April 3, 2026

e.l.f. Cosmetics Influencer Marketing Strategy
(2026 Data & Insights)

We analyzed 57.1k 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.

Influencer activity throughout the year

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.

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e.l.f. Cosmetics's influencer activity by month

Number of sponsored posts

4,978Apr'255,537May'255,840Jun'254,980Jul'253,890Aug'253,533Sep'254,121Oct'255,031Nov'257,985Dec'256,372Jan'264,174Feb'26664Mar'26

e.l.f. Cosmetics's sponsored post volume peaks in December with 8k posts, 68% higher than the monthly average of 4.8k. March recorded the lowest activity at 664 posts, 86% below average.

Social platforms breakdown

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:

  • TikTok: 46.5k posts (81.5%)
  • Instagram: 10.6k posts (18.5%)
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e.l.f. Cosmetics's influencer activity by platform

Share of sponsored content by social network

10.6kInstagram46.5kTikTok0YouTube

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).

liquiddeath x e.l.f. Cosmetics

liquiddeath
@liquiddeath
12 Jan, 26
7M
594.3k
The @elfcosmetics x @liquiddeath sequel is here. ☠️ [...]

Influencer bio

Don’t be scared. It's just a better-for-you beverage company. #MurderYourThirst #DeathToPlasticBottles

Collaboration metrics

Post views7.0M
Post EMV $269.6k

Get a free trial to find more data on influencer audiences, performance, and collaborations.

ireneasamoahofficial x e.l.f. Cosmetics

ireneasamoahofficial
@ireneasamoahofficial
23 Dec, 25
30M
33.4k
[...] diesen Look einfach. Meine e.l.f / @e.l.f. Cosmetics Favorites dürfen natürlich auch [...]

Influencer bio

Mom Life 👧🏾 | Beauty | Lifestyle 📧: Irene@themak.agency

Collaboration metrics

Post views30.0M
Post EMV $601.7k

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:

  • Videos: 95.6%
  • Carousels: 4.4%

💡 Related resource: How To Find TikTok Influencers.

Influencer audience size breakdown (by views)

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.

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e.l.f. Cosmetics's influencers average views (TikTok)

Based on each influencer's average views per post

<1K40.6%
1K-5K30.1%
5K-10K9.1%
10K-50K12.3%
50K-100K2.8%
100K-500K3.6%
500K+1.5%

With 40.6% 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 (10.4M avg views/post):

jenna..kollmann x e.l.f. Cosmetics

jenna..kollmann
@jenna..kollmann
06 Jan, 26
532.9k
40.5k
[...] my most viral video from 2025! @e.l.f. Cosmetics #trend #fyp #elflipgloss #blowup [...]

Influencer bio

💖✨🎀🫧🛍️💒💫👱🏼‍♀️🌷☀️💝 📩 jennakollmannbusiness@gmail.com @Stëvo🌟

Collaboration metrics

Post views532.9k
Post EMV $12.7k

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 (10.0k avg views/post):

rishegaselva x e.l.f. Cosmetics

rishegaselva
@rishegaselva
04 Nov, 25
3.7k
103
[...] drop 🙌🏽 my favourite primer from @elfcosmetics @e.l.f. Cosmetics 🫶🏽 #makeup [...]

Influencer bio

📍toronto rishega.s@gmail.com

Collaboration metrics

Post views3.7k
Post EMV $79

Get a free trial to find more data on influencer audiences, performance, and collaborations.

e.l.f. Cosmetics's repeat partnerships

Out of 29.1k unique influencers in our dataset, 1.9k of them (7%) posted content for e.l.f. Cosmetics in 3 or more separate calendar months. The most consistent partner is @aimee.makeupxx, who has collaborated across 11 months with 70 total posts.

Here are 3 examples of e.l.f. Cosmetics's repeat influencer partnerships, with links to the sponsored content.

aimee.makeupxx x e.l.f. Cosmetics

aimee.makeupxx
@aimee.makeupxx
19 Jun, 25
5.6k
263
[...] eyeshadow topper BASE @elfcosmeticsuk Halo glow liquid filter [...]
aimee.makeupxx
@aimee.makeupxx
24 Jun, 25
3.6k
142
[...] *gifted Shein gems BASE @elfcosmeticsuk Halo glow liquid filter [...]
aimee.makeupxx
@aimee.makeupxx
30 Aug, 25
1.5k
68
The new @elfcosmeticsuk halo glow skin tint has [...]

glambervcruz x e.l.f. Cosmetics

glambervcruz
@glambervcruz
02 Dec, 25
7.5M
88k
NEW Slipstick by @e.l.f. Cosmetics! e.l.f Cosmetics just [...]
glambervcruz
@glambervcruz
22 May, 25
3.6M
122.4k
The NEW @elfcosmetics lip & cheek stain is too [...]
glambervcruz
@glambervcruz
04 Mar, 26
1.2M
70.3k
@e.l.f. Cosmetics HAIR?! Power grip stick & [...]

brittbratstyles x e.l.f. Cosmetics

brittbratstyles
@brittbratstyles
21 Apr, 25
37.1k
1.2k
Black Girls Hairstyles #Hairstyles #kidshairstyles #blackgirls #blackgirlshairstyle #hair #haircare #musthaves #naturalhair #naturalhairstyles #teendaughter #simplehairstyle #easyhairstyles #ffyyypppp #howto
brittbratstyles
@brittbratstyles
09 Dec, 25
33.2k
2.1k
[...] Beverly Hills @urban decay @elfcosmetics @M.A.C Cosmetics Store [...]
brittbratstyles
@brittbratstyles
11 Dec, 25
16.2k
403
Over 12+ hours of cuteness 😍 #settingspray @L’Oréal Paris #lorealparismakeup

💡 Related resource: Long-Term Influencer Partnerships: Pros, Cons & How The Pros Manage Them.

Geographical breakdown

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:

  • India (8.9%)
  • United Kingdom (8.2%)
  • Brazil (4.1%)
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e.l.f. Cosmetics's influencer activity by market

United States51.1%
India8.9%
United Kingdom8.2%
Brazil4.1%
Mexico3.3%
Other24.4%

Here is another example of e.l.f. Cosmetics collaborating with an influencer in United States.

instylemagazine x e.l.f. Cosmetics

instylemagazine
@instylemagazine
26 Oct, 25
4.9M
4.2k
[...] @kevinphuynh as he gets ready with @elfcosmetics @elfskincare for this year’s InStyle [...]

e.l.f. Cosmetics's influencer activity vs. related brands

e.l.f. Cosmetics competes in affordable, trend-forward mass makeup that is strongly driven by TikTok and creator reviews. COVERGIRL and Milani Cosmetics are close price-point and channel peers, making them natural comparisons for influencer strategy and product virality.

Total influencer content

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e.l.f. Cosmetics vs. related brands influencer activity

Total sponsored posts tracked (last 12 months)

e.l.f. Cosmetics
COVERGIRL
Milani Cosmetics
57.1k8.7k7.9k

e.l.f. Cosmetics leads with 57.1k sponsored posts, significantly outpacing COVERGIRL (8.7k posts) and Milani Cosmetics (7.9k posts). Across all three brands, the average volume is 24.6k posts, indicating mature, scaled influencer programs. e.l.f. Cosmetics has several times more total posts than COVERGIRL and Milani Cosmetics.

By social platform

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e.l.f. Cosmetics vs. related brands influencer activity (by social platform)

Sponsored posts by platform

e.l.f. Cosmetics
COVERGIRL
Milani Cosmetics
10.6k3.1k2.1k46.5k5.5k5.8k08781InstagramTikTokYouTube

e.l.f. Cosmetics leads on Instagram and TikTok, while COVERGIRL leads on YouTube. The gap is most notable on TikTok, with e.l.f. Cosmetics at 46.5k, Milani Cosmetics at 5.8k, COVERGIRL at 5.5k posts. e.l.f. Cosmetics's activity is particularly concentrated on TikTok. On TikTok, e.l.f. Cosmetics has several times more posts than COVERGIRL and Milani Cosmetics.

By geographical market

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e.l.f. Cosmetics vs. related brands influencer activity (by country)

Estimated sponsored posts in e.l.f. Cosmetics's top markets

e.l.f. Cosmetics
COVERGIRL
Milani Cosmetics
29.2k5.8k4.8k5.1k2627394.7k323461United StatesIndiaUnited Kingdom

e.l.f. Cosmetics has the highest estimated sponsored-post volume in United States (29k posts, 51.1%), India (5.1k posts, 8.9%), United Kingdom (4.7k posts, 8.2%), while COVERGIRL leads in Canada with 367 posts (4.2%). Looking at United States specifically, the split is e.l.f. Cosmetics at 29k posts (51.1%), COVERGIRL at 5.8k posts (65.9%), Milani Cosmetics at 4.8k posts (60.2%). e.l.f. Cosmetics's strength in United States and United Kingdom may indicate a home-market focus, while COVERGIRL shows broader regional investment.

Read more influencer strategy breakdowns

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:

FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What type of influencer content does e.l.f. Cosmetics sponsor most?
e.l.f. Cosmetics's top social channel for sponsored influencer content is TikTok (81.5% of their total content).
Do e.l.f. Cosmetics use discount codes in their influencer collabs?
Yes, there are at least some influencer posts sponsored by e.l.f. Cosmetics that contain discount codes. Here is one example, where "LFTFANDRADA" is visible in the caption.
Which influencers does e.l.f. Cosmetics collaborate with?
Some of e.l.f. Cosmetics's recent partnerships include @kelseyalfred, @kelseyalfred, @skynievess, @aimee.makeupxx, @sincerely.shannonmarie. You can see list of e.l.f. Cosmetics influencers here.

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