James Charles became an overnight sensation when he retook his high school photos in 2016, to make sure his "highlight would be poppin" in a series of snapshots posted on Twitter. The attention he received from the viral thread would inspire him to start a YouTube channel, which has since amassed over 20 million subscribers, making him the biggest beauty influencer on the video-sharing platform.
James has made a fortune selling beauty products, teaching makeup classes, and partnering with other major companies, with his current net worth estimated to be $12 million. He recently helmed his own YouTube show, 'Instant Influencer', he earns money from posting sponsored content to his 18.4 million+ Instagram followers, and he's slowly but surely building a makeup empire that's already competing with the likes of Kim Kardashian's KKW and Kylie Jenner's Kylie Cosmetics.
So, how exactly has James, who is also a fashion guru, managed to make so much money? Here's the lowdown.
12 His YouTube Revenue
With over 19 million subscribers and each video averaging seven million viewers, there’s no denying that James Charles is making some serious money on YouTube. It’s estimated that his earnings from the video-sharing platform are as high as $2.5 million per year, and given that his channel is still growing, those numbers will continue to rise.
11 He Landed His Own Makeup Show
In April 2020, James Charles announced the premiere of his own YouTube series, ‘Instant Influencer,’ which was a show about creating the next beauty guru. Its first season only had four episodes, but viewers were clearly impressed with the production, as its viewership reached well over 65 million people combined.
10 He Runs A Beauty Empire
While James Charles is still in the growing stages when it comes to his cosmetics company, he has already had plenty of success with the products he’s released so far. And it’s probably important to mention that James’ items don’t come cheap, with his brush set costing a whopping $149.
9 His Palettes Are Sold In Stores Across The World
Thanks to his partnership with Morphe, James Charles’ makeup products are shipped worldwide, allowing his fans from all over the globe to make purchases and put some more money into his bank account. It’s also less hassle than having to open stores because stores require a lot more overhead and work.
8 The Morphe Palette Sold Out In 10 Minutes
When the Morphe palette was released, it was no more than ten minutes before fans had trouble purchasing the item from the official Morphe website. People were letting out their frustration on social media, frantically trying to get answers on how they could spend $39 to get their hands on James’ palette. A restock was later announced by the company, indicating that they weren’t expecting such high sales.
7 He Has A Popular Merchandise Brand
Aside from making millions on YouTube, James also runs a very successful merchandise store, but he prefers to label it as Sisters Apparel. The young entrepreneur sells everything from colored sweatpants at $49.95 to cotton candy shirts at $29.95. There’s no doubt that James is earning another substantial amount from this particular business.
6 He Gets Paid To Tour And Make Appearances
Believe it or not, these beauty gurus go out on world tours. It’s not quite like a Beyoncé tour, where you’d expect singing and dancing - instead, makeup experts such as James host makeup tutorials. They also engage in fun Q&As which take place in venues across the world.
5 He Gets Paid To Post On Social Media
This isn’t really a shocker, but if you ever wonder why there might be a bunch of sponsored posts on James Charles’ social media pages, it’s because he would have received a nice sum of money to promote the company’s product.
On Instagram alone, the socialite has over 18 million followers, which puts his estimated pay-per-post fee between $100k-400k. Of course, the numbers vary based on the product and posting requirements.
4 He Became CoverGirl’s Brand Ambassador
In 2016, CoverGirl announced they had made James Charles the brand ambassador of its cosmetics firm, making him the first male celebrity to have received the honor. It’s even more impressive knowing that the YouTuber was only 16 years old when the life-changing offer came along.
3 He’s The Biggest Beauty Guru On YouTube
While he lost over 3 million followers during his feud with Jeffree Star and Tati Westbrook over the summer of 2019, the situation finally died down...and people realized that James wasn’t as evil as his peers had branded him to be. Then, his subscriber count quickly went back up again. The numbers were rising so fast! With over 19.2 million subscribers, he’s the biggest beauty guru on YouTube.
2 He Often Collaborates And Works With Celebrities
James is so no stranger to collaborating with celebrities and fellow YouTube stars, which has helped him grow his channel, increase his views… and make more money. In the past, he’s done makeup tutorials on Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Iggy Azalea, and Kesha.
1 He Partnered With A Skincare Company
His first major collaboration with another company came when he partnered with the skin care brand, Ole Henriksen, in October 2019. Of course, no one knows how much James was paid for his involvement in promoting and endorsing the firm’s products, but having someone as popular as James singing the praises of a skincare collection is sure to require a hefty fee.
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