 shades, Soft Pinch liquid blush and others |
| Cult product | Soft Pinch Liquid Blush |
| Social mission | Rare Impact Fund — 1% of sales goes to mental health |
Who did Selena Gomez marry?
Last year she married Benny Blanco — the producer of hits for Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, Maroon 5 and Selena herself. A wedding in a garden in Santa Barbara, a morning with friends by the mirror, no scandalous headlines. Simply happy.
And the transplant scar she has long shown herself. One summer she posted a photo in a swimsuit where a thin line on the side of her stomach is visible, and wrote that she finally feels confident in herself. A girl who was bullied for her body made that body her answer.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
| 1992 | Selena Gomez is born in Grand Prairie, Texas |
| 2007 | Lead role in the Disney Channel series "Wizards of Waverly Place" |
| 2010 | Start of her relationship with Justin Bieber — the birth of "Jelena" |
| 2015 | Selena publicly talks about lupus and chemotherapy |
| 2017 | Kidney transplant from her friend Francia Raisa |
| 2019 | "Lose You to Love Me" — her first number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 |
| 2020 | Launch of Rare Beauty, confession about bipolar disorder |
| 2024 | Bloomberg names Selena a billionaire |
Remember that drop of blush the girls blended in front of ring lights? The secret wasn't in perfect skin, but in a living flush that shows through the foundation — as if you'd just been laughing with friends.
Creamy Blush by Veronika Kyryliuk cream face blush is exactly about that: a creamy texture that is easy to blend with fingers or a sponge. A little more for a celebration, a little less for an ordinary morning when you want to look simply like yourself.
Creamy Blush by Veronika Kyryliuk cream face blush
You've read to the end — now see how this story comes alive in the video: two girls on neighboring beds, an arena for two and a drop of blush that made a billion. Subscribe to SINART's YouTube so you don't miss the next episodes of "SINART. The DNA of Beauty."
π Recreate Selena's look: makeup in 6 steps
A just-came-in-from-the-cold flush, glowing cheekbones and juicy lips — we broke Selena's look down into 6 easy steps with SINART products.
Selena Gomez's story doesn't end with a billion. It ends where it began: on two hospital beds, where one friend holds the other's hand. Everything else — Jelena, the hate, the diagnoses, the blush that vanished from shelves — is only the road to a simple thought: beauty is not perfection.
Today Rare Beauty is sold in many countries around the world, and Selena remains its founder and face. The next episode of "SINART. The DNA of Beauty" is about Maybelline: the man who gave the world his sister's name and hid whom he loved.
And now a question for you: what did you once hide from the world — and are you ready to show it as bravely as Selena showed her scar?
Frequently asked questions
Who gave Selena Gomez a kidney?
Selena Gomez's kidney was donated by her friend, the American actress Francia Raisa, known for the series "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." The transplant was done in the summer of 2017, and fans only learned about it in September, when Selena posted an Instagram photo of the two friends lying side by side on hospital beds. According to Selena, Francia volunteered herself when a donor couldn't be found.
Why did Selena Gomez need a kidney transplant?
The cause was systemic lupus erythematosus — an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body's own organs. In Selena's case, lupus affected the kidneys, and they began to fail. The wait for a donor organ could last for years, so a transplant from a living compatible donor became a lifeline. The operation had a complication: the new kidney flipped and damaged an artery, and emergency intervention was required.
How many years did Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber date?
Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber dated on and off from about 2010 to 2018 — roughly eight years. The couple was called Jelena. They broke up and got back together many times, the last time in the fall of 2017, after the kidney transplant. The final breakup happened in the spring of 2018, and that fall Bieber married the model Hailey Baldwin.
What illness does Selena Gomez have?
Selena Gomez has systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), an autoimmune disease that led her to undergo chemotherapy and later to need a kidney transplant. In 2020 she also revealed that she has bipolar disorder. In addition, Selena has spoken openly about anxiety, panic attacks and depression, because of which she canceled part of her world tour in 2016.
When did Selena Gomez create Rare Beauty?
Selena Gomez announced Rare Beauty in early 2020, and sales started in September 2020 at Sephora. At launch, the lineup included the Liquid Touch foundation in 48 shades, the Soft Pinch liquid blush and other products. The brand immediately declared its mission: to break down unrealistic beauty standards and support mental health.
Why is Selena Gomez's brand called Rare Beauty?
The name Rare Beauty is connected to Selena Gomez's album "Rare," released in early 2020. The word "rare" means "rare," as in one of a kind. The idea of the brand is that every person is rare in their own way, and beauty doesn't have to be perfect. This thought runs through all of Rare Beauty's communication, from advertising to social projects.
Which Rare Beauty blush is the most popular?
The brand's best-known product is the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush. It went viral on TikTok: girls showed how a single drop is enough for the whole cheek. Because of the hype, the blush vanished from Sephora shelves for months. This very product in many ways made Rare Beauty one of the most prominent celebrity cosmetics brands.
Is Selena Gomez really a billionaire?
Yes, in September 2024 Bloomberg estimated Selena Gomez's net worth at over a billion dollars. She was 32 years old at the time. The main part of her fortune is her stake in Rare Beauty, not income from music or acting. Her TV projects and partnership contracts also contribute to her wealth.
Who did Selena Gomez marry?
Selena Gomez married the American producer Benny Blanco. The couple got engaged in December 2024, and the wedding took place in September 2025 in Santa Barbara, California. Benny Blanco has worked on hits by Ed Sheeran, Rihanna, Maroon 5 and on Selena's own songs. The wedding was quiet, without loud scandals.
Can Selena Gomez have children?
In a 2024 interview with Vanity Fair, Selena Gomez said that, because of health problems, carrying a child herself is dangerous for her. She admitted that she struggled with this for a long time, but she speaks openly about other paths to motherhood, including surrogacy and adoption. The subject of motherhood is still very personal for her.
What is the Rare Impact Fund?
The Rare Impact Fund is a fund created together with the Rare Beauty brand. It receives 1% of cosmetics sales and supports projects in the field of youth mental health, including access to psychological help. The fund's goal is to raise 100 million dollars over ten years. For Selena, this is a personal subject, since she herself speaks openly about bipolar disorder and anxiety.
