L'Oréal's Collaboration with OnlyFans Creator Ari Kytsya
Global cosmetics giant L'Oréal has sparked conversations across the beauty and online adult industries by selecting Ari Kytsya, a prominent content creator on the adult website OnlyFans, as the face to promote one of their popular makeup lines. Kytsya, who has amassed over 4.6 million followers across Instagram and TikTok, is known for her dual persona as both a makeup and lifestyle influencer and a producer of explicit adult content.
Controversy Surrounding the New Campaign
Kytsya, who refers to herself as a "mattress actress," mixes her social media influence with her OnlyFans activities, where she provides subscribers with nude images and videos including sexual acts. This dual role has caused some controversy with the recent L'Oréal partnership, highlighting the complexities of mainstream brands associating with figures from the adult content industry.
L'Oréal's decision has been both criticized and defended. A spokesperson for L'Oréal's Urban Decay line justified choosing Kytsya for her authentic makeup artistry, emphasizing her capability to initiate open dialogues around the joys, challenges, and risks associated with her industry. Despite this, Penny East, the new chief executive of the Fawcett Society, a UK charity for women's rights and gender equality, voiced concerns regarding the suitability of Kytsya as a role model for young women, referencing the potential glamourization of the adult content industry.
Marketing Impact and Societal Implications
The collaboration featured Kytsya in a widely viewed campaign for Urban Decay, which is known for its boldly named products such as Perversion and Naked. The campaign, which attracted over 18.7 million views on TikTok, showcased pixellated images of Kytsya with a sensitive content warning and promoted the theme of "uncensored makeup," aiming to cater to a variety of performance settings.
Fahrad Divecha, CEO of AccuraCast, commented on the potential untapped market and considerable marketing benefits that can come from partnering with adult content creators, highlighting a shift in societal norms and a pursuit for heightened brand visibility.
Despite potential backlash, L'Oréal and Urban Decay maintain that their influencer collaborations emphasize creativity and authenticity, aligning with their brand values even as they navigate the intricate dynamics of affiliations with the adult content industry.
As of now, OnlyFans has not issued any comments regarding the ongoing partnership discussions or the surrounding controversies sparked by this high-profile collaboration.
