Face Time

Face stickers are a form of social expression and a niche category that offers opportunities for licensing. Many products from the leading marketers in this space have a particular purpose, as these examples indicate:

• Face Lace creates fashion-forward stickers for dramatic looks that go beyond what can be done with color cosmetics, mascara, and eye liner. It has partnered with Lady Gaga and her cosmetics brand Haus Labs to market an Eye Armor Kit consisting of winged liner stickers that allow users to replicate one of Gaga’s best-known looks. Just last month, Face Lace paired with makeup artist Donni Davy, known for her work on HBO’s Euphoria, on a limited-edition set of Head in the Cloud face decals in iridescent and glitter finishes, inspired by the show. Some of the proceeds were donated to Trans Lifeline.
• Fanatics division Wincraft markets lines of licensed Face-Cals, billed as a tattoo alternative, and Mini-Cals, which are skin-safe multipurpose stickers that work on the face or on a scrapbook or locker. The decals, some enhanced with glitter, are primarily meant as a way for fans to show their love for their favorite teams while they watch the game or event and are included as part of many of Wincraft’s broader sports-licensing deals, including with the major U.S. sports leagues, colleges, USA Basketball, and NASCAR.
• Starface offered a limited-edition set of Hello Kitty Hydro-Stars hydrocolloid pimple patches last November, timed to Sanrio’s 60th anniversary. The set—contained in a specially designed Hello Kitty box—featured 32 Hello Kitty character patches that did double duty, healing acne and protecting the face while making the user look kawaii-cute. The product launched first on the Starface and Sanrio websites before expanding to Target.com. Several other companies make similar hydrocolloid patches, with some sporting licensed characters (often of the kawaii variety); the Rilakkuma Beauty line contains pimple patches among other licensed skincare products, to name one example.
• Eyeblack makes functional Bandaid-like anti-glare patches for use under the eyes in place of grease paint. In addition to traditional black varieties for athletes, it offers logoed versions for both athletes and fans (in matte and glitter varieties), with licensing partners including Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball, USA Football, the NFL Players Association, and more than 80 colleges, among others. The company also markets collegiate- and sorority-licensed game-day nail decals; camo face stickers that replace the face paint some hunters use to stay hidden from their prey; and traditional grease paint, from eyeblack sticks (including a collaboration with lacrosse star Paul Rabil) to battle paint for fans to wear during the game.

As this list illustrates, face stickers are sometimes included as part of a broader licensing deal but more often involve a specialist licensee. In either case, they allow users to show their colors in a very noticeable—but still temporary—way.