
Behind The Scenes of e.l.f. Cosmetics’ True Crime Parody “Cosmetic Criminals”
At the 2024 CommerceNexty Awards, e.l.f. Cosmetics was honored with the Marketing Innovator of the Year Award for their creative and engaging true crime parody documentary, Cosmetic Criminals. This campaign humorously depicted the phenomenon of “e.l.f. pinching”—the act of borrowing makeup without any intention of returning it—prevalent in households everywhere. We sat down with Laurie Lam, Chief Brand Officer at e.l.f. Beauty, to learn more about the inspiration behind Cosmetic Criminals and the brand’s approach to marketing. Read on for the full interview. Katja Teichmann: Can you tell us about the inspiration behind Cosmetic Criminals? Laurie Lam: Cosmetic Criminals was born from