Mac is joining the resale market — not through second-hand lipsticks and compacts, however. On Friday, the Estée Lauder Companies-owned makeup brand will launch a collaboration with online resale platform Depop in a bid to connect with Gen-Z consumers.
“We’ve been working on driving relevance and getting back to Mac as a culture brand,” said Rachel Lockett, Mac North America’s vp of marketing and consumer engagement. “Depop is really known for its connection and grasp on youth culture and empowering self-expression through the resale platform.”
To bring the makeup brand onto the secondhand clothing site, Mac and Depop invited media personalities Jordyn Woods and Leah Kateb to curate 25 items from their personal wardrobes inspired by Mac’s Maxcimal Matte and Powder Kiss lipstick formulas. Depop shoppers will receive a Mac lipstick with each purchase from Woods’ and Kateb’s wardrobes. Depop also created 12 custom backgrounds inspired by the Mac lipsticks for its Outfits feature, which it launched in October. Users who use the backgrounds and post them to social will have the chance to win perks like $500 in Depop credit.
In addition to the online activation, Mac and Depop will host a hotdog stand takeover at New York City’s Union Square on Friday where they will give away co-branded merch and lipsticks to attendees. Woods and Kateb are slated to make appearances.
“Because we’re community-led, and we really emphasize that as part of our brand distinction and our unique place in the resale market, we really always try to emphasize personal touch points,” Steve Dool, Depop senior director of brand and creative, said of the value of IRL activations. “You’re buying from someone, or selling to someone, or being inspired by someone. It’s not just an endless scroll of product. And so it’s sort of a natural outflow of that. We want to encourage these places for the community to gather.”
While lip products have stood out in a soft makeup category, consumers have largely gravitated to lip liners and glosses over traditional bullet lipsticks. But Mac is hoping to convert Gen-Z shoppers to add lipsticks to their lip combo.
“We’ve done different campaigns where we use high-recruiting items like our lip pencil or a gloss, which we know the younger consumer reaches for,” said Lockett. “In this instance, [we’re] introducing them to the bullet through a way that’s fun and engages them through color and personal style on the Depop platform. The pigmented color of a lipstick is just unmatched. … Showing them the value in that and exposing them to that is something we’re aiming to do.”
The partnership follows a string of high-profile campaigns from Mac since the arrival of Nicola Formichetti as creative director in May. The brand has tapped the likes of Chappell Roan, Doja Cat and Kris Jenner as ambassadors as it attempts to reconnect with youth culture.
“I think [targeting Gen Z] maybe just wasn’t a priority for past leadership. Youth culture was always something that was key to the brand, especially in the ‘90s, early 2000s, 2010s,” said Lockett. “As we see the landscape evolve and change, the number of competitors explodes with indie brands. So everyone has to, at all times, be making sure that they’re communicating to all consumers.”
Meanwhile, Depop, which was acquired by Etsy in 2021 for $1.6 billion, has managed to capture the self-made aesthetic Gen Z is looking for since its launch in 2011. The London-based platform has collaborated with the likes of Ralph Lauren and Anna Sui, but the Mac partnership represents its first beauty partnership in the U.S.
Secondhand shopping has grown as shoppers seek out affordability and individuality. According to Etsy’s Q2 2025 earnings report, Depop’s user base increased on both ends of the transactions. Depop active sellers increased 40.8% year over year to 3 million, while active buyers were up 38.8% to 6.6 million. Black Friday shopping data from Placer.ai found that foot traffic to thrift stores increased 12.2% in 2025 compared to the year prior.
“Shopping from a secondhand-first mentality for clothing has moved from niche, or something that people felt like they had to do or was a fun exercise every so often, to being more mainstream,” said Dool. “There is a lot of economic uncertainty, and I think people are looking for a way to supplement their income by selling secondhand, and that oftentimes follows through to that real idea of circularity, where people are then also buying secondhand.”
In the Estée Lauder Companies’ Q1 2026 earnings report, net sales in its makeup division dropped 1%. While the potential return of 2016-era full glam could be a boon for a brand like Mac, Lockett said the makeup brand wants to remind shoppers it can do more than just a full beat.
“One thing we’ve been really diligently trying to get across over the last few years is that Mac can do clean girl makeup, and Mac can do a full face, heavy beat, backstage red carpet,” she said. “We can go zero to 100. So it’s really about the consumers’ preference and educating them about the products and the performance, and allowing them to get the kind of look they want.”
