Selena Gomez is opening up about how her personal health challenges have directly shaped her approach to building her beauty brand.

On the Sept. 9 episode of the Good Hang with Amy Poehler podcast, the 33-year-old singer, actress, and entrepreneur revealed that she experiences arthritis in her fingers as a result of lupus — a chronic autoimmune disease she was diagnosed with in 2013. The condition has not only impacted her daily life, but also inspired her to prioritize accessibility in the design of Rare Beauty’s products.

“I have arthritis in my fingers, and that’s due to my lupus,” Gomez explained during the conversation. She went on to recall how difficult simple tasks became before she was properly medicated. “I remember before the brand, I was trying to open a water bottle and it hurt really bad before I was on the right medication,” she said, illustrating how painful even the most routine actions can be for people with reduced dexterity.

When Rare Beauty launched, Gomez and her team initially created packaging that was unintentionally easier to open than typical beauty products. But over time, she said, they realized that this design element wasn’t just convenient — it was necessary. “We somehow inherently made the products easy to open, and then we realized, wait — they kind of have to be that way,” she explained. From there, the company made a conscious decision to ensure every product would work for people experiencing dexterity issues.

“We want to make them easy and accessible,” Gomez emphasized, noting that the brand’s commitment to inclusivity is rooted in her own lived experience.

Over the years, Gomez has been candid about her battle with lupus, which has involved flare-ups, fatigue, pain, and even a kidney transplant in 2017. By sharing how her health has influenced her business choices, she continues to spotlight both the challenges of living with chronic illness and the ways in which those experiences can inspire meaningful change.

Selena Gomez launched Rare Beauty in September 2020, and by 2024 the company had reportedly reached an impressive $2 billion valuation. The brand quickly became a favorite online, praised not only for the quality of its products but also for the thoughtful emphasis on accessibility. That commitment was highlighted again with the August release of Rare Beauty’s first fragrance.

Unlike most traditional perfume bottles, which require the user to remove a cap and press down on a nozzle, Rare Beauty’s fragrance comes in a uniquely designed bottle with no cap at all. Instead, it features a button that can be toggled from locked to unlocked and then pressed to dispense the scent. The streamlined design is something Gomez takes special pride in, knowing how meaningful it can be for people who struggle with dexterity or mobility issues.

“I know that might seem like a little thing, but it’s really not, because it’s actually so helpful for anyone at any age to be able to use the products,” Gomez explained. “And that’s why we want to make them easy and accessible — because it’s important to me, and it always has been. So even down to our fragrance, the pump is very easy for me to use.”

Gomez’s passion for accessibility is deeply personal. In 2013, she was diagnosed with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease that occurs when the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues and organs. According to the Mayo Clinic, lupus has no cure, and for Gomez, the illness has brought years of physical and emotional challenges.

She has been candid about her journey, including in her Apple TV+ documentary My Mind & Me. In one raw moment from the film, Gomez admitted how painful mornings can be: “Now it just hurts in the morning. When I wake up, [I] immediately start crying because it hurts — like everything.”

Beyond the physical toll, the actress and singer has also faced intense public scrutiny about her appearance. In 2023, amid widespread online speculation about her weight fluctuations, Gomez addressed the issue directly on social media. She explained that the medications she takes to manage lupus often cause weight gain or loss, and that those changes are simply a part of her reality.

“I just want people to know that you’re beautiful, and you’re wonderful,” she told fans at the time. “Yeah, we have days where maybe we feel like s—, but I would rather be healthy and take care of myself. My medications are important, and I believe they’re what helps me.”

Through it all, Gomez has continued to merge her personal experiences with her professional mission, building Rare Beauty into a brand that doesn’t just focus on beauty for beauty’s sake, but also on accessibility, inclusivity, and compassion.