Dive Brief:
- E.l.f. Beauty’s skin care brand E.l.f. Skin is shining a spotlight on SPF denial with “Sunhinged,” a comedy special premiering June 14 at 6 p.m. ET on YouTube, according to a press release.
- “Sunhinged” will be hosted by comedian Marie Faustin and is meant to encourage Gen Z consumers to wear more sunscreen. Guest appearances include singer Meghan Trainor, comedians Andrea Jin and Jon Rudnitsky and drag queen Heidi N Closet.
- The special was inspired by research showing that, despite overall high levels of skin care awareness, 64% of Gen Zers often forget to apply sunscreen and only 34% believe skin cancer is the primary reason to use it. The effort promotes E.l.f. Skin’s Suntouchable products.
Dive Insight:
E.l.f. Skin is raising awareness around the importance of SPF with “Sunhinged,” a comedy roast directed at the sun itself. Popular Gen Z skin care routines include layering serums, watching tutorials and following anti-aging rituals, but the group often excludes sunscreen from its habits, per dermatology association research cited by the brand. That’s despite half of Gen Z experiencing severe sunburn in the summer months.
“At e.l.f., we believe in meeting our community where they are — and, in this case - that’s somewhere between a 10-step skincare routine and forgetting sunscreen altogether,” said Kory Marchisotto, CMO at E.l.f. Beauty, in a statement.
“Sunhinged” is an original production from E.l.f., offering a comedic spin on Gen Z’s skin care contradictions with help from host and comedy star Faustin. The focus on comedy was informed by research indicating that 90% of people are more likely to remember ads that are funny. Additionally, 75% of Gen Z want brands to make them laugh, per Morning Consult data cited by E.l.f.
As part of an existing partnership, the beauty and cosmetics marketer linked with the Tribeca Film Festival to showcase its “Sunhinged” trailer on June 6. E.l.f. worked with Above Average, the New York-based comedy production company founded by Lorne Michaels’ Broadway Video, for the special.
Humor is often part of E.l.f.’s marketing strategy. E.l.f. Cosmetics teamed with Trainor earlier this year for a third time to turn the pop star into a pilot — the first captain of E.l.f. Air — in a twist on traditional in-flight safety videos. In September, E.l.f. Skin launched its largest brand campaign to date, “Divine Skintervention,” starring comedian Megan Stalter as a “Sinfluencer” who encourages consumers to commit skin care sins like sleeping in makeup.
A focus on humor has helped bolster E.l.f.’s commitment to entertainment marketing. The brand aired its first national Super Bowl ad in 2024 and later that year teamed with Jameela Jamil for a “Peculiar Behavior” campaign that casts the British activist and actress as a binocular-touting anthropologist who analyzes the behavior of E.l.f. fans. In February, E.l.f. channeled the world of telenovelas, a type of soap opera primarily produced in Latin America, for a two-episode, drama-filled series on TikTok.
E.l.f. Beauty reported a net sales increase of 4% to $332.6 million for the period ended March 31 but missed Wall Street’s revenue expectations. Still, the quarter marked the company’s 25th consecutive quarter of net sales growth and market share gains. In May, the company announced plans to acquire Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Beauty for $1 billion.
