Jeffree Star is an American model, entrepreneur, DJ, singer-songwriter, fashion designer, and makeup artist. He’s now one of the world’s highest-paid YouTube stars and also rakes in millions through his Star Cosmetic empire. As of 2024, Jeffree Star’s net worth is estimated at an impressive $200 million.
Beauty mogul Jeffree Star is widely recognized for his unique style, striking hair color, and flamboyant lifestyle. However, it’s his great business acumen that propelled him to the bulk of his fortune.
In this article, we’ll explore Star’s story and the main sources that contribute to his net worth.
Jeffree Star’s Net Worth Breakdown:
Given his massive income from his cosmetics business alone, combined with his big earnings from YouTube, endorsements, and other sources, it’s reasonable to estimate Jeffree Star’s net worth at above $200 million.
After careful analysis of Star’s various income sources and assets, we’ve compiled a detailed net worth breakdown, which you can see below:
Asset or Income Source | Contribution to Net Worth |
Instagram earnings | $14.74 million per year |
YouTube earnings, 2022 | $1 million |
Earnings, 2018 | $18 million |
Earnings 2019 | $17 million |
Earnings 2020 | $15 million |
Jeffree Star Cosmetics’ earnings | $150 million per year |
Product launch | $5.2 million |
Blood Sugar Palette earnings | $20 million |
Car collection | $4+ million |
Real estate | $1+ million |
Total Net Worth | $200 million |
Jeffree Star Net Worth: Early Life and Education
Jeffrey Lynn Steininger Jr. was born on November 15, 1985, in Los Angeles County, California, but spent most of his childhood in Orange County. His father, Jeffrey Steininger Sr. died from suicide when Jeffrey was only six years old. He was raised by his mother Marra Shubyann Lindstrom Steninger, a model.
Even as a child, Jeffree was very interested in cosmetics, often using his mom’s makeup. By the time he was in junior high, his mother allowed him to wear makeup to class.
Star has shared that he was once confused about his gender identity, wondering if he might be transgender. “I used to have thoughts of ‘I am transgender? Should I transition? Am I supposed to be a woman?'” he said.
I had so many thoughts in my head because I’ve always been really feminine, and I didn’t understand that I could be a male and wear makeup and feminine clothes and not be a woman. I was confused.
Today, he’s very comfortable in his own skin and he identifies as a male, using the pronouns he/his.
Star attended Pacifica High School in Garden Grove. After his high school graduation in 2002, he legally changed his name to Jeffree. At this point, he started earning income through modeling, music jobs, and as a makeup artist. He’s shared that he used a fake ID to attend clubs in Hollywood and meet celebrities who would hire him to do their makeup.
Personal Life
There is very little known about Jeffree Star’s personal relationships. Between 2015 and 2020, he was in a relationship with Nathan Schwandt. These days, there are rumors of him dating an NFL player, but the details haven’t been disclosed and this information has not yet been confirmed.
Jeffree Star Net Worth: From Myspace and YouTube to Multimillionaire Status
Jeffree Star’s rise to fame started with Myspace and eventually, YouTube. Fast forward to today and the makeup artist has become a multimillionaire with various business ventures under his management, along with a successful music career. Let’s see how he built his fame and fortune over time.
Jeffree Star on Myspace
Straight out of high school, Jeffree Star was completely committed to his makeup and music careers. He started using Myspace to further his career and reach a wider audience, often sharing details about his personal life and doing social commentary on self-image, fame, and beauty.
Since he was already somewhat established in the makeup industry, Star had a ready fan base to sign up and join him on Myspace, giving it a significant boost at its inception. Even at the beginning, his fashion shoots and music on Myspace gained over 50,000 comments, and his platform kept growing faster than most artists in the industry.
Soon enough, he transitioned to focus on makeup, sharing makeup tips and videos on the platform and expanding his reach to other social media channels such as YouTube and Instagram.
Jeffree Star on YouTube
In 2006, Jeffree Star launched his YouTube channel, jeffreestar. He used the channel to share makeup tutorials, glimpses into his lavish lifestyle, and reviews of different products.
His fame on this platform grew gradually over the years, and it reportedly took Star at least a decade to reach one million subscribers on YouTube. From that point, his YouTube channel has been growing at a whirlwind pace, gaining over 19 million new subscribers between 2016 and 2020.
As of September 2024, Star’s channel has 15.7 million subscribers. However, he hasn’t been using the channel as much as before, keeping it inactive for months at a time. As a result, his YouTube channel doesn’t earn as much ad revenue as it used to at its peak.
In 2022, Star’s YouTube channel had a net income of $1.09 million a year. As of April this year, the channel reportedly earns between $4,500 and $71,800 a year, according to Social Blade.
Still, this sum might be higher considering Cosmopolitan shared that Star makes “hundreds of thousands of dollars a year thanks to YouTube alone”.
Between January and December 2018, Jeffree Star reportedly earned $18 million in total from social media, endorsements, and business ventures. This made him one of the highest-paid YouTube stars on the planet – fifth, to be exact. A year later, he earned $17 million and reached number four on the list of highest-paid YouTube personalities. In 2020, Star earned $15 million, which still kept him in the top ten.
Jeffree Star on Instagram
Jeffree Star is a major star on Instagram, as well. His Insta account has over 13 million followers in 2024, and makes an estimated $14.74 million a year!
Jeffree Star’s Music Career
Star knew that he wanted to be a makeup artist and a musician from an early age, so his Myspace account began by promoting both his passions. His career as a pop and electronica vocalist started when he met and became friends with Peaches’ drummer Samantha Maloney, who encouraged him to pursue a career in the music industry.
In 2005, Star was featured on Turn Off the Lights, the song by Hollywood Undead.
Two years later, he was part of the True Colors Tour 2007, traveling through 15 cities in Canada and the United States. The tour was sponsored by the LGBT Logo channel.
Debut Album Beauty Killer and Tours
Star released his debut album, his first and only studio album to date, in 2009 under Popsicle Records. The album was titled Beauty Killer, and it peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Top Electronic Albums chart. It also peaked at number 22 on the US Independent Albums Chart. It was mainly produced by God’s Paparazzi and features artists including Nicki Minaj.
To promote his debut album Beauty Killer, Jeffree Star embarked on several world tours. The album spawned two official and several promotional singles, including:
- Prisoner
- Lollipop Luxury
- Love Rhymes with Fuck You
- Beauty Killer
- Blush
As for music videos, two were made for Beauty Killer and Get Away with Murder and made available for digital download and streaming in 2009 and 2010, respectively.
Other Music Collaborations and Albums
In addition to his studio album, Jeffree Star has released several other albums, including:
- Plastic Surgery Slumber Party in 2007
- Cupcakes Taste Like Violence in 2008
- Blush in 2010
- Mr. Diva in 2012
- Virginity in 2012
- The Shit You Weren’t Supposed to Hear! in 2012
He also collaborated with other celebrities in music videos and performances. For instance, in 2010, Star appeared in the second version of Kesha’s music video for Take It Off. He’s also worked with Millionaires, Deuce, Blood on the Dance Floor, and Larry Tee.
Jeffree Star Leaves the Music Industry
At one point, Jeffree Star even considered releasing a second album in partnership with Konvict Muzik, with whom he signed in 2010. However, a second album hasn’t been released to date and Star left the music industry officially in 2013 under unclear circumstances.
Not long after he left the music industry, Star shared that signing to Akon’s Konvict Muzik label was “the biggest mistake he ever made”.
However, the artist has recently re-appeared on the music scene.
In September 2024, Jeffree Star announced a 15th anniversary edition of his studio album with a re-release of a CD, digital format, and vinyl. The album also has a new cover and three additional songs:
- Hi, How Are Ya?
- Red Lipstick featuring Yeawolf
- Beauty Killer – Wyoming edition
Star’s Quarrels with Celebrities and Media Personalities
Jeffree Star is widely recognized for his unique persona and controversial lifestyle, which has caused him many conflicts with other media personalities. These include conversations with the tattoo artist Kat Von D, who accused Jeffree Star of “drug use, racism, and bullying”.
In 2020, both Star and Shane Dawson were accused of forcing Tati Westbrook, a popular YouTuber in the cosmetics scene, to upload a video attacking beauty YouTuber James Charles.
Star has also quarreled with Kylie Jenner after he criticized her products publicly on social media, as well as with Kylie’s sister Kim Kardashian for similar reasons. He’s also had beef with the co-founder of Too Faced Cosmetics Jerrod Blandino, after Star shared some negative feedback about his company’s products with his followers.
The most controversial of Star’s high-profile feuds is probably the one with Dahvie Vanity, the Blood on the Dance Floor member who was arrested on sexual assault charges in 2009. In 2010, after a long collaboration with Vanity, Jeffree Star called Vanity a “child f***er”, with Star tweeting that he saw him “bring underage girls to his hotel room”.
Star was consequently accused of associating with Vanity despite knowing that he allegedly assaulted people sexually, many of whom were minors.
When Chris Hansen of To Catch a Predator started covering the story, he asked Star about this and the famous makeup artist shared that he didn’t know about such activities while he worked with Vanity.
Controversies
During his rise to makeup vlogger stardom, Star has also become famous for his controversial comments. The most serious allegation to date involves some racist comments he made years ago, which resurfaced in videos in recent years. Following the backlash, Star released a YouTube video to address his comments and offered an apology.
Jeffree Star’s Business Ventures, Investments, and Assets
Jeffree Star is a major name in the beauty industry, leveraging his fame and reach to make a fortune. The famous beauty guru has been earning millions on social media by promoting his makeup skills. However, the most significant source of income for Star is his business, Jeffree Star Cosmetics, as well as his endorsement deals. Below you will find details about his cosmetic empire as well as his major assets.
Jeffree Star Cosmetics
Jeffree Star founded his eponymous cosmetic empire in 2014, calling it Jeffree Star Cosmetics. He reportedly used the last of his life savings after his music career ended to start the business and promoted it through the videos he published on YouTube.
Star’s growing success on YouTube was a major factor in his creation of a major cosmetics brand. His first makeup line was a collection of velour liquid lipsticks, highlighter palettes, eyeshadow palettes, and lip scrubs, plus clothing and accessories. The cosmetics line was sold at Morphe Cosmetics at the Westfield Garden State Plaza in New Jersey, starting in August 2018.
The bulk of his sales now don’t come from makeup counters, but from direct order fulfillment from his Jeffree Star Cosmetics warehouse in Los Angeles.
Star earns up to $5.2 million per product launch. When asked about his total earnings from the brand by YouTuber David Dobrik in 2020, Star shared that he earns up to $150 million per year from Jeffree Star Cosmetics alone.
Star owns the shipping and fulfillment center used by the company Jeffree Star Cosmetics, as well as several other drop shipping companies.
Since then, Jeffree Star Cosmetics has launched several other collections, including the very profitable Blue Blood eyeshadow palette.
@jeffreestar Today’s vibe is the #jeffreestarcosmetics blue blood palette ☃️ #makeup #beauty #jeffreestar
Docuseries
The Beautiful World of Jeffree Star is a documentary web series created by YouTuber Shane Dawson, based on the story of the famous musician/makeup artist. The series follows the life of Star and the mutual project between Star and Dawson as they design a new makeup collection called The Conspiracy Collection.
The docuseries ran for seven episodes between October 1 and November 22, 2019. An extra episode with bloopers and deleted scenes was consequently released in January the following year.
In the docuseries, it was revealed the Star’s Blood Sugar palette earned him $20 million alone!
Prior to this docuseries, Shane Dawson directed another 5-episode series called The Secret World of Jeffree Star.
Filmography
Jeffree Star is now a major star in the fashion world, which has given him many opportunities to appear on TV, as well. He’s starred as himself and taken acting roles in various movies and shows over the years, including:
- LA Ink – two episodes in 2007 and 2011
- What Now (2015) – as Victoria
- Shane and Friends (2017) – podcast with Shane Dawson
- The Secret World of Jeffree Star (2018)
- The Beautiful World of Jeffree Star (2019)
- The Dish with Trish (2020) – guest appearance
Endorsements
There is very little known about Star’s endorsement deals, but there have been many over the years, so this has most likely contributed significantly to his net worth. For instance, in an interview with Cosmopolitan, Star shared that he was offered $165,000 to endorse Pepsi’s products.
Over the years, he’s used his social media accounts to promote, approve, or disapprove different makeup products. Here are some of the products that Jeffree Star has approved to date:
- Maybelline Superstay 24-Hour Liquid Foundation
- Anastasia Beverly Hills Norvina Eyeshadow Palette
- Dermacol Makeup Cover
- L’Oréal Lash Paradise Mascara
- e.l.f Baked Highlighter
Whether or not he has been paid for these promotions – or how much – remains largely undisclosed.
Other Businesses
In an interview with Shane Dawson, Star shared that he has invested in (or owns) at least 10 small businesses, including a real estate company and a marijuana business.
“I own an entire shipment and fulfillment center, I own a merchandise company, I print and manufacture everything myself. So, I have about 10 businesses that I’m currently running besides my brand, which is my cosmetics company,” he said.
Real Estate
While he was dating Nathan Schwandt, Jeffree Star lived in an enormous mansion in Calabasas, California. He bought the lavish house in 2016, spending $3.62 million on the purchase, and additional millions into renovation and upgrades. He sold this property in November 2020 for $3.4 million, at a loss.
In December 2019, Jeffree purchased a Hidden Hills mansion in California for $14.6 million. The Hidden Hills compound sits on just under 3 acres and has 25,000 square feet of living space.
In June 2021, Star listed his Hidden Hills mansion for sale for $19.5 million and in June 2022, he sold it for $16.7 million.
Around this time, Jeffree bought a 70-acre Wyoming ranch, expanding it by further buying 500 acres nearby.
Star’s Impressive Car Collection
Jeffree Star has an impressive car collection featuring Bentleys, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Aston Martins, and more. His collection includes 25 vehicles and is reportedly worth over $4 million. It includes vehicles such as:
- McLaren Senna ($1.7 million)
- Rolls-Royce Cullinan ($650,000)
- Rolls-Royce Dawn ($410,000)
- Lamborghini Urus ($220,230)
- Rolls-Royce Wraith ($330,000)
- McLaren 570S ($192,500)
- Lamborghini Huracán ($178,000)
- Aston Martin Vantage ($150,000)
- BMW i8 Roadster ($200,000)
- Jeep Wrangler Rubicon ($44,000)
- 1965 Rolls-Royce ($75,000)
What Can We Learn from Jeffree Star’s Story?
Jeffree Star’s story is a remarkable example of turning passion into a multimillion-dollar empire. His journey from makeup artist and musician to a highly influential beauty guru offers several lessons.
For starters, Star built his brand by showcasing his unique personality and style and he hasn’t been afraid to stand out. His bold approach is what helped him stand out in a crowded beauty industry, which teaches us the importance of personal branding in business.
Early on, Jeffree leveraged platforms like Myspace and YouTube to gain exposure. This allowed him to reach millions of followers, which he later wisely monetized. This goes to show how effectively using social media can be a powerful tool for business success and brand building.
Beyond makeup, Star has explored music, business, and acting. His cosmetic brand is a core revenue stream for his net worth but he also earns a lot from endorsements, social media, and multiple smaller ventures. Diversifying income streams is the key to financial growth and security.
Finally, despite many setbacks in the music industry, as well as numerous personal controversies, Star kept moving forward and thrived in the entertainment industry. This shows that resilience is a key trait for long-term success, especially when your style stands out in the crowd.