Beautyblender’s Rea Ann Silva Couldn’t Find The Makeup Sponge She Needed As A Celebrity Makeup Artist, ‘So I Created It Myself’

Rea Ann Silva

Courtesy of Beautyblender

Welcome to “Unsung Heroes,” my column that asks beauty brands about their respective hero products—their bestsellers, and often a product that embodies the brand’s identity—but also dives a little deeper into, as the column’s title suggests, its unsung heroes: products that may not be as out front and in the spotlight as others, but still pull their weight and deserve recognition. In this column, we’ll also delve into brand ethos, the why behind beauty brands and what’s next for the company.

In my work, I have the great good fortune to write about beauty founders all the time—but not all of them created a category that didn’t exist before they came around. Not all of them ended up in the Smithsonian for their beauty innovation. And not all of them turned what was once a throwaway product into a brand whose name is now synonymous with makeup sponges—but Rea Ann Silva did.

When it comes to Beautyblender, the company’s hero product is wildly obvious—the Beautyblender, a tool created by Silva in the early 2000s that she needed as a makeup artist working on the set of the television show Girlfriends. The pink, egg-shaped sponge was created to smooth imperfections to the degree that high-definition television wouldn’t catch it, and Silva knew she was on to something when her sponges kept disappearing on set because actors were taking them for themselves, they worked so well.

Now, sales top $200 million, as Forbes previously reported, and even after forming an LLC for the product in 2003, Silva continued to work as a makeup artist until the company scaled, only going full-time with Beautyblender after it went nationwide in 2012. The next year, Beautyblender was sold in Sephora, and sales took off—as Forbes reported, a Beautyblender sells about every 17 minutes in retailers like Sephora and Ulta, which began carrying Beautyblender in 2018.

“I never at that moment could have imagined that I’m sitting here talking to you right now as CEO and founder of a brand sold globally in the biggest stores in the world,” Silva previously told MSNBC. “I didn’t dream that big. I dreamt, like, how am I going to support myself, pay rent and have food and gas.”

In 2018, the success of Beautyblender led Silva to launch her own foundation line, Bounce, which comes in a wide variety of shades. “The biggest fail for makeup applications for many years is that there weren’t enough shades for women of color to actually look natural with makeup on, so you had to learn to become like a mixologist,” Silva told MSNBC. “They would all be from light to a little bit darker, not really going into other ethnicities, the Latin colors or African-American colors or Asian colors.”

Silva is Latina herself and, as she’d done before, saw the gap in the market. Her ingenuity has inspired folks Silva calls “fans”—and what some may call copycats—but the name Beautyblender has become as synonymous with makeup sponges as Kleenex is to tissues or Coca-Cola or Pepsi is to sodas.

“Sponges were always considered disposable,” Silva previously told Glossy. “They were a throwaway product, figuratively and actually, and we were taught to replenish and never keep them. Women were given them traditionally in makeup packages for many years. In your compacts, you might have a flat sponge in there. But we were never educated about what to do with the sponge, how to use it, how to clean it. Nothing. When I realized how effective and how amazing this product was, I realized I had an opportunity to educate about the sponge.”

Here I chat with Silva about what led her to start Beautyblender in the first place, what products beyond the makeup sponge she’s proud of and what’s ahead for the company—because, thankfully for us, there are more product launches to come.

Forbes: When you founded Beautyblender, what was your why? And how have you stuck to that in the years since?

Rea Ann Silva: When I founded Beautyblender, my “why” was simple—I needed a tool that actually worked. As a makeup artist on high-definition sets, I was constantly problem-solving in the moment, trying to create flawless, seamless makeup looks under extreme scrutiny. Nothing on the market did what I needed, so I created it myself. Over the years, I’ve stuck to that same principle—making products that are practical, innovative and truly solve problems for makeup artists and everyday users alike. Every new product we release still starts with that mindset: “Does this make life better for the person using it?”

Forbes: This seems obvious, but what would you consider your hero product to be?

RAS: That has to be the original Beautyblender sponge, original pink. It’s the product that started it all and has remained a staple for over 20 years. People love it because it works, it’s versatile and it’s intuitive—you can use it for everything from delicate under-eye work to full-face coverage. Seeing it become an iconic tool, even landing in the Smithsonian, is still surreal to me, but it’s really just about doing one thing well—giving people a flawless, natural finish.

Forbes: Beautyblenders are used not just by professional makeup artists like yourself, but by the everyday person, like me. It’s your obvious hero product, but I’d also like to know an unsung hero product that you’d like to spotlight.

RAS: There are a few products I feel don’t always get the attention they deserve. All of my brushes are the real unsung heroes. They are designed to do everything a Beautyblender does not do, performing each function while making your routine easier by blending skincare, prep and makeup together. Some brushes feature a double-sided Zamac cooling tip to stimulate circulation and support lymphatic drainage. The Player Brush—an Allure Best of Beauty Award winner—has a soft touch, bendable silicone lash comb that gently separates lashes. They may not always get the spotlight, but they make every product perform at its best.

Boost™ 18-hour Firming & Smoothing Peptide + Ceramide Primer is a personal favorite. It holds makeup for up to 18 hours and keeps skin hydrated for up to 24. The cooling sorbet gel has peptides and mimosa flower extract to lift and firm, while ceramides and vitamin B5 keep skin nourished and plump. It’s one of those unsung heroes that really preps your skin for a flawless look.

Forbes: What drives the work Beautyblender does?

RAS: Everything we do is driven by problem-solving and creativity. We want our products to be functional, innovative and inspiring. It’s about helping people feel confident, whether they’re professionals on set or getting ready for their day. We also care deeply about accessibility and making professional results achievable for everyone.

Forbes: How will you keep that driver in mind going into the next year of the business?

RAS: Next year, we’ll continue innovating while listening closely to our community. We want to create products that feel practical. Sustainability is also a priority—from reusability to material choices, we’re making conscious decisions without compromising performance. And of course, you can expect some fun new product launches that continue to solve real beauty problems while keeping things effortless and approachable.