E.l.f. is making a name for itself as an early adopter of emerging social platforms. TikTok fans will remember its viral #eyeslipsface campaign. Now, E.l.f. is the first beauty company to launch its own branded channel on Twitch, a platform known mostly for gamers. But Twitch has become increasingly relevant for beauty brands over the last few months, and it’s hard to overestimate just how popular gaming is.
“With 79% of people in the U.S. aged 13 and up identifying as a gamer, and the average consumer in 2020 [spending] 1 hour and 44 minutes a day gaming, gaming is much more mainstream than most people realize,” said a Twitch spokesperson. Clearly, it makes sense for anyone to experiment with the platform. “On average, there are 30 million daily visitors on Twitch, increasing from 17.5 million at the beginning of 2020,” they said.
Kory Marchisotto, E.l.f’s CMO, called Twitch the next frontier. “It’s interactive, engaging, authentic and live,” she said. The brand’s channel isn’t its first foray into the world of gaming, though. It’s already partnered with gaming influencer Loserfruit (real name: Kathleen Belsten) in November — she has over 10 million followers across social channel. Since then, “Loserfruit and Anna Bynum (E.l.f.’s global makeup artist), have streamed hours of content together with an overwhelming response: [There’s been] 37,000-plus hours of total E.l.f. content watched on Twitch, in addition to massive social media coverage,” said Marchisotto. Twitch users spend hours on the platform — more than double the amount of time per session than YouTube, more than six times per session than Facebook, and four times per session than TikTok, according to Comscore.
E.l.f.’s new channel — E.l.f. You — is centered around the concept of “Game-Up,” or “the intersection of gaming and makeup,” Marchisotto said. To kick off the channel, E.l.f. Is hosting a “Game Up” contest on TikTok that will run from May 9-June 6. To enter, contestants will post videos of their “Game Up” looks — aka, the makeup they wear to get ready to stream. Ultimately, seven winners will be selected. Each will win a collection of high-tech streaming equipment (including a pro webcam and broadcasting microphone), as well as e.l.f. Products and the opportunity to stream with Loserfruit on E.l.f.’s Twitch channel.
Bynum will be heavily involved in the brand’s presence on Twitch. “Beauty and gaming are two of my favorite passions,” she said. “I’m a beauty enthusiast who loves to game. It’s empowering to be a girl gamer, especially when you win the game… a glam girl, at that. ‘I beat you while wearing a beat face of makeup!’”
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Bynum is an avid gamer and appreciates that E.l.f. “supports and uplifts other female gamers in a male-dominated industry. It’s epic and I’m glad to be a part of this journey.” Loserfruit previously told Glossy that gaming and beauty share the same “flaw,” in that each is closely tied to outdated gender stereotypes.
