Selena Gomez has been honoured with PEOPLE's inaugural Beauty Impact Award, recognising her efforts to use her beauty business and personal platform to support mental health, particularly among young people.
The 34-year-old singer, actress and entrepreneur received the award as she appeared on the cover of PEOPLE, where she opened up about Rare Beauty, her mental health advocacy, ageing, marriage and a new chapter in her life.
Gomez launched Rare Beauty in 2020 with the intention of creating a cosmetics brand that carried a wider purpose.
One percent of the brand's product sales goes to the Rare Impact Fund, which was established to support youth mental health.
According to PEOPLE, the fund has raised more than $30 million and supports 30 nonprofit organisations across five continents.
Its beneficiaries include organisations such as The Trevor Project, Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services and the Child Mind Institute.
The fund has also supported mental health training for more than 200,000 educators and reaches an estimated 3.5 million young people annually.
For Gomez, the mission is closely connected to her own experiences. She has publicly discussed living with bipolar disorder and has spoken about the importance of therapy, coping skills and having supportive people around her.
'The honest truth is when you're stuck in a mental health cycle, you can't hear advice,' Gomez told PEOPLE.
She encouraged people facing difficult moments to hold on and remember that difficult periods do not define their entire future.
Beyond her advocacy work, Gomez said she has developed a different relationship with beauty and aging.
She noted that she is comfortable getting older and does not see aging as something to fear.
'Getting older has been so much fun. I'm not scared at all. I love getting older,' she said.
She also reflected on Rare Beauty's growth, saying she wanted its products to be simple to use while ensuring that the company continued creating a sense of community for people who want to feel 'seen and loved.'
Gomez, who recently celebrated her first wedding anniversary with music producer Benny Blanco, described her current period of life as peaceful.
She said she is learning to balance her busy career with time for family, friends and herself.
Looking ahead, Gomez said she wants to remain happy and continue working on projects she genuinely loves.
'I just want to be happy,' she told PEOPLE. 'I hope I'm still doing things that I love.'
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