e.l.f. Beauty Shares Drop 2.7% Amid Controversial Campaign Fallout, $250M Volume Ranks 419th in Market Activity

On August 15, 2025, e.l.f. Beauty (ELF) fell 2.70% with a trading volume of $0.25 billion, ranking 419th in market activity. The decline followed backlash over the brand’s ad campaign featuring comedian Matt Rife, known for controversial remarks on domestic violence and gender-related jokes. The campaign, parodying law firm commercials with Rife and Heidi N Closet as “beauty attorneys,” drew widespread criticism for misaligning with e.l.f.’s target audience of women. Social media users and influencers condemned the choice, citing Rife’s history of offensive content and the brand’s messaging contradictions.

Consumers highlighted the disconnect between e.l.f.’s mission to empower women and Rife’s reputation. Critics noted his 2023 Netflix special, which opened with a domestic violence joke, and his subsequent fake apology linking to a helmet sales page. Many argued the campaign alienated core customers and wasted marketing budgets. Prominent beauty creators, including James Welsh and Nikkie de Jager, publicly distanced themselves from the brand, with some sharing videos of discarding e.l.f. products. The controversy intensified as calls to boycott the brand gained traction across platforms.

e.l.f. issued an apology on Instagram, acknowledging the campaign “missed the mark” and stating it aimed to highlight “beauty injustice.” However, users dismissed the response as insufficient, with over 6,000 comments criticizing the tone. Kory Marchisotto, e.l.f. Beauty’s Global CMO, told a trade publication the campaign’s reception was “surprised” by, attributing the choice to Rife’s TikTok audience alignment. Despite this, critics emphasized the brand’s failure to vet his controversial history, which clashed with e.l.f.’s community-driven ethos.

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