Hot guys are beauty’s hottest marketing tool right now

Beauty brands are swapping female influencers and celebrity ambassadors with a new marketing tool – men. More specifically, male celebrities with a huge female fanbase. 

Last year, Lancome celebrated 25 years of its iconic Juicy Tubes with a nostalgic campaign featuring one of the 2000s most iconic stars, Gossip Girl’s Ed Westwick. The actor appeared as his character, Chuck Bass, delivering lines like “kisses are better with Juicy Tubes” with a seductive, velvety tone. 

Earlier this March, M.A.C. teased its US Sephora launch with the help of American reality TV personality Rob Rausch – a mirror selfie of him shirtless, the words ‘M.A.C. is at Sephora’ written across the mirror in brand’s iconic Ruby Woo lipstick. The following month, Kosas tapped on Rausch’s popularity and used him in a campaign for Lip Pulse, its range of lip plumpers.

Closer to home, Jin from BTS has been the face of Laneige since 2024, the brand’s first ever male global ambassador.

Actor, entrepreneur and multi-hyphenate Win Metawin Opas-iamkajorn also became a regional ambassador for Prada Beauty earlier this year.

More recently, South Korean actor and singer Park Bo Gum was announced as an ambassador for Dyson, including its hair devices. He is Dyson’s first male ambassador for the Asia-Pacific region. 

This tactic has been dubbed ‘heartthrob marketing’ by fashion trade journal Women’s Wear Daily (WWD), defining it as “using desirable men to market to female consumers”. 

Dr Annabelle Chow, clinical psychologist at Annabelle Psychology, says heartthrob marketing works because it taps into a psychological need around the product. It’s not merely about selling the product itself; a lipstick, serum or mist linked to desire, fantasy and admiration becomes inherently more attractive compared to a routine purchase.

“For fans, this is often strengthened by parasocial relationships – one-sided relationships where a ‘user’ invests his or her energy, time and emotions into a public figure, influencer or fictional character,” she adds. “These connections can feel genuinely intimate and supportive to the user, mimicking real friendships or romances. Buying the product can feel like supporting the character and owning a small piece of their world.”

Tried & tested 

This marketing tactic harks back to the 2000s, when Abercrombie & Fitch employed shirtless male models as greeters in their stores. However, this current trend of using male faces is slightly different, says Annabelle. She describes it as a “newstalgia” strategy – taking a Y2K fantasy and remixing it for Gen Z and millennial audiences. 

“Heartthrob marketing today is not just about nostalgia; it has evolved for the internet age,” she explains. “The male model is no longer just standing outside the store. He is a fantasy and a virtual moment that can be shared by all – not just those at the mall.”

Annabelle reveals that this strategy works because nostalgia creates comfort, familiarity and emotional connection. 

“For Gen Z, early-2000s aesthetics can feel like a romanticised, simpler pre-digital era, even if they did not fully live through it,” she elaborates. “There is also a self-aware ‘cringe confidence’ to it, where awkward or exaggerated parts of 2000s pop culture are reframed as playful, ironic and rebellious.”

The main advantage of using men to promote women’s products is attention, says Annabelle. Attractive men bring a fresh emotional and physical energy to beauty and skincare, which can otherwise feel visually repetitive. This also taps into the female gaze, where women are positioned as active consumers of male beauty rather than passive objects of beauty advertising.

Plus, it’s a modern way for brands to challenge the idea that beauty is only for women, while also creating novelty and social media buzz.

“For brands with strong fandom appeal, there is an added fan economy advantage, as fans may buy the product to support the celebrity,” Annabelle points out. 

There are downsides though, as it’s possible that the celebrity can overshadow the product. People may remember the attractive man, but not the lipstick, serum or brand message. Annabelle notes that if the endorsement feels inauthentic, such as when the male celebrity does not seem to use or understand the product, it may reduce trust.

Psychological ‘little treats’

We must also acknowledge the role that evolving gender norms plays in this marketing strategy. Apart from the fact that it’s now more common for men – especially celebrities – to use skincare and beauty products, it’s also about the type of masculinity being presented. 

Many campaigns now favour the ‘softboy’ image – men who appear gentle, emotionally available, stylish and comfortable with self-care, rather than rugged or hyper-masculine.

Annabelle elaborates: “A man in a beauty campaign can feel playful, modern and emotionally safe. It also allows women to enjoy male beauty through their own gaze, rather than always being the ones expected to look beautiful.” The appeal is less about needing male validation and more about choice, pleasure and escapism. 

This taps into the ‘little treat’ culture practiced by Gen Z – regularly buying small, affordable luxuries to reward themselves for managing daily responsibilities. Beauty products are an example of such accessible luxuries, and provide consumers with a quick emotional lift too when paired with an attractive celebrity or dreamy campaign.

“Brands that make use of heartthrob marketing are repositioning their products as psychological ‘little treats’,” says Annabelle. “Women today do not need men for security or validation but can still enjoy fantasy, attraction and romance as forms of pleasure and self-expression.”