E.l.f. Cosmetics is facing backlash after releasing an ad starring comedian Matt Rife, who has previously joked about domestic violence.
On Aug. 11, the budget beauty brand released its latest campaign, “e.l.f.ino & Schmarnes,” featuring Rife and drag star Heidi N Closet in a parody of a personal injury ad. Set in a courtroom, the humorous setup made a case against makeup markups to promote E.l.f.’s lower-priced options.
However, critics online called out the brand for casting Rife, who came under fire in 2023 for making a joke about domestic violence in his Netflix special.
On Wednesday, E.l.f. posted a statement to Instagram, saying it had “missed the mark.”
“We’re always listening and we’ve heard you,” the brand said. “This campaign aimed to humorously spotlight beauty justice. We understand we missed the mark with people we care about in our e.l.f. community.”
“While e.l.f.ino & schmarnes closes today, we’ll continue to make the case against overpriced beauty.”
An E.l.f. spokesperson did not provide comment to ADWEEK by the time of publication.
Kory Marchisotto, global chief marketing officer of E.l.f. Beauty, told the Business of Fashion that the company chose Rife because his TikTok followers are 80% female and 75% are under the age of 34, which overlaps with the brand’s target audience of Gen Z women.
Advertising is making people mad
E.l.f. is the latest brand to spark backlash with an ad.
American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney campaign, which launched on July 23, has proven one of the most controversial ads of this year, drawing criticism for promoting “pro-eugenics” ideals.
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That same month, Dunkin’ drew ire for also mentioning genetics in an ad starring The Summer I Turned Pretty star Gavin Casalengo.
E.l.f. is known for using humor and satire in its ad campaigns, which have previously featured stars like Judge Judy and Jennifer Coolidge.
Despite targeting overpriced beauty, E.l.f.’s new ad did not mention that the brand raised its prices by $1 as of Aug. 1, citing President Donald Trump’s tariffs and inflation.
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