PROFITING PERSONALLY

Lili Reinhart rode mainstream media to stardom. Now she's building a huge social media fan base to back her entertainment and skin care bets.

- BY ALEXANDRA YORK. LILI REINHART BY SEBASTIAN NEVOLS FOR FORBES

In 2011, then 14-year-old Lili Reinhart and her mother hopped in the family minivan for an eight-hour ride from Cleveland to New York City for an open audition. She got the part—a role in a 15-minute short called The Most Girl Part of You, which she credits with launching her career. By 2017, she was starring as Betty Cooper on the CW's teen drama Riverdale—which ran for seven seasons, skyrocketing her to fame. Then came credits in Hustlers, Chemical Hearts and Look Both Ways.

That kind of Hollywood résumé would once have been more than enough to ensure the success of her skin care startup, Personal Day. But in the age of social media, her team gave her a clear directive: Get big on small screens. With a podcast mic and a box of Crumbl cookies, Reinhart embarked on another starring role: TikTok food reviewer.

“It was a strategy to get more followers before I launched my skin care brand. It worked,” says the 29-year-old actress, who counts 7.5 million followers on TikTok and 24 million on Instagram.