From Emma Lewisham’s cult-favourite cream through to the viral #Euphoriamakeup trend which inspired a product line, Ashleigh Cometti charts the on-screen influence of beauty products depicted in pop culture.
We’ve all been there — pausing a film or TV show to pore over a blurry image of beauty products in
These products don’t appear on vanities or countertops by chance, their placement is the result of meticulous planning from set decorators and prop stylists to select which product lives where, or is used by whom.
There are a multitude of factors that influence which cosmetics are chosen, like the period in which the film or TV show is set, how well the product’s packaging fits with the set’s overall aesthetic, or if it builds character development. Then there’s the other side, contractual obligations where brands pay to be integrated.
According to business consultancy firm KiValue, product placement has become a potent marketing tool for brands, especially in the cosmetics sector.
In an era where we’re mostly glued to technology, leveraging the power of pop culture can lead to four things — enhance brand visibility, influence consumer behaviour, drive immediate sales, or foster long-term loyalty.
KiValue claims that characters using certain cosmetics is the most powerful endorsement there is, especially if that character is well-loved or played by someone high-profile. This is known as the “halo effect” or where the positive attributes of that character or actor are imparted on to the product.
Pay To Play
As far as sets go, the bathroom has long been a bedrock for character progression and transformation.
Or, as is the case with Love Island, the best place for a spot of gossip.
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Advertise with NZME.Now in its eleventh season, the infamous Love Island dressing room features just as much as the fire pit (IYKYK), documenting everything from nighttime glam and whispered secrets to stolen kisses or morning coffee deliveries.
In addition to individual seated makeup stations and outlets for hot tools, the walls are lined floor to ceiling with shelves that proffer all manner of beauty products — in this season’s case, all available from British drug store Boots — the show’s official beauty partner for 2024.
In a statement released to Grazia, Boots chief marketing officer Peter Markey said: “We’re thrilled to be returning as the official beauty partner for Love Island for the sixth series in a row. We know how much viewers love seeing the latest beauty brands in the villa, so we’ve made sure we have an incredible line-up for the Islanders to enjoy and experiment [with] this summer.”
The profitability of Love Island and its contestants is no secret, and viewers often scramble to replicate the outfits, hairstyles (remember Molly Mae Hague’s topknot tutorial?) and beauty looks of the Islanders.
Which makes brand partnerships like Boots’ feel mutually beneficial: people see Boots products used by Islanders > people rush to purchase said products > Boots profits.
So far this season we’ve spotted a suite of products stashed in the dressing room, ranging from the Schwarzkopf Got2B Glued Blasting Freeze Spray, $12; Garnier Micellar Water All-in-One, $18; Sol de Janeiro’s viral Brazilian Bum Bum Cream, $84; and La Roche-Posay Anthelios Invisible Fluid SPF50+, $37.
Grazia reported up to 1700 products featured on-screen from more than 140 brands this season alone.
British website Shopyourtv.com gives new meaning to “as seen on screen”, with screenshots of beauty products alongside links to purchase.
Like a still from White Lotus season two, where a tube of Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution is visible in the bathroom of Daphne Sullivan (Meghann Fahy).
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For Australian teen drama Heartbreak High, it was a case of landing product in the hands of the right people when it came to Missy Beckett (Sherry-Lee Watson) and Spencer “Spider” White (Bryn Chapman Parish) smoothing on products from New Zealand luxury skincare maker Emma Lewisham in the Hartley High bathroom.
Emma Lewisham’s community of enthusiasts and widespread appeal meant the branding opportunity happened organically, which drove brand awareness on a global scale.
For 15 seconds during an episode of the Netflix show’s second season, a close-up shot of Emma Lewisham’s Supernatural Face Creme Riche, $158, is visible before zooming out to show Missy smoothing it on to her cheeks.
A touching exchange follows when Spider enters the bathroom and proceeds to slap product on to his cheeks. Taking his face in her hands, Missy shows Spider how to apply it gently, and their stolen moment together tells us everything we need to know.
In the background is a flash of Emma Lewisham’s signature purple packaging — a bottle of the Illuminating Oil Cleanser, $79, sitting atop the sink.
Does a teenager using Emma Lewisham products point to the wider trend towards the next generation investing in skincare? The series is always one to be topical, and this choice to feature two products considered a splurge by many certainly alludes to this.
Then there’s the likes of billionaire Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) sporting a tub of Augustinus Bader’s The Face Cream on his bathroom vanity during a scene of Succession. At $508 per tub, it’s an elite pick befitting his ego.
While there are plenty of pricier options out there, Augustinus Bader is easily identifiable in Kendall’s stark-white bathroom. It’s yet another example of a brand that has experienced a surge in popularity from both word-of-mouth recommendations, and brief flashes on-screen.
Trend Setter
For Donni Davy, the makeup artist behind Euphoria’s buzzy, era-defining beauty looks, a product line was born out of the virality of the looks created, not the other way around.
The two-time Emmy award-winning makeup artist has been credited with refreshing Gen Z’s appetites for all things glitter and metallic, and the #euphoriamakeup trend has since amassed 2.5 billion views on TikTok.
Her brand Half Magic, which launches at Mecca on July 30, was created in response to the outcry from Euphoria fans to recreate the show’s signature sparkle.
“The eruption in Euphoria makeup saw a number of brands come to me to design campaigns or collaborate on products under the umbrella of an existing cosmetics company. But I didn’t want to just give over my creative vision, it didn’t feel right to me,” she says.
Instead, a conversation with Euphoria’s creative directors gave Donni the reassurance she needed to go out on her own.
The antidote to clean girl makeup, Half Magic specialises in high-shine, high-impact makeup looks with its coterie of good-to-glow products that encourage the wearer to throw out the rulebook.
Explaining her brand’s name, Donni says makeup is half of the magic, adding: “The other half of the magic is the person wearing it.”
“It truly comes to life when it’s put on. When you put glitter on your eyelids and go out into the world, when people see the way you live in it, that’s the other half of the magic,” she says.
After creating looks for film and TV for more than a decade, Donni says being given free rein with her brush was a welcome change after years of barely-there beauty looks.
“I’ve been dying to work with colour and glitter and rhinestones for a long time, but was never hired on a project where I could do that,” she says, adding she feels one of the reasons Euphoria makeup had such a lasting impact was how they reflected character growth and development on the show.
For example, Jules (Hunter Schafer), whose makeup ranged from a tiny black X on her temple to full-spectrum rainbow glitter, depending on her mood or the way she wanted to present to the world.
“It was thrilling to see that people were ready to receive another direction where they could have more fun with their makeup.”
The collection is designed to appeal to the glitter curious, with products designed to reflect the fantastical and aspirational looks from the show but remain totally wearable.
“There was always a need for people to branch out from neutrals, but some people didn’t know how. I’m here to say you can just wear green sparkly eyeshadow and no other makeup. You can be casual about it,” Donni says.
Wing Magician is a curved silicone tool designed to make easy work of winged eyeliner. Shaped like Half Magic’s diamond logo, Wing Magician can be angled or positioned in certain ways depending on the liner look you’re after.
Like the rest of her collection, this clever tool was hotly requested. “I’m forever getting asked how to do winged liner. So I wanted to create a tool that would help with that, or at least, make you want to try it for the first time if you’ve always thought you can’t,” Donni says.
And when Euphoria returns for a third season (slated for 2025) we know exactly which makeup we’ll be seeing everywhere.
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