E.l.f. UP!

Objective

e.l.f. Cosmetics, a Gen Z-focused beauty brand, sought to build deeper connections with younger audiences through gaming. The brand launched an entrepreneurship-themed experience on Roblox to teach business concepts while connecting digital engagement to real-world product discovery and loyalty program adoption. The strategic goal was to position beauty products within an educational, entertainment-first context that resonated with Gen Z values around social impact and self-expression.

Solution

e.l.f. UP! launched on Roblox in November 2023 as a tycoon-style entrepreneurship game where players build a startup through four minigames tied to hero products, taking users on a personalized journey around startups reflecting the causes and places they care about most. Each minigame taught different business concepts: Big Mood (recording studio/karaoke for creativity), Holy Hydration! (underwater charity and animal rescue where players can adopt virtual pets, for social impact), Halo Glow (crystal cave jewellery/art gallery for design/curation), and Power Grip (climbing gym/tech startup for innovation). Players earned virtual currency, cosmetic items and UGC rewards such as a virtual goldfish pet and Big Mood-themed wings. In July 2024, e.l.f. became the first beauty brand to test real-world commerce on Roblox, adding a Walmart-powered virtual kiosk for direct in-game purchases; its debut item was a Roblox-exclusive e.l.f. UP! Pets Hoodie for US visitors 13+, paired with a $50,000 donation to the Humane Society of the United States. In April 2025, a financial literacy game was added in partnership with Chime. The experience was built by Supersocial (publisher) with creative strategy from eGEN, and integrated loyalty program mechanics via Flaunt.

Results

The e.l.f. UP! experience achieved a 96% positivity rating on Roblox — putting it in the platform's top 1% of branded experiences — and distributed over 1 million free virtual items, ranking among the top 5 branded experiences on Roblox for UGC claims. It surpassed 21 million total visits, the fastest growth of any fashion or beauty brand on Roblox, and received 25+ updates over 18 months. The campaign converted tens of thousands of gaming participants into Beauty Squad loyalty program members and generated new revenue streams through digital goods and avatar wearables — the first non-makeup revenue stream in e.l.f.'s history.