Social Rocket
e.l.f. Cosmetics has launched a virtual styling offer on the avatar platform ZEPETO. Users can combine digital make-up looks, hairstyles and accessories from the "Power Grip" product line and share the results as photos or videos in the ZEPETO feed. The brand confirmed the launch on 12 October 2026 in an official press release. It is less about a classic advertising clip and more about brand presence inside a social design tool.
Brand world instead of a one-off ad placement
The offer "Express your e.l.f." combines digital beauty products with customisable avatar outfits, jewellery, bags and effects. Custom backgrounds allow created looks to be shared directly as posts. This potentially produces user-generated content within the ZEPETO platform; automatic publication to Instagram or TikTok is not announced.
According to ZEPETO figures cited by e.l.f., the social avatar offer reaches 15 to 20 million monthly active users, roughly 70 percent of whom belong to Gen Z. The platform also cites over 400 million registered accounts. These figures must not be equated: registered accounts are not monthly users, and neither value is a reach figure for the e.l.f. activation.
Why the beauty approach fits social gaming
For a make-up brand, an avatar is more than advertising space. It allows people to try out directly how a look appears on a digital figure. This proximity to action is what makes the activation different from ordinary sponsorship of game content. Whether digital tests later lead to real purchases is not yet proven. e.l.f. names neither campaign reach, conversion, costs nor revenue in the announcement.
The step complements other e.l.f. experiments. On Srocket we have already analysed the combination of music, Roblox and beauty in "Mirror Mix". Other brands show how differently gaming success can be measured: Panda Express published brand lift data on Roblox and Fortnite – likewise no evidence of direct sales.
What German marketers can learn from this
First, target audience fit has to be right. A high Gen Z share on ZEPETO says little about how many users are active in Germany or whether a brand can sell there. For international campaigns, country-level reach, participation in styling, created content, meaningful repeat visits and, where applicable, brand lift should therefore be assessed separately.
For products with strong visual use, playful co-creation can be more valuable than a standardised ad format. The overview of Gen Alpha, creators and gaming advertising nevertheless shows why no blanket generational trend should be drawn from this.
Assessment: "Express your e.l.f." demonstrates a practical social gaming format with shareable looks. Whether it convinces economically remains open. The platform figures published by the brand describe potential, not a campaign result.