Makeup brand CoverGirl announced earlier this month that James Charles would become its first-ever male endorser. That news put a spotlight on a previously little-known segment of Internet celebrity: male social media stars who have gained followings for transforming their looks through the application of color cosmetics, often in dramatic fashion.
Marketers are starting to hire such celebrities as brand ambassadors. Charles’ CoverGirl deal turns him into a spokesperson for So Lashy mascara. Manny Gutierrez/Manny Mua has signed endorsement agreements with Maybelline and Benefit Cosmetics, demonstrating their products in his videos, while Gary Thompson/The Plastic Boy promotes TrueMatch foundation for L’Oréal Paris.
Product initiatives are starting to spring up as well. Manny Mua has been involved in collaborations with Makeup Geek for exclusive shades of eye shadow and with OFRA for exclusive liquid lipstick colors. Angel Merino offered a limited-edition collection of 14 makeup brushes through Morphe. And Jeffree Star has his own company, Jeffree Star Cosmetics.
Other examples of celebrities within this niche—some of whom have done collaborations involving various forms of makeup or related accessories or have agents to help them pursue such deals—include Tim Owens/Skelotim, Jake-Jamie Ward/Beauty Boy, Ben J. Pierce, Patrick Simondac/PatrickStarrr, Marc Zapanta, and Lewys Ball. Most are young (high school and up), and collectively they represent a range of ethnicities.
Their audience is similarly young and multicultural, and tends to skew toward the LGBT community and the growing number of Gen Z consumers who identify as androgynous or gender-fluid. Some straight consumers, especially females, are also among their fans.
The rise of this celebrity niche makes sense as an extension of several other current trends in licensing and in society at large:
- Men’s grooming has been a growing area of interest for licensing, albeit more in fragrance and shaving than cosmetics. Meanwhile, licensing in women’s color cosmetics has been on the rise as well.
- Social media celebrities of all types are increasingly prevalent in consumer products, with beauty being a key segment.
- Gender equality, acceptance, and identity have been themes in consumer products and retailing of late, from Diesel, Target, and Zara experimenting with gender-neutral product lines to LGBT celebrities forging licensing and promotional deals.
These male makeup artists and social media stars are likely to remain a narrow opportunity. But a growing number of licensees and promotional partners with the right product and the right target market will find this sector worth considering.
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