When Too Faced launched its famed Better Than Sex mascara in 2013, it “changed the entire trajectory of the brand,” according to Somer Tejwani, the recently promoted svp and global gm for the brand. Tejwani worked at Too Faced then, too. In fact, she vividly remembers working on box copy for the volumizing mascara, which, 12 years later, is the No. 1 mascara in the U.S., according to Circana’s January 2024 to December 2024 report encompassing prestige mascara sales.
In recent years, the brand has expanded the franchise — a common strategy for a hit product. In 2016, it introduced a waterproof version of the product; in 2022, a brown shade; in 2023, Better Than Sex Foreplay, a mascara primer; and last year, Naturally Better Than Sex, a 98% naturally derived version of the cult product.
Now, it’s recognizing that not everyone wants a volumizing mascara. “We were a little too all about ourselves, …. [thinking] everyone wants volume and everyone’s obsessed with this hourglass-shape brush. Well, some people aren’t, and that’s OK,” Tejwani said. The brand’s response will be the March 21 debut of Ribbon Wrapped Lash Extreme Length Tubing Mascara ($29).
“When trying to come out with a mascara on the heels of having the No. 1 prestige mascara in North America — that’s a really tough act to follow — you’ve got to make sure it’s [also] the absolute best,” Tejwani said. “In our opinion, this is the absolute best performing lengthening mascara out there. It’s tubing, which is completely different. It has a molded brush. It’s the antithesis of Better Than Sex.”
Tejwani imagines that the new product will resonate with customers who never took to Better Than Sex. “Instead of thinking, for the rest of our trajectory, we’re going to have [just] one mascara and only talk about volumizing and only have this larger hourglass-shaped brush, [we asked], ‘What can we give our consumer that’s completely different? What can make a new consumer, who maybe never shopped Better Than Sex [want to try a Too Faced Mascara]?’ I do think we’ve achieved that with this product — that’s the reason we came out with it.”
“We’re so excited to launch Too Faced’s Ribbon Wrapped Lash. We know how much effort the brand has put into perfecting this formula and brush, and we’re confident our guests will fall in love, just like they did with Better Than Sex mascaras,” said Christina Abate, merchant for prestige cosmetics at Ulta Beauty. The product will launch in all of the brand’s sales channels on March 21.
A priority launch for Too Faced, there are numerous marketing plays in place to promote its arrival. On April 11, the brand will announce an art competition open to anyone 18 or older. Entries will be open through June 20, and the winner will receive a $10,000 prize. The winner’s artwork will also earn a spot at the brand’s HQ, which it calls the Pink Palace. And the winner will be announced on the brand’s social channels — Too Faced has 12.5 million Instagram followers and 1.4 million TikTok followers. The competition will be judged by Warissara Muangsaen, Too Faced’s, vp and global creative director. Muangsaen will evaluate “whether the artwork reflects or symbolizes the concept of Too Faced’s Ribbon Wrapped Lash Mascara campaign (60%); the originality and disruptiveness of the artwork (30%); and how well the [accompanying] written piece articulates the entrant’s inspiration for the artwork and the connection between the artwork and Too Faced’s Ribbon Wrapped Lash Mascara and associated ‘Wrapped Masterpiece’ contest theme (10%),” according to the company.
Too Faced also created its first AI-powered creative asset for the launch, which will be promoted via organic social and digital advertising as well as through CTV. The concept, Tejwani said, was inspired by the concept of weightlessness. “Sometimes mascara can feel heavy on the lashes, [but] a tubing mascara is different. In most cases, it feels a lot lighter,” she said.
As far as the use of AI, Tejwani said that the speed at which it was possible to create a customer-facing asset changes the game for the brand. This video was created in two weeks, whereas, typically, an equivalent brand asset could take six to eight months to create. “With the speed of AI, we are able to tell the creative team [and] the marketing team: If you have a great idea, bring it to us, because we can create [something] in two weeks now, which is totally different than what could be done even just a year ago,” Tejwani said.
Finally, in addition to the contest and new types of creative assets, the brand tapped mega-influencers Bretman Rock (18.8 million Instagram followers) and Kensington Tillo (1.7 million TikTok followers) to create educational content to promote the new mascara.
