The brand has used Manny Gutierrez, an Instagram and YouTube star, in its ‘That Boss Life’ campaign for the launch of its latest mascara, Big Shot Mascara.
"Honestly I couldn't be more honored [or] thrilled!" Gutierrez said on Instagram, where he boasts three million followers. "Thank you to Maybelline for taking a chance on me!"
It appears to confirm that marketing makeup to men is now becoming a viable move for colour cosmetics brands, as younger generations of consumers increasingly experiment with identity and gender.
Gathering momentum
Using men to front makeup campaigns seems to be a trend gathering serious momentum in the beauty world.
Coty announced in October last year that it had signed James Charles, a teen makeup artist, to be the latest face of its CoverGirl brand, while L’Oréal UK was first on the scene back in September when it signed Gary Thompson (aka The Plastic Boy) as one of the faces for its #YoursTruly foundation campaign.
It’s a trend reaching into the premium category too: high-end makeup brand Anastasia Beverly Hills have also begun using male models in their campaigns too.
Gap in the market
It looks like bigger name brands have now realised the potential of marketing makeup to men, a consumer trend for which independent, niche players had been taking the lead.
MMUK Man is one such brand, launched five years ago. It has been retailing to men in the UK and US markets and seeing steadily growing success.
MMUK Man is already reporting an annual turnover of £62,000 and predicts upwards of £750,000 this year.
Young entrepreneur and founder Alex Dally noticed a gap in the market back in 2011, while having to resort to secretly using his girlfriend’s concealer to cover up acne.
Now, he says, more and more men are willing to invest in colour cosmetics that match their own skin tone, rather than settling for whatever’s to hand. The moves by leading makeup brands to target men appear to confirm this.