Cravings, Chrissy Teigen’s line of baking mixes, recently rebranded. 

Typically, when I hear about a rebrand, I wonder what sparked the change, but the reason felt evident in this case. Three years ago, when the brand first launched, it was met with immediate controversy from New Zealand baker Jordan Rondel, who accused Teigen of ripping off her packaging designs.  

It reminded me of another recent packaging controversy—Beyoncé’s Cecred caught flack for “borrowing” visual cues from indie haircare brand Twygg. That similarity sent me down a rabbit hole, digging into the mechanics of celebrity branding. Are these just hollow machines built to look like they have souls while mimicking indie credibility, originality, and founder involvement? After all, celebrities are busy people. How involved are they really in their tequila brand or their condiment line?