It was released on December 2, 2015 via Avex Trax and her label Dimension Point as the singer's third consecutive non-album single, being supported by B-side track "Black Make-Up".

Upon its release, "Red Carpet" received positive reviews from music critics, with them commending the production and pop-friendly delivery, and also highlighting the inclusion of "Black Make-Up".

In order to promote "Red Carpet", it was used for a campaign hosted by Kosee, and was included on the singer's 2016 Livegenic concert tour in Japan and Asia.

On November 3, 2015, Amuro announced the release of a new single titled "Red Carpet" alongside its corresponding music video, and unveiled details about the inclusion of its B-side track, "Black Make-Up".

[7][8] The singer revealed that the track would premiere as the theme song for Oleo D'or, a commercial campaign created by Japanese cosmetic company Kosee.

[4] An editor of Billboard Japan noted musical similarities to Amuro's previous singles "Baby Don't Cry" (2007) and "Love Story" (2011), and labelled the sound as an "upbeat neo soul tune".

[10][12][13] All three formats include the two tracks and their instrumental versions, whilst the DVD edition came with the single's official music video and behind-the-scenes footage.

[12] Physical releases of "Red Carpet" included an extra lyric booklet,[10][12] whilst pre-ordered versions through Japanese retail CDJapan came with a limited edition bonus poster.

[4] Similarly, a member from CD Journal complimented the composition and its commercial appeal, additionally highlighting the production of B-side track "Black Make-Up".

As aforementioned, "Red Carpet" was used as the commercial track for Kosee's Oleo D'or campaign, whilst "Black Make-Up" was used as the opening theme to Japanese anime series One Piece: Adventures of Nevlandia (2015–16).