The beauty industry has an unexpected new ‘it’ boy in Love Island USA and The Traitors US star Rob Rausch.
The Alabama-born snake wrangler and reality television personality has taken an unexpected turn when it comes to brand partnerships, working with MAC Cosmetics to announce its launch into Sephora’s US stores and, more recently, fronting a campaign for Kosas’ latest launch Lip Pulse.
The 27-year-old star is not your typical beauty brand ambassador – even revealing in a Page Six Style interview that, when Kosas first reached out, it was his girlfriend who told him about the brand and explained what a lip plumper is.
While Rausch is an unexpected choice for recent beauty campaigns, social media expert and founder of Living Lavish Social, Olivia Crowley, explains that: “Rob Rausch is the name on everyone's lips right now, and that has real value.
“But beyond brand awareness, what I find more interesting is the identity alignment.
“He stands for confidence, boldness, taking risks, and those map really neatly onto what these brands are trying to communicate.
“When that fit feels authentic, it does not come across as a campaign; it comes across as casting.”
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Public relations expert and PR & Brand Consultant for 5th House, Lydia McKay, adds: “Rob sits at the intersection of cultural relevance and the constant appetite for something new.
“Beauty is more inclusive than ever before, so naturally brands are looking for talent who feel unexpected but still commercially viable.
“Rule number one, who will drive cash flow – Rob brings mainstream recognition, a strong female fanbase and, crucially, he does not feel like a traditional beauty insider, which makes the campaign feel fresh and more talkable.”
The proof is in the numbers, with MAC Cosmetics revealing to Cosmetics Business that its content featuring Rausch received a total of 9.7 million views across social media, as well as playing a role in the 100-plus online and print articles around the brand’s launch into Sephora US.
Rob Rausch’s mass market appeal
Kosas has tapped Rob Rausch to front its new lip plumper launch, Lip Pulse
It is a smart move from beauty brands who recognise that, while Rausch himself may not be their traditional target customer, his 1.9 million Instagram followers and 2.4 million TikTok followers are.
While a straight cisgender white man is an unfamiliar face for a beauty campaign, Crowley highlights how it serves as a “deliberate pattern interrupt”.
She explains: “Beauty has always skewed female, and when men have been included historically, it has tended to be within LGBTQ+ narratives, so this is something different.”
These partnerships also come as conversations around grooming and self-care for men continue to grow, with Crowley noting that: “There is a genuine market opportunity in
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