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On January 9, E.l.f. Beauty released a 15-minute short film on Amazon Freevee and YouTube called “Cosmetic Criminals.” Then on January 12, when it began playing before the movie “Mean Girls” in select AMC theaters, it became the longest branded content spot to ever run on the big screen, according to National CineMedia, the largest cinema advertising platform in the U.S.
“Cosmetic Criminals” is a mockumentary, for which the brand tapped the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Alex Buono — known for his work on the Netflix show “Russian Doll” and the TV mockumentary “Documentary Now!” — to direct. It cast Niecy Nash-Betts, Nelson Franklin and Necar Zadegan, among others, to star in the short film.
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The film centers on the story of a teenage girl who falls victim to “E.l.f.-pinching,” or having her makeup stolen. There’s a promposal gone wrong, an embarrassing viral social media moment and a federal investigation examining several suspects, one of whom is a beauty influencer. E.l.f. is mentioned very few times, though its products, including “Jelly Pop” and “Halo Glow” are mentioned throughout. At the end of the movie, in one of the text-based updates on featured characters, elfcosmetics.com is mentioned. The film has a dedicated URL, cosmeticcriminals.com, and a dedicated merch collection.
To get the full scoop on E.l.f’s inspiration and goals for the short film, Glossy Pop recorded a special episode of The Glossy Beauty Podcast with the mastermind behind the campaign, E.l.f.’s chief brand officer, Laurie Lam. (See the recording above.) E.l.f. did not originally plan for “Cosmetic Criminals” to play before “Mean Girls,” but the film proved to have great synergy with the movie, which has paid E.l.f. product placement. On the podcast, Lam discusses both “Cosmetic Criminals” and the brand’s “Mean Girls” partnership.
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The project was based on a “trifecta of insights,” Lam said. For one, based on its consumer insights data, E.l.f. knows that it resonates among consumers from “Gen Alpha to Baby Boomers,” but especially Gen Z, Lam said. So it aimed for broad appeal. And, according to Lam, citing an SXM Media study, “half of Americans say they enjoy true crime content and 74% of true crime podcast listeners are women.” Finally, there was the brand’s discovery of “E.l.f.-pinching,” a phrase it coined itself but a phenomenon it learned of from its community. “It’s when you borrow E.l.f. Holy Grail [products] from your family and friends without the intention of returning them,” Lam said.
As for brand messaging in the film, driving home the brand’s affordability was a priority, Lam said. There is a moment when Olivia, the victim of the central crime, cries out in frustration, “E.l.f. is so affordable. Just buy your own!”
“We see a lot of comments [on social media from our] consumers saying they’re buying two to three [of a single product] at a time because someone is taking it from them: their sister, their kid, their daughter,” Lam said. “We wanted to lean into [the fact] that our customers are buying products [in multiples] based on their affordability.”
To ensure the film didn’t feel like a “label slap,” she said, “maintaining a level of cinematic integrity” was key. That included allowing Buono to honor his vision. In addition, “We always want to make sure what we’re doing feels authentic and credible to who we are, our voice and the relationship that we have with our community,” she said.
Once “Cosmetic Criminals” came together, E.l.f. realized it wanted to expand its reach. That initially meant streaming it on Amazon Freevee, Amazon’s ad-supported streaming platform. E.l.f. declined to comment on whether or not it paid to place the film on the platform. But then the opportunity came about to run ads in theaters through AMC and NCM National CineMedia, and E.l.f. jumped at the chance.
Currently, for an undisclosed timeframe, one can report a “cos-crime” on Cosmeticcriminals.com to be rewarded with a $10 code to use on E.l.fs’s site. On January 9, in tandem with the premiere of the film, the brand launched a three-piece merch kit dubbed “Cosmetic Security,” priced at $22. It includes three seemingly normal household items, including a teddy bear with a hidden zip pouch, and a book with a hollowed-out middle, which can be used to hide one’s makeup from pinchers. It sold out by January 12.
Regarding E.l.f. wanting to be featured in “Mean Girls,” Lam said, “If you see this ‘Mean Girls,’ in comparison to the original one, you’ll know that it got a fresh coat; there are a lot of things that have been modernized. There’s tech, … there’s social, there’s the element of virality. … So [it made sense that] E.l.f. Beauty was the makeup brand in their bags, in their lockers and on their vanity table.”
It should be noted that TikTok took to mocking the obviousness with which E.l.f. showed up in the movie. When asked about this reaction, as well as how the brand approaches product placement at a time when people are more aware of sponsored content, an E.l.f. corporate communications representative said, “We always look to be where our community is — it’s part of shaping culture.”
E.l.f. teased its presence in the feature film with a product collection called the “Every Day We Wear Pink Bundle” ($33), which launched on January 3. Of course, it’s a nod to the film’s iconic line, “On Wednesdays, we wear pink.” The set includes the brand’s Jelly Pop primer, which is a popular watermelon-scented product that is only occasionally available.
“We started seeding little Easter eggs to our community that we were going to be in ‘Mean Girls,'” Lam said.
The prime placement of “Cosmetic Criminals” before “Mean Girls” allowed it to reach 12 million theater-goers across over 12,000 screens in about 380 select AMC theaters. The brand declined to disclose the details of the budgets for making “Cosmetic Criminals,” partnering with AMC and National CineMedia on the film’s placement, and securing product placement in Paramount’s “Mean Girls.” But its fourth-quarter earnings, released on November 1, revealed that, over the past four years, it’s increased its marketing investment from 7% of its net sales to 22%. Its revenue for the quarter was $215.5 million, an increase of 76% year-over-year. The film surpassed 7 billion impressions in the first week and currently has over 3 million views on YouTube.
Spate Trend Watch: Scalp massage
In 2024, soothing, revitalizing scalp massages are in, with an average of 37,000 monthly Google searches, a growth of 40.5% year-over-year. Consumers are intrigued not only by the calming and rejuvenating elements of these massages but also by the potential benefits they offer, particularly in terms of promoting hair growth.
In pursuit of the best scalp massage experience, they are searching for visual evidence of the results, comparing before-and-afters to gauge the effectiveness of different techniques and products. They’re seeking both tools and methodologies to enhance their scalp-care routines. Notable brands contributing to this trend include Tangle Teezer, which is searched for its scalp massage tools; Babylisspro, searched for scalp massage brushes; and Aveda, sought after for its scalp massage oils.
“It’s crucial for hair-care brands to hone in on the rituals and self-care experiences of consumers, rather than just promoting their products. This helps build strong, lasting relationships with a loyal customer base,” said Yarden Horwitz, co-founder of Spate.
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