We analyzed 34.5k pieces of influencer content sponsored by e.l.f. Cosmetics over the last 12 months.
This report breaks down where & how e.l.f. Cosmetics invests in influencer marketing, which social platforms they prioritize, top geographical markets, and more.
The data in this report comes from Modash's Brand Collaborations API.
P.S. for a simple list of influencers who have collaborated with e.l.f. Cosmetics, see here: e.l.f. Cosmetics influencers.
e.l.f. Cosmetics's influencer campaigns are active year-round with notable month-to-month fluctuation. The chart below shows month-by-month data for total sponsored posts tracked.
Number of sponsored posts
e.l.f. Cosmetics's influencer activity appears to have tapered over the year, from 3.2k posts in January down to 4.4k in December. March was the busiest month at 5.1k posts, 78% above the monthly average.
In our dataset (which only includes Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok), this is how the volume of e.l.f. Cosmetics's sponsored influencer collaborations break down by social platform:
Share of sponsored content by social network
TikTok influencer marketing is a clear focus for e.l.f. Cosmetics.
Here are 2 examples of e.l.f. Cosmetics's recent sponsored collaborations (one each for Instagram, TikTok).
Influencer bio
Link In Bio 👇🏽
Collaboration metrics
Get a free trial to find more data on influencer audiences, performance, and collaborations.
Influencer bio
Gary ✌🏿 London/NYC/LA Beauty Boy with a pinch of fashion & Fitness 📧 contact@mrgarythompson.com
Collaboration metrics
Get a free trial to find more data on influencer audiences, performance, and collaborations.
If you break this down further by content type on TikTok, this is what it looks like:
💡 Related resource: How To Find TikTok Influencers.
For their top social platform (TikTok), here is a breakdown of the type of influencers e.l.f. Cosmetics are collaborating with, by audience size.
Note: this breakdown is based on each influencer's average views (not follower/subscriber count), because views typically correlate more closely with influencer pricing and impact.
Based on each influencer's average views per post
With 49.8% of partnerships featuring creators averaging <1K views, e.l.f. Cosmetics's strategy suggests niche targeting and authenticity, likely leveraging collaboration models like gifting and affiliates to work with smaller creators.
Here is an example of a sponsored collaboration with a larger-audience creator on TikTok (10.2M avg views/post):
Influencer bio
🤍ྀིglow up era only 🦢beauty | skincare | self love ☁️ becoming THAT girl 💌 emilicious.ig@gmail.com
Collaboration metrics
Get a free trial to find more data on influencer audiences, performance, and collaborations.
And here is another example with a smaller creator on TikTok (9.9k avg views/post):
Influencer bio
MIA📍 🎀 beauty creator ✨ makeup, fragrance, hair 🧸 sharing what i love 💌 kativeth10@gmail.com
Collaboration metrics
Get a free trial to find more data on influencer audiences, performance, and collaborations.
Out of 17.9k unique influencers in our dataset, 1.1k of them (6%) posted content for e.l.f. Cosmetics in 3 or more separate calendar months. The most consistent partner is @glambervcruz, who has collaborated across 12 months with 51 total posts.
Here are 3 examples of e.l.f. Cosmetics's repeat influencer partnerships, with links to the sponsored content.
💡 Related resource: Long-Term Influencer Partnerships: Pros, Cons & How The Pros Manage Them.
In our dataset, United States is where e.l.f. Cosmetics had the most influencer activity. 51.1% of their live influencer content in the last 12 months was posted by American influencers.
Based on the percentage of influencer content per market, other important markets include:
Here is another example of e.l.f. Cosmetics collaborating with an influencer in United States.
e.l.f. Cosmetics competes with both Kylie Cosmetics and Milani Cosmetics for mainstream makeup shoppers, and all three lean heavily on TikTok/Instagram creators, launches, and trend-driven product storytelling.
Total sponsored posts tracked (last 12 months)
e.l.f. Cosmetics leads with 34.5k sponsored posts, significantly outpacing Kylie Cosmetics (9.2k posts) and Milani Cosmetics (6.4k posts). Across all three brands, the average volume is 16.7k posts, indicating mature, scaled influencer programs. e.l.f. Cosmetics has several times more total posts than Kylie Cosmetics and Milani Cosmetics.
Sponsored posts by platform
e.l.f. Cosmetics leads on Instagram and TikTok, while Milani Cosmetics leads on YouTube. The gap is most notable on TikTok, with e.l.f. Cosmetics at 26.6k, Kylie Cosmetics at 5k, Milani Cosmetics at 4.7k posts. e.l.f. Cosmetics's activity is particularly concentrated on TikTok. On TikTok, e.l.f. Cosmetics has several times more posts than Kylie Cosmetics and Milani Cosmetics.
Estimated sponsored posts in e.l.f. Cosmetics's top markets
e.l.f. Cosmetics has the highest estimated sponsored-post volume in United States (18k posts, 51.1%), United Kingdom (3.3k posts, 9.5%), India (3.1k posts, 8.9%), while Kylie Cosmetics leads in Brazil with 837 posts (9.1%). Looking at United States specifically, the split is e.l.f. Cosmetics at 18k posts (51.1%), Milani Cosmetics at 4.2k posts (65.9%), Kylie Cosmetics at 2.8k posts (30%). e.l.f. Cosmetics's strength in United States and United Kingdom may indicate a home-market focus, while Kylie Cosmetics shows broader regional investment.
Looking for more like this? Here are 5 similar influencer marketing strategy breakdowns for other brands:
Or, if you want to access data like this for your own software or processes, take a look at Modash's API products:
When you outgrow your mishmash of spreadsheets & free tools, try Modash. Find & email influencers, track campaigns, ship products & more - all in one place.