YouTube star Jeffree Star said his new beauty collection began selling out in 5 minutes, and it shows how fans treat the products like collector's items

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Jeffree Star released his Summer 2019 Collection Friday, June 21.

• Prominent YouTube beauty influencer Jeffree Star, who has over 15 million subscribers, released a new collection on Friday through his Jeffree Star Cosmetics company, titled "Jawbreaker."
• Fans told Business Insider there's a whole strategy behind scooping up products and merchandise released on a Jeffree Star Cosmetics launch day.
• These kinds of product releases are a way for followers to support Star and snag products they often treat more like collector's items than makeup.
• Star fits into a trend of influencers using limited-release strategies to create buzz around products like makeup, the most notable of whom is Kylie Jenner, whose personal net worth has grown to $1 billion, according to Forbes, largely on the strength of her cosmetics company.

Fans of beauty YouTube influencer Jeffree Star, who has over 15 million subscribers, will tell you: there's a strategy behind scooping up desired products and merchandise released on a Jeffree Star Cosmetics launch day.

"When I know a launch is coming I set my timer on my phone for 10 minutes beforehand, and then again 3 minutes beforehand," Kendall Alfred, who is also an influencer with 178,000 subscribers on YouTube, told Business Insider. "It's important to have a strong internet connection and have the page already opened. You should log in to your customer account before the launch for a quicker checkout process. I usually use PayPal so that it's a one-click job. Have a list of what you want already written down so you can be as quick as possible."

Star's newest collection, "Jawbreaker," which was released Friday, was the company's biggest release to date, according to Star's collection reveal on YouTube.

Some items from the collection began to sell out in five minutes, Star wrote on Twitter.

Each customer is limited to purchasing two of the same item per month, and Star announces re-stocks on his social-media accounts.

More than makeup, these types of releases have become a way for followers to support Star and snag products they often treat like collector's items.

"I don't wear makeup but I wanted to support JSC so I purchased two different lip scrubs and I'm so excited!" one fan wrote on Twitter.

Some consumers of JSC share collection videos and photo collages of what looks less like a makeup collection than an art display on social media.

From Kylie to Supreme

Star is not the only influencer to create buzz around limited-supply makeup drops.

Kylie Jenner, whose personal fortune has ballooned to an estimated $1 billion according to Forbes, has used a similar strategy with her company, Kylie Cosmetics, which she founded in 2018. Some of Jenner's makeup launches have sold out in minutes.

Establishment makeup brands offer less of a direct creator-fan connection, but have attempted to mimic this style by partnering directly with influencers on brand collaborations.

Companies like Tarte Cosmetics have collaborated with a number of YouTube influencers on limited edition products, which are announced exclusively by the influencer.

This style of launch is well-established in other realms as well, like sneakers and streetwear. New York streetwear company Supreme and Kayne West's Yeezy brand often employ a limited-release model.

'It screams summer'

Star, who got his start on MySpace, launched his brand in 2014 with the goal of selling the "most lightweight liquid-to-matte lipstick on the market." The brand now sells a variety of makeup products and brand merchandise.

Star does a release every other month to two months, with annual holiday and summer collections.

Each Star launch is unique and spaced out in a way that isn't bombarding customers, but building anticipation, Alfred said. She also gushed about the new releases.

"It's bright, it's colorful and it screams summer," Alfred said. "So, we're all freaking out a little on the inside."