e.l.f Cosmetics has made waves in the beauty industry since 2004 with their winning formula: high-quality, affordable makeup that's both vegan and cruelty-free. But what truly sets e.l.f apart is their savvy social media strategy where the brand’s values shine through—as seen through their partnership with Paralympic swimmer Anastasia Pagoni. The result? e.l.f has become the go-to cosmetics brand for Gen Z.
Want to uncover the secrets behind e.l.f's influencer success? Let's dive into their marketing strategy, content, and the creators they partner with.
e.l.f: History of the brand and why we like them
Vegan and cruelty-free makeup exists. High quality makeup exists. Affordable makeup exists. But a brand that embraces all three? That’s pretty rare. This vision inspired e.l.f founders Joseph Shamah and Scott Vincent Borba to create their own cosmetics brand in Oakland in 2004. Today, e.l.f Cosmetics is the number one cosmetics brand among female teens.
So, what’s their secret?
For starters, the brand has made waves with its commitment to creating makeup and skincare products that are fair to animals. As it says on their website, the brand supports a range of ethical causes, including diversity, equality and animal rights:
The brand stands up for and actively supports causes it believes in. In May 2024, the brand launched a big campaign to promote diversity in U.S. corporate boardrooms.
The company itself is powered by an inspiring female leadership team:
This all resonates with purpose-driven Gen Z consumers who expect brands to make the world a better place.
Deep Dive into e.l.f 's influencer marketing strategy
Now that you know the brand's story, let's look at how they use influencer collaborations to amplify their brand message.
e.l.f influencer strategy on Instagram
In the last 12 months, 7.1k creators talked about e.l.f Cosmetics in 26.8k posts. The engagement rate for branded posts on Instagram is 3.2%, and the potential audience size is 1.6 Bn.
Who does e.l.f. work with?
The brand has a strong focus on micro influencers. These mid-size influencers with 10k-100k followers make up 52% of e.l.f ’s collaborations:
Focusing on mid-size accounts rather than just celebrities and mega influencers is a smart strategy. Micro influencers are often perceived as being more authentic and have more engaged audiences.
Here is an example of a micro influencer that e.l.f works with. The brand has worked with thelovelist1, who has just under 12k followers, several times this year.
That said, e.l.f does work with some big names as well. Some big influencer partnerships in 2024 include Jeffree Star (13.7M followers), Jaclyn Hill (8.8M followers) and Kristy Sarah (7M followers).
The brand recently partnered with world-record swimmer Anastasia Pagoni, who is blind. In a joint post on Instagram, the brand and creator announced the launch of a new, accessible beauty collection called “Beauty for Every Eye.”
e.l.f mainly works with creators in the U.S, but also some in the UK, Canada, and Germany:
The brand works with many influencers on a one-time basis. 55% of all of e.l.f s collabs are one-time collabs, 28% are short term (up to 6 months) and only 17% are long term:
e.l.f influencer strategy on TikTok
In the last 12 months, 1.2k creators talked about e.l.f Cosmetics in 3.6k posts. Influencer videos typically generate 159k views, and can reach a potential audience of 603M.
Here is a closer look at some of the micro influencers the brand works with on TikTok:
The brand prides itself on affordability and often creates “dupes” of high end products. For example, in this TikTok video an influencer called out some of the brand’s products for being better than expensive alternatives.
Community: the e.l.f Beauty Squad
e.l.f also leverages their biggest fans: their customers. The brand has their own community called the e.l.f Beauty Squad. Launched in 2018, the Beauty Squad program has over 4.5 million members (according to a recent earnings call) and offers a ton of benefits, including free products, a birthday gift, free entry to e.l.f sweepstakes, and surprise offers and opportunities.
The brand also offers an affiliate program, where people can apply to work with the brand. If your application is accepted, you get an affiliate link and earn 9% commission on sales.
e.l.f ’s social media strategy
Now, let’s take a look at the brand’s owned media strategy.
e.l.f made a strategic pivot in 2019 by closing all brick-and-mortar stores to invest exclusively in the digital customer experience. This decision has paid off, with the brand doubling down on social media to connect with its audience.
e.l.f Cosmetics is active on multiple social media platforms. On Instagram, the brand boasts 7.3M followers, while on TikTok, they have 1.8M followers. They have 2.4 million followers on Facebook and 132k subscribers on YouTube. The brand often experiments with new platforms, and was one of the first to join Twitch and BeReal.
Let’s explore in further detail how the brand approaches Instagram and TikTok.
e.l.f ’s Instagram strategy
The brand posts a mixture of posts, stories and reels. Storyclash data shows that stories make up most of the brand’s Instagram content, followed by reels and posts.
On Instagram, e.l.f posts a balanced mix of product-focused content, fun content (like cute pets), and glamorous looks.
The brand encourages users to share their looks, and uses the UGC content for their own channel:
So, how does the brand’s Instagram content perform?
The brand has seen steady growth, increasing from 6.9M to 7.3M followers in the past six months. Posts have an average reach of 407k people, and stories have a lower reach of 206k. The estimated media value is €9k for posts and €4k stories.
In total, the brand has driven a total estimated media value of €3M through posts and a further 3M through stories. Now, that’s a profitable social media strategy!
e.l.f ’s TikTok strategy
e.l.f was one of the first brands to not just join TikTok, but really explore the platform’s full potential. With viral campaigns like the "Eyes, Lips, Face" song and the "Eyes. Lips. Famous." TikTok-based reality show, e.l.f won the hearts of millions of Gen Z beauty enthusiasts on TikTok.
The brand’s TikTok content is similar to their Instagram content, but with a more down-to-earth and humorous approach.
Over the past 12 months, the brand has posted 3.6 TikTok videos, resulting in an engagement rate of 3.5%.
Their TikTok content strategy seems to be working for them, as the brand has seen steady follower growth over the past 6 months. Their average estimated reach for a TikTok reel is 94k users, and their average estimated media value is €2k.
What can your brand learn from e.l.f ?
e.l.f 's success offers many valuable lessons for other brands:
- Commit to your values
e.l.f 's unwavering commitment to its core values, including cruelty-free and vegan products, is inspiring. This commitment resonates with consumers who prioritize values, building respect and trust. Brands can learn from e.l.f that upholding core values can lead to long-term brand loyalty and advocacy.
- Embrace diversity and inclusivity in creator partnerships
e.l.f's recent partnership with Paralympic swimmer Anastasia Pagoni demonstrates their commitment to inclusivity. Brands can learn from this approach to cater to diverse audiences and needs.
- Create a strong community
The e.l.f Beauty Squad, with over 4.5 million members, demonstrates the power of building a dedicated customer community. Leveraging this community for user-generated content can provide authentic marketing material and foster deeper customer engagement.
- Prioritize authenticity over follower count
e.l.f works with many micro-influencers who have smaller but more engaged followings. This is a powerful way to establish authentic connections with specific target audiences. This results in higher conversion rates, as micro-influencers often have a more dedicated and trusting fan base.
- Adopt new platforms early
e.l.f 's position as the No. one cosmetics brand among female teens shows the importance of staying ahead of new social media platforms. By jumping on TikTok, Twitch and other platforms early, e.l.f managed to build a strong presence and create viral campaigns at a time when other brands were just thinking about getting started.
- Think out of the box
e.l.f isn’t just the first to embrace new platforms. The forward-thinking company launched creative partnerships with non-beauty brands like Chipotle and Dunkin’ Donuts. They were also one of the first beauty brands to launch an NFT (non-fungible token). The brand always embraces innovation and stays at the forefront of technology.
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About Storyclash - the brand behind the insights
Storyclash is the AI-powered Influencer Marketing Platform that helps your team drive sales and brand awareness. Discover authentic creators, measure the impact of your campaigns and manage all your data in one place. Fast-growing DTCs like Bears With Benefits, Junglück or Kapten & Son, as well as large, established companies like Vodafone, Lululemon or Kaufland use Storyclash to get more out of their influencer marketing.