The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2025
e.l.f. killed its e.l.f.ino & Schmarnes campaign after backlash over Matt Rife's casting
e.l.f. shuttered its 'e.l.f.ino & Schmarnes' ad campaign in August 2025, two days after backlash over comedian Matt Rife's casting.
e.l.f. Cosmetics · 2025-08-13
What happened
On 11 August 2025, e.l.f. Cosmetics launched 'e.l.f.ino & Schmarnes', a national campaign parodying the 1990s injury-lawyer ads of Cellino & Barnes, casting comedian Matt Rife and drag queen Heidi N Closet as its 'affordable beauty attorneys'.
Backlash came within two days. Fans pointed to Rife's 2023 Netflix special 'Natural Selection', which included a widely criticized joke about a woman with a black eye — 'if she could cook, she wouldn't have that black eye' — and to e.l.f.'s own branding, which says its name stands for 'empowering legendary females'. Beauty influencers called for a boycott, and several who had promoted the launch posted videos throwing away product.
On 13 August e.l.f. apologised on Instagram: '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.' The campaign was pulled mid-run, days after it launched, with no dollar figure published for the loss.
Why it happened
- e.l.f. cast for reach, not fit: Rife brought a young male audience the beauty brand wanted, but the vetting stopped at follower counts — his 2023 Netflix special was public and a search away.
- The campaign collided with the brand's message: one that sells itself on empowering women could not defend a comedian whose bit mocked a woman's black eye — the ad became an argument about values.
- The boycotts compounded through the community that amplifies launches: creators who promoted the campaign had to denounce it to keep their own audiences, and within two days nobody would defend it.
The lesson
A celebrity's public record is part of the asset a brand buys: Rife's 2023 special was a search away, and the campaign was over in days. Vetting a face means vetting what the audience knows.
Sources
- e.l.f. apologises and closes campaign after Matt Rife backlash — The Independent, 14 August 2025
- e.l.f. Cosmetics ends Matt Rife campaign after backlash — USA Today, 15 August 2025
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