Maybelline increased conversions in India by 63% with a Lipstick Finder and virtual try-on

Goals

Maybelline New York was facing increasing competition from direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands in the makeup category on Amazon.in. To navigate this challenge, Maybelline New York, in collaboration with Amazon Ads, focused on lipstick, the fastest growing subcategory in makeup on Amazon.in, to help Maybelline acquire new consumers from relevant audiences such as adult Gen Z and millennials. A deeper analysis of lipstick customers suggested that color mismatches in lipsticks drive most of the negative reviews, and the diverse skin tone range in Indian consumers creates a need for customers to try the product on before buying. We wanted to solve this by helping customers choose their favorite lipstick based on their preferences and using virtual try-on integrations to drive digital trials on Amazon. We set out with three primary objectives: personalizing the shopping experience for lipstick browsers and purchasers, increasing engagement with Maybelline’s lipstick range, and acquiring new-to-brand consumers for Maybelline.

Approach

Our campaign strategy for Maybelline was shaped by several key insights that we uncovered in our analysis. Search keyword results showed heavy reliance on generic terms, indicating consumers are open to receiving color and finish recommendations. We also discovered that bundle buying in baskets was quite prevalent in this subcategory, with consumers buying multiple products whose selection varied based on their mood and needs. These two insights were instrumental in building a personalized shopper experience. Additionally, we found that wedding and festive seasons drove increased makeup conversions on Amazon. These insights helped us design a campaign that would ensure higher engagement with Maybelline’s lips range.

We realized all these insights—especially the bundle buying phenomenon and increased conversions during wedding season—could help Maybelline in acquiring new-to-brand customers. Based on our learning, we designed our creatives around the three attributes that define a lip product: color, finish, and skin tone, organizing 100+ lipsticks under these attributes to drive selection. Because we aimed to reach adult Gen Z and millennials, we ensured the right audience cohorts were used for engagement, focusing on beauty tech enthusiasts who would embrace features like virtual try-on (VTO). We also integrated a Lipstick Finder and VTO functionality on Maybelline’s product detail pages and Brand Store.

Lipstick Finder integrated in the Brand Store and product detail pages

Virtual try-on available for Maybelline New York’s lipstick product detail pages

To drive virtual try-on, we implemented page-based remarketing using color- and finish-themed banners to engage audiences. Throughout the shopper journey, we also engaged with audiences using multiple touchpoints, including search ads, premium gateway inventories, Amazon DSP third-party (3P) ads, and QR scanners in video ads, to reach high-intent audiences while driving new customer acquisition.

Display ads to drive adoption for lipstick finder

Results

The Lipstick Finder and virtual try-on activation delivered strong conversions and engagement for Maybelline at an efficient cost, achieving impressive performance across all funnel stages and gaining +10% market segment share.¹ The campaign delivered 48.5M+ impressions across 12M+ beauty enthusiasts, generating over 14M rupees in sales.² The brand garnered 1.6M+ product detail page visits, and the Lipstick Finder page quickly became the most visited Maybelline Page within the entire Maybelline Brand Store.³ The campaign also resulted in +40% new-to-brand customers acquired at less than half the usual cost with 63% growth in conversion rate, indicating that our audiences prefer personalized guidance before making a purchase.⁴ This campaign was truly about bringing simplification and personalization back to lipstick shopping. By helping customers explore, experiment, and confidently find their perfect match, the campaign reinforced Maybelline's commitment to bringing their customers no-hassle, high-performance makeup that makes sure they’re ready for anything. With thousands of makeup brands out there, it was clear that more choices are wonderful, but they can feel overwhelming without the right guidance. Through clever collaboration coupled with tech-forward integration, the campaign helped discover a whole new way for makeup consumers to choose their perfect shade of lipstick.

Sources

^1-4 Amazon internal, India, 2025.

Disclaimer: These campaign results were observed only for Maybelline New York’s Virtual Try-On campaign, Q4 2025.