Table of Contents

1. Key Highlights:
2. Introduction
3. What "Express your e.l.f." actually offers players
4. Why Zepeto matters to beauty marketers
5. How E.l.f. is applying a repeatable platform strategy
6. What the activation reveals about the metaverse debate
7. Measuring impact: what success looks like in avatar experiences
8. Creative and operational considerations for beauty brands
9. Creator economies and influencer roles inside avatar platforms
10. Commerce options and the path from virtual trial to physical purchase
11. Risks and trade-offs: what brands must weigh
12. Practical roadmap: how a beauty brand should approach Zepeto-style activations
13. Examples that illustrate platform-native success
14. The commercial calculus: investment versus payoff
15. Where avatar marketing is headed
16. What marketers should avoid
17. Final perspective: how E.l.f.’s Zepeto move reframes virtual beauty
18. FAQ

Key Highlights:

• E.l.f. Cosmetics launched "Express your e.l.f." on Zepeto, letting predominantly Gen Z women dress avatars in Power Grip–inspired makeup, handbags and accessories, and share photos and videos in-feed.
• Zepeto’s 15–20 million monthly users and high avatar-update frequency create a repeat-engagement environment; E.l.f. leverages platform-based virtual try-ons to boost awareness and purchase intent, following prior successes on Roblox and Twitch.
• The move highlights a pragmatic phase of metaverse marketing: targeted activations on gaming and avatar platforms deliver measurable engagement for youth-focused brands, while broader metaverse ambitions remain unsettled.

Introduction

E.l.f. Cosmetics is extending its digital marketing playbook into a new virtual neighborhood. The brand’s "Express your e.l.f." experience on Zepeto outfits avatars with looks inspired by its Power Grip line and a slate of digital accessories, then hands players creative tools to produce shareable content. The launch sits at the intersection of beauty, gaming and social expression: consumers who already treat avatars as a facet of identity can now layer branded aesthetics onto their virtual selves.

This activation follows a familiar pattern for E.l.f.—product-line driven activations inside youth-centered game spaces. Past efforts on Roblox and Twitch positioned the brand as an early mover in virtual beauty. Zepeto presents a different opportunity: an avatar-first social universe with a heavy female and Gen Z composition and a habit-forming design that encourages frequent appearance updates. The result is a testing ground for how beauty brands convert style-led discovery into real-world purchase intent.

The broader metaverse debate overshadows the launch. Large-scale visions of persistent virtual worlds have been scaled back across the industry, yet targeted, platform-level experiences remain valuable. Brands that focus on where young audiences already spend time, rather than grand metaverse orthodoxy, are generating measurable engagement and brand lift. E.l.f.’s Zepeto move demonstrates how a beauty brand channels product marketing into creative self-expression, combining aesthetics, social mechanics and commerce signals to remain culturally relevant.

What "Express your e.l.f." actually offers players

The activation equips Zepeto avatars with a suite of cosmetics and accessories modeled on E.l.f.’s Power Grip collection, alongside handbags, jewelry and branded backgrounds. Users can:

• Apply virtual Power Grip–style makeup to avatars, replicating colorways, textures and styling cues tied to the physical product line.
• Access digital handbags and jewelry designed to complement the virtual makeup.
• Place avatars in branded E.l.f. backgrounds, take photos and record videos, then publish those assets within Zepeto’s feed.

These features serve two primary functions. First, they let players explore a branded aesthetic within a low-stakes, creative environment—avatars are a safe space for testing bold looks. Second, they create content that amplifies brand visibility: user-generated images and videos operate as peer recommendations, often more persuasive to Gen Z than traditional ads.

The product-centric architecture of the activation is deliberate. Rather than building a sprawling game world, E.l.f. centers the experience on a recognizable product family. That reduces friction for players who recognize the physical Power Grip line and want to experiment virtually before purchase. It also allows E.l.f. to map virtual interactions to product attributes—shade choices, finishes and accessory pairings—creating more direct signals of consumer interest.

For brands, the lesson is clear: when virtual experiences align tightly with a product narrative, they function as both discovery tools and soft purchase drivers. The format prioritizes short creative loops—dress, snap, share—that encourage repeated visits and social spread.

Why Zepeto matters to beauty marketers

Zepeto operates as a hybrid: part social feed, part avatar metaverse. Its monthly active user base, estimated between 15 and 20 million, skews heavily female and roughly 70 percent Gen Z—precisely the demographic E.l.f. targets. Users update their avatars frequently; the platform reports an average of more than 14 appearance changes per user each week. That rate of iteration matters for brands selling aesthetics.

High-frequency updates produce two valuable dynamics:

• Continuous touchpoints. Appearance changes create recurring opportunities for branded interventions. A seasonal drop, a new accessory or a limited-time look can capture attention repeatedly.
• Rapid creative feedback. When users change looks often, brands can observe which visual cues, colors or accessories gain traction, then iterate creative assets or messaging accordingly.

Zepeto is also social by design. Its feed and content sharing tools make user-generated assets portable across the platform. In practice, a standout avatar look can propagate through friend networks and broader communities, generating organic reach that complements paid promotion.

Zepeto’s platform economics favor visual experimentation. Unlike some immersive environments where complex gameplay is the main draw, Zepeto’s utility is identity expression and social content creation. Beauty brands that trade on personal aesthetics—makeup, hair, accessories—gain a direct line to user behavior that mirrors real-world trials, only faster and with less cost.

The platform has already attracted retail and cultural partnerships. Walmart’s 2025 collaboration introduced e-commerce elements to Zepeto, showing that physical retailers see value in linking avatar experiences to shopping opportunities. E.l.f.’s activation sits within this lineage: it pairs brand storytelling with an environment optimized for visual discovery.

How E.l.f. is applying a repeatable platform strategy

E.l.f.’s Zepeto activation is neither an outlier nor the brand’s first virtual foray. The company has a consistent approach to emerging platforms: build product-centered experiences inside spaces where youth audiences already play. Two examples frame the strategy:

• Roblox: E.l.f.’s Roblox game "Glow Up!" became the platform’s top makeup game, according to company materials. Roblox offers a vast ecosystem of creators, events and branded islands where users socialize and express identity through clothes and cosmetics. E.l.f. used a product-led experience to make the brand part of players’ creative rituals.
• Twitch: The brand ranks highly among beauty names on Twitch, leveraging livestream formats to reach audiences during moments of real-time discovery. Twitch’s combination of influencer-driven content and interactive commerce experiments allowed E.l.f. to connect product education with immediate action.

Across platforms, E.l.f. repeats four core tactics:

1. Product anchoring: Experiences are rooted in a tangible product or product family, which clarifies the connection between virtual interaction and physical lines.
2. Creative tools: Players receive the means to generate shareable content that amplifies reach and creates peer-to-peer discovery.
3. Platform-native mechanics: Each activation uses the mechanics that make the host platform sticky—avatar customization on Zepeto, games and quests on Roblox, livestream engagement on Twitch.
4. Measurement orientation: Activities aim to produce signals—downloads, shares, avatar updates, in-experience purchases—that map back to marketing objectives such as awareness and purchase intent.

Patrick O’Keefe, chief integrated marketing officer at E.l.f. Brands, framed the brand’s approach as meeting consumers where they play and providing spaces for discovery, empowerment and self-expression. That language underscores a strategy beyond pure promo: E.l.f. seeks cultural integration within communities that value personal style and creative display.

What the activation reveals about the metaverse debate

Grand visions of a single, unified metaverse have given way to a more pragmatic reality: a constellation of platform-specific virtual environments, each with distinct social and economic mechanics. Meta’s substantial investments and its Horizon Worlds initiative signaled early optimism about immersive social worlds, but the technology and adoption curve have not delivered the headline predictions. Horizon Worlds faced internal scrutiny and reconsideration, serving as a reminder that scale is hard to manufacture.

Brands have adjusted. Rather than investing in a single virtual universe, many pursue presence inside platforms that already command youth attention. Roblox, Fortnite and Zepeto are examples: each caters to a particular form of social interaction—creative worlds, event-driven play and avatar-based social feeds, respectively. This platform-level approach yields clearer outcomes: engagement metrics, community resonance and direct pathways to commerce.

E.l.f.’s Zepeto launch reflects a shift from spectacle to relevance. The objective is not to stake a claim in one hypothetical virtual destiny; it is to integrate brand experiences where their target consumers are already building identity and social networks. For beauty brands, whose products are inherently about appearance, avatar platforms approximate real-world touchpoints in meaningful ways.

The broader implication for marketing teams: allocate resources toward measurable, audience-aligned activations rather than speculative, platform-agnostic investments. Returns emerge from repeat interactions, community-driven content and the ability to translate virtual curiosity into real-world purchase behavior.

Measuring impact: what success looks like in avatar experiences

Measurement requirements differ from those of traditional campaigns. The most relevant KPIs for avatar-first activations include:

• Engagement: number of users who try on virtual products or accessories, frequency of avatar updates, session duration within branded areas.
• Content production and reach: volume of photos/videos created with branded backgrounds, organic shares in feeds, influencer amplification.
• Brand lift: shifts in brand awareness, favorability and intent among platform users, often assessed through surveys or A/B testing of exposure.
• Conversion indicators: direct sales attributed to the activation, redemption of promo codes, increases in search queries for the physical product lines.
• Community retention: the rate at which users return to a branded experience or follow the brand’s in-platform channels.

E.l.f.’s broader commercial performance provides context. The company reported net sales of $479.4 million in its fiscal first quarter ended June 30, representing a 36 percent year-over-year increase. While one cannot attribute sales growth directly to any single platform activation, the pattern supports the argument that audience-first digital marketing contributes to sustained growth.

For brands lacking native in-platform commerce, measurement can rely on proxy signals. Trackable outcomes such as in-app shares, user-generated content counts and time spent in branded spaces are predictors of downstream behavior. When possible, brands should engineer tight measurement loops—exclusive promo codes for platform users, limited-edition product drops tied to virtual achievements, or surveys embedded in the experience—to establish clearer attribution.

Case studies reinforce this approach. Nike’s Nikeland on Roblox, for example, combined branded mini-games with virtual products; limited virtual drops drove buzz and measurable engagement. Gucci’s avatar activations on Roblox tied back to limited digital collections, generating press and community interest. Each effort used platform mechanics to create scarcity, social signaling and direct routes toward purchase.

Creative and operational considerations for beauty brands

Designing effective avatar experiences requires cross-functional capability: product teams, digital designers, community managers and legal must collaborate. Key considerations include:

• Authenticity in cosmetics translation: Virtual makeup should reflect the attributes that matter in real products—shade variety, finish, and application style—while accounting for the visual language of avatars. Overly literal translations feel clumsy; stylized interpretations often perform better.
• Asset creation and scalability: High-fidelity 3D assets can be costly. Prioritize modular components that allow for rapid iteration—color swaps, accessory overlays and reusable poses reduce production time.
• Platform guidelines and moderation: Each platform enforces its own content policies. Beauty brands must ensure that assets and campaigns comply with age restrictions and community norms, especially when targeting minors.
• IP and licensing: Coordinate rights for any third-party elements, including influencer likenesses or designer collaborations. Virtual items can become valuable digital IP; clear ownership terms prevent disputes.
• Cross-channel integration: Align virtual releases with physical product launches, social media, influencer programs and paid media to amplify reach and link discovery to commerce.
• Safety and privacy: When campaigns target younger users, incorporate child-safety measures and adhere to data protection frameworks. Collect only necessary data and be transparent about usage.

Operationally, brands often partner with platform-native studios or experienced metaverse agencies to translate physical product cues into engaging digital experiences. These partners can help bridge gaps between marketing objectives and platform constraints, from avatar rigging to in-experience analytics.

Creator economies and influencer roles inside avatar platforms

Creator ecosystems power discovery inside digital-native spaces. On platforms like Zepeto, creators design outfits, props and scenes that circulate widely. Working with creators unlocks three advantages:

• Cultural fluency: Creators understand platform norms and can craft assets that feel organic to users.
• Built-in audiences: Creators bring followings that accelerate adoption and content generation for branded assets.
• Iterative co-creation: Brands can collaborate with creators to refine designs based on immediate audience feedback.

Influencers also bring credibility. Livestreaming and creator-led walkthroughs demonstrate how virtual products look and move on avatars. Twitch taught brands the value of live demos and influencer-led commerce; the same mechanics apply inside avatar platforms, where creators host style shows, lookbook drops and avatar makeover sessions.

E.l.f.’s history on Twitch illustrates the dynamic. The brand’s Twitch presence helped it become a leading beauty name on the platform, which fuses entertainment with products. On Zepeto, analogous formats—creator-choreographed photo shoots, virtual meet-and-greets and style competitions—can turn passive viewers into active participants.

Creator partnerships should be structured with tight briefs and freedom for creative expression. Overly prescriptive campaigns risk feeling like advertising; curated collaborations that let creators integrate products into their creative voice perform better.

Commerce options and the path from virtual trial to physical purchase

Brands face multiple options when linking virtual engagement to commerce:

• Direct in-platform purchases: Some platforms support digital storefronts for avatars, enabling brands to monetize purely virtual items. This yields revenue but may not always translate to physical sales.
• Promo-driven conversion: Exclusive codes or limited-time offers inside an experience can be redeemed on brand e-commerce sites, creating a clear attribution path.
• Discovery-to-traffic: Virtual interactions increase search and social traffic, which a brand can capture with targeted landing pages or product bundles inspired by the virtual looks.
• Hybrid drops: Limited-edition physical releases tied to virtual events create urgency and collectible value—digital assets serve as invitation tokens for real-world products.

Zepeto’s partnership history with retailers suggests that platform commerce can tie directly to physical goods. Walmart’s e-commerce experiment on Zepeto demonstrated one model for bridging avatars and physical retail. For beauty brands, the most pragmatic approach pairs virtual trials with frictionless routes to purchase: see it on avatar, click through to product detail and checkout with a single click or via promo code.

E.l.f.’s focus on awareness and purchase intent reflects the early-stage priorities of many beauty activations. Virtual trials lower the barrier to product discovery; marketing teams then funnel interested users into conversion mechanisms. Tracking the conversion path—virtual trial to web visit to purchase—requires integrated analytics and disciplined attribution strategies.

Risks and trade-offs: what brands must weigh

Avatar activations deliver cultural relevance, but several risks accompany investment:

• Platform fragmentation: Each platform requires tailored creative, duplicating cost structures. A campaign on Zepeto won’t automatically transfer to Roblox or Fortnite.
• Audience mismatch: Not all youth-targeted platforms serve the same sub-demographics. Missed alignment reduces ROI.
• Short-lived trends: Virtual fashion cycles are fast. Brands must plan for frequent updates and potential sunk costs if items become dated.
• Measurement complexity: Attribution from virtual interactions to physical sales remains imperfect in many cases. Brands must avoid overclaiming impact.
• Regulatory scrutiny: Platforms with young audiences attract regulatory attention around advertising and data collection. Brands must maintain compliance and ethical standards.

These trade-offs underscore the importance of clear objectives. Brands that define success metrics before launch—awareness lift, content generation, conversion rates—manage expectations and design experiences to support measurable outcomes.

Practical roadmap: how a beauty brand should approach Zepeto-style activations

Brands that want to emulate E.l.f.’s approach can follow a sequential roadmap:

1. Define objectives. Choose whether the activation targets awareness, community-building, direct sales or product testing.
2. Select the platform. Match audience demographics and platform mechanics to brand goals—avatar expression favors Zepeto; large-scale events might favor Fortnite or Roblox.
3. Center on a product story. Anchor the experience to a product family or unique attribute; avoid generic brand rooms that lack transactional clarity.
4. Design modular assets. Build 3D elements that can be re-skinned or recombined to support frequent drops and seasonal updates.
5. Partner with creators. Enlist native creators for early testing, promotion and community seeding.
6. Integrate commerce signals. Use promo codes, exclusive drops or direct storefronts to link virtual interactions with purchase actions.
7. Measure and iterate. Track in-experience engagement, UGC volumes, and downstream conversion; iterate based on what users create and share.
8. Maintain compliance. Run assets through legal and data-protection checks, especially for younger audiences.
9. Plan for longevity. Develop a content calendar to refresh assets and maintain relevance.

The roadmap centers pragmatism. By aligning creative output with measurable business outcomes and platform-specific behavior, brands can reduce the risk of wasted spend.

Examples that illustrate platform-native success

Several industry examples show how platform-native activations can drive meaningful engagement:

• Roblox “Nikeland”: Nike recreated product experiences as mini-games and branded spaces, using in-world events and virtual wearables to sustain player interest. The activation focused on play mechanics and limited drops.
• Gucci Garden: Gucci built immersive installations and limited digital items that became cultural moments inside Roblox. These activations generated press, social shares and collectible interest.
• In-game drops in Fortnite: Designers and artists used Fortnite’s event model to launch virtual apparel and cross-promotional experiences that tied back to broader brand campaigns.
• Walmart on Zepeto: By testing e-commerce inside Zepeto, Walmart showed how retailers can bring purchase pathways directly into avatar platforms.

Each example shares a pattern: the most successful activations adapt to platform mechanics, involve creators and create scarcity or exclusivity. E.l.f.’s Zepeto deployment follows this pattern, emphasizing product-led design and shareability.

The commercial calculus: investment versus payoff

Investments in avatar activations vary widely. The biggest costs are creative production—3D modeling, animation, and UX design—and media to promote the experience. Ongoing costs include asset refreshes and creator fees.

Payoffs depend on objectives. If the goal is awareness or content generation, returns manifest as earned media, social reach and brand lift—metrics easier to capture than hard sales. For conversion-oriented campaigns, integrated commerce elements are necessary.

A pragmatic way to assess ROI:

• Short-term payoff: track content volume, engagement, and immediate traffic or promo-code redemptions.
• Mid-term payoff: measure search lift, brand sentiment and incremental sales trends in the weeks following activation.
• Long-term payoff: evaluate customer lifetime value among cohorts acquired via platform activations and the cost per engaged user compared to other channels.

E.l.f.’s Q1 sales growth suggests that a diversified digital strategy—spanning Twitch, Roblox and now Zepeto—can coincide with strong commercial performance. That correlation, though not definitive proof, supports the hypothesis that sustained audience engagement in platform-native spaces contributes to broader brand health.

Where avatar marketing is headed

Expect several developments that will shape future activations:

• Deeper commerce integration: Platforms will expand e-commerce tooling to reduce friction between virtual discovery and purchase.
• Richer personalization: Brands will customize assets to individual avatar styles, using lightweight personalization engines to increase relevance.
• Creator-first product strategies: Brands will co-create capsule collections with creators who translate physical aesthetics into virtual wardrobes.
• Cross-platform licensing: Successful digital assets may be licensed or reissued across platforms as interoperable fashion gains traction.
• Responsible targeting: Brands will formalize best practices for marketing to minors, focusing on transparency and ethical design.

These trends suggest a maturation of avatar economies. Brands that move early to build capability will benefit from first-party learnings and community trust.

What marketers should avoid

Practical missteps can blunt impact:

• Treating avatar platforms as ad channels instead of cultural spaces. Users resist overtly promotional mechanics that interrupt creative expression.
• Overproducing single-shot assets. Complex assets that cannot be repurposed lead to high refresh costs.
• Ignoring platform creators. Native voices shape trends and will not promote items that feel inauthentic.
• Skipping measurement planning. Without pre-defined KPIs, brands misinterpret engagement as success without tying it to outcomes.
• Failing to protect youth. Campaigns that overlook age-appropriate considerations risk reputational damage and regulatory penalties.

The right balance lies in cultural humility: enter these communities with products that respect user norms and invite participation rather than simply broadcasting messages.

Final perspective: how E.l.f.’s Zepeto move reframes virtual beauty

E.l.f.’s "Express your e.l.f." on Zepeto exemplifies how beauty brands can translate product narratives into avatar-first experiences that resonate with Gen Z audiences. The activation is strategic rather than speculative: it focuses on a product line, taps into a platform where appearance matters, and builds social mechanics that encourage content creation.

The campaign reinforces a practical truth about virtual marketing: scale alone does not create value. Cultural relevance and platform alignment do. Zepeto’s active, appearance-driven community offers repeatable opportunities for brands that design with identity and shareability in mind. E.l.f.’s approach—product anchoring, creator collaboration and measurement orientation—serves as a blueprint for other beauty brands navigating the fragmented but fertile territory of avatar platforms.

For marketers, the question is not whether the metaverse will exist in one form, but whether their brand can find meaningful, measurable presence within the virtual places where target consumers already invest identity time. E.l.f. has chosen presence over proclamation—and that choice is earning attention where it matters most for a beauty brand: in the hands, and on the avatars, of young consumers.

FAQ

Q: What is Zepeto and how is it different from Roblox or Fortnite? A: Zepeto is an avatar-centric social platform where users create and customize virtual personas, share photos and videos, and interact in community spaces. Its primary focus is identity expression and social content creation rather than complex gameplay. Roblox emphasizes user-generated games and interactive worlds built by creators; Fortnite combines competitive gameplay with live events and branded drops. Zepeto’s strength lies in appearance-driven engagement and feed-based social sharing.

Q: How does E.l.f.’s "Express your e.l.f." work? A: The campaign supplies avatars with virtual makeup looks inspired by E.l.f.’s Power Grip line, as well as handbags and jewelry. Players can place avatars in branded backgrounds, capture photos and videos, and share content within Zepeto’s feed. The experience is product-centered, aiming to encourage experimentation and content creation.

Q: Will virtual trials like these drive real-world sales? A: Virtual trials increase awareness and purchase intent by letting consumers test looks in a low-commitment environment. Direct sales depend on conversion mechanisms—promo codes, linked e-commerce, or limited physical drops tied to the virtual release. Virtual engagement provides strong indicators of interest, which brands can convert with integrated commerce strategies.

Q: How does E.l.f. measure the success of such activations? A: Relevant metrics include the number of users who try virtual items, frequency of avatar updates, volume of shareable content created, brand-lift survey results and conversion indicators like promo-code redemptions or e-commerce traffic spikes. Long-term measures include retention of users and changes in purchase behavior among cohorts exposed to the activation.

Q: Are such activations expensive to produce? A: Costs vary. Significant expenses include 3D asset creation, animation, UX design and creator fees. Costs rise with asset fidelity and platform complexity. Brands can control budgets by prioritizing modular assets, re-skins, and creator-led amplification rather than building fully custom, one-off worlds.

Q: How should brands approach creator partnerships on these platforms? A: Partner with creators who have cultural fluency and native followings. Provide a clear brief and allow creative freedom. Co-create capsule collections or host creator-led events to ensure authenticity. Compensation can include flat fees, revenue shares or exclusive drops that create mutual value.

Q: What regulatory or safety issues should brands consider? A: Platforms with significant youth audiences require careful attention to advertising standards, data protection and child-safety regulations. Brands should limit data collection, obtain appropriate consents, ensure transparency about promotional content, and comply with platform policies and local laws concerning minors.

Q: Can virtual assets be monetized? A: Yes. Platforms allow brands to sell digital wearables for avatars, run limited drops, and tie virtual ownership to exclusive access or physical goods. Monetization strategies should align with user expectations and platform norms to avoid alienating communities.

Q: How often should brands refresh virtual assets? A: Refresh frequency depends on user activity and campaign objectives. High-engagement platforms with fast fashion cycles benefit from frequent updates—monthly or even weekly drops for active audiences. For brand stability, align refreshes with product launches, seasonal moments and creator collaborations.

Q: How does a brand decide whether to invest in Zepeto versus other platforms? A: Match platform demographics and mechanics to brand goals. Choose Zepeto for avatar-first, appearance-driven campaigns targeting Gen Z women; choose Roblox when seeking larger-scale gamified engagements; choose Fortnite for high-profile live events and cross-cultural drops. Evaluate user behavior, content types and commerce capabilities before committing resources.