Earlier this week, I opened a Slack notification to see that another big celebrity name was launching a protein brand. On January 5, Mel Robbins, a lawyer who turned a viral 2011 TedX talk into a lucrative second career as a self-help guru, introduced PureGenius Protein, a line of pocket-sized “protein shots” packing 23 grams per three-ounce bottle. “It is unlike any other protein you’ve ever had,” Robbins wrote in the caption of a Facebook post breaking the news. (She has around 90 million followers across platforms.)
This kind of bulletin has become increasingly common among actors, influencers, and athletes. Khloe Kardashian has Khloud Protein Popcorn. Venus Williams has Happy Viking, a plant-based protein powder company. In 2021, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s son, actor Patrick Schwarzenegger (a.k.a. the fuckboy character on the most recent season of The White Lotus) embarked on a much more G-rated family affair: partnering with his mother, former First Lady of California Maria Shriver, to develop MOSH Protein Bars. Other celebrity businesses have hopped on the bandwagon, too: Tom Brady’s TB12, Kate Hudson’s InBloom, Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, Mark Wahlberg’s Performance Inspired, Jennifer Lopez’s BodyLab, and Arnold Schwarzenegger and LeBron James’s Ladder Sport currently offer or recently offered an extensive array of protein products.
Meanwhile, other celebrities have adopted a different approach to pushing protein: taking roles at existing brands rather than starting their own, or partnering with brands to advertise specific products. As recently as this fall, Jennifer Aniston was listed as a chief creative officer for Vital Proteins. Zac Efron serves as chief brand officer for Kodiak Cakes, which is known for its high-protein oatmeal and pancake and waffle mixes. And just as I was writing this piece, Dunkin’ released an ad starring Megan Thee Stallion to promote its new Dunkin’ Protein Refreshers drinks.
If you felt a flash of déjà vu reading the Mel Robbins announcement, I wouldn’t blame you. Whether you’re aware of it or not, you’ve seen this movie before—around ten years ago, when another type of business venture took hold of Hollywood: the celebrity beauty line. From 2015 to 2022, we were inundated with new options: Kylie Jenner’s Kylie Cosmetics, Jessica Alba’s Honest Beauty, Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty (and, later, Fenty Skin), Kim Kardashian’s KKW Beauty, Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs, Tracee Ellis Ross’s Pattern Beauty, Millie Bobby Brown’s Florence by Mills, Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty, Victoria Beckham’s Victoria Beckham Beauty, Alica Keys’s Keys Soulcare, Ariana Grande’s R.E.M. Beauty, Jennifer Aniston’s LolaVie, and Hailey Bieber’s Rhode, among (many, many) others.
