The 5 Most Recent Celebrity Beauty Campaigns By EMV

What does it take for a celebrity beauty campaign to win on social media today? According to Alex Rawitz, director of research and insight at CreatorIQ, makeup promotions, specifically, have undergone a notable shift over the past decade. “Traditional celebrities have gone from primary spokespeople to more targeted, niche ambassadors. Typically, these celebrity spokespeople were more mainstream and served as advocates for brands’ generalized product lines, rather than a specific offering,” Rawitz explained. Where this still exists — and works — seems to be luxury fragrance. Prada Beauty named Zendaya its new global ambassador for its Paradoxe fragrance line on Aug. 3, and in just five days, the announcement drove $570,726 in earned media value, per data from Creator IQ. This was the highest EMV of the last five celebrity beauty campaigns . That said, TRESemmé’s “Hot Curl Summer” campaign starring “Off Campus” star Belmont Cameli was one of the few promotions in 2026 to break seven digits, garnering $1.39 million in just over two weeks after its July 22 debut. The success of the campaign comes as hair care brands double down on talent with “enthusiastic fanbases, rather than broad mainstream name recognition,” Rawitz said. “These fandoms often skew toward Gen Z and younger consumers, as the celebrities themselves are known for television programs or movies that have gone viral on social media.” The shift in strategy can be attributed to the creator-to-celebrity pipeline and the diversification of media platforms. “There are more routes to fame, and the traditional media outlets powering mainstream celebrities have less cachet among young consumers than hyper-specific viral social media communities,” Rawitz added. There are also other factors at play. “Many mainstream celebrities have launched makeup brands of their own, meaning that brand ambassadorships pose greater conflicts of interest than they did in the past, and that more promotional efforts are channeled into owned properties,” Rawitz said. “Consumers are [also] more sensitive to notions of authenticity and genuine brand affinity, and are more likely to embrace creators or small-scale celebrities who have a preexisting passion for a particular brand, rather than big stars whose promotional efforts might be seen as more transactional.” Ahead, a look at the five most recent celebrity beauty campaigns by EMV, per CreatorIQ. 1. Zendaya for Prada Paradoxe: $570,726 Zendaya for Prada Paradoxe. 2. Jonathan Bailey for Giorgio Armani’s “I Will” Fragrance Launch : $568,699 Jonathan Bailey for Giorgio Armani’s I Will scent. Courtesy of Armani beauty 3. Mika Abdalla for Urban Decay’s New Ghosting Trio: $162,758 Mika Abdalla for Urban Decay’s Ghosting Trio. 4. Hudson Williams for Skin1004: $111,966 Hudson Williams next to Skin1004’s Madagascar Centella Hyalu-cica Water-fit Sun Serum. 5. Alisha Boe for YSL Beauty’s New Black Opium Pink Glaze Scent: $101,995 Alisha Boe Courtesy of YSL Beauty