After entering the sports arena in 2024, Maybelline is now expanding into a new league: women’s lacrosse.
Announced on Thursday, Maybelline will be the title sponsor for the new women’s professional lacrosse league — called the Maybelline Women’s Lacrosse League — created by the Premier Lacrosse League in November 2024.
“We were intrigued by lacrosse because it is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S. and one of the fastest-growing sports for girls in the U.S.,” Jessica Feinstein, svp of marketing at Maybelline New York, told Glossy. According to the National Federation of State High School Associations, the sport saw a surge in participation with steady growth until the start of the pandemic in 2020. Now, it is regaining popularity again and is the 10th most popular sport among high school girls. What’s more, over the last 10 years, the number of lacrosse fans in the U.S. has grown from 13 million to 45 million, and there are 125 women’s NCAA Division 1 women’s lacrosse programs, compared to 75 men’s programs, based on information provided by the Premier Lacrosse League team.
“[Lacrosse] is also set to return to the Olympics in 2028, which is why we thought it would be a great time to get involved now — to set the stage for the Olympic Games in LA. It’s a U.S.-based Olympics, we’re a U.S.-based brand, and it’s a U.S.-based sport. It’s a pivotal moment for the sport and female athletes everywhere, … and our goal is always to empower the next generation. So, this was a great place for Maybelline to play across our platforms,” said Feinstein.
The Maybelline Women’s Lacrosse League will officially debut at the Premier Lacrosse League’s 2025 Championship Series, taking place from February 11-17 at The St. James arena in Springfield, Virginia. The league’s four inaugural teams — Boston Guard, New York Charging, Maryland Charm and California Palms — will compete for the first-ever Maybelline WLL title in the World Lacrosse Sixes format, the same style that will played in the 2028 Olympics. The first official game will be on Tuesday, February 11, between the Maryland Charm and New York Charging.
Aside from logo and branding placements, as the title sponsor, Maybelline will show up in a few different ways, Feinstein said. That will include providing financial support to the teams and the athletes. Maybelline will also gift all the players the brand’s products to use both on and off the field. And through Brave Together, Maybelline’s mental health initiative, Maybelline will work with lacrosse athletes to connect with players in high school through various projects.
Later this year, Maybelline will also go on the road, showing up in inner cities and hosting a street lacrosse series where it will introduce young girls to the sport and the athletes. In addition, Maybelline will launch a pop-up get-ready-with-me prom activation in partnership with key lacrosse players.
“There are a lot of opportunities for us to do so many different things,” Feinstein said.
This partnership is a continuation of Maybelline’s investment in women’s professional sports and the brand’s commitment to empowering female athletes. In August 2024, Maybelline announced it had partnered with the New York Road Runners to become the first-ever cosmetics sponsor of the New York City Marathon. Feinstein shared that Maybelline is exploring partnerships with other marathons in the future. In October, Maybelline tapped tennis star Naomi Osaka as the brand’s first global Brave Together ambassador.
According to its third-quarter 2024 results, released in October, Maybelline parent company L’Oréal saw sales of €10.28 billion ($11.11 billion), up 3.4% from the same quarter a year prior. Its consumer products recorded single-digit sales growth, driven by L’Oréal Paris, NYX Professional Makeup and Maybelline New York, the company shared.
