L’Oréal’s Urban Decay makeup brand is at the center of an online storm after unveiling 24-year-old social media influencer and adult performer Ari Kytsya as the face of its latest advertising campaign.
Urban Decay leaned into Ari’s adult profession in its campaign, using suggestive taglines and playful innuendo.
Some netizens celebrated the choice as bold and inclusive, though critics accused the brand of glamorizing explicit work to sell makeup.
Highlights
- L’Oréal’s Urban Decay brand sparked backlash for hiring adult star Ari Kytsya for its new makeup campaign.
- Critics argued that the partnership glamorizes adult work and violates the brand’s influencer guidelines.
- Supporters, on the other hand, praised the brand for challenging stigma and embracing inclusivity.
L’Oréal’s Urban Decay brand leaned into Ari Kytsya’s OF stardom
Image credits: Instagram / arikytsya
According to a report from The Guardian, US-based Ari has a strong social media presence, even without her massive audience on OF.
She produces hair and makeup tutorials and lifestyle content for over 4.6 million followers across TikTok and Instagram.
Image credits: Urban Decay Cosmetics
But even if Ari’s content on TikTok and Instagram is safe for work, her content on OF is quite explicit.
Ari is very open about the nature of her adult work, describing herself as a “mattress actress.”
Image credits: Urban Decay Cosmetics
It is Ari’s adult work in OF that L’Oréal’s Urban Decay makeup brand leaned heavily into in its ad campaign.
One promo featured pixelated images of Kytsya alongside the headline “(Urban Decay) likes it raw.”
Another video, flagged with a sensitive content warning, featured the performer telling viewers the brand’s “uncensored makeup” can be used “on stage, on camera and yes, on mattresses.”
Image credits: Urban Decay Cosmetics
While it was evident that Urban Decay was using some tongue-in-cheek humor to promote its products with Ari, critics took issue with the makeup brand’s ad campaign nonetheless.
Ari, for her part, has stated that she is grateful to Urban Decay for featuring her in the brand’s ad campaign.
“Most brands tend to hesitate when it comes to collaborating with me because of the kind of content I create,” she said.
Critics claimed that Urban Decay’s ads featuring Ari glamorize adult work
Reactions online have been sharply divided. “This partnership is not empowering; it sends a very dangerous and harmful message to young people,” one critic posted on TikTok.
Image credits: Urban Decay Cosmetics
Another called the ads “sickening,” while a third lamented, “Just what we need, another push to normalize and glamorize s*x work.”
Some have gone further, pointing to L’Oréal’s own Value Charter, which requires influencers to avoid content that conflicts with its “values of respect, tolerance and inclusion.”
L’Oréal’s Value Charter also stated that creators who partner with the brand must “commit to not posting or have previously posted” p*rnography, as well as other content “which is at odds with our values of respect, tolerance and inclusion.”
Experts have also voiced concern, according to news.com.au, Penny East, CEO of the UK’s Fawcett Society, warned that the partnership marks a worrying new threshold in the mainstream acceptance of explicit content.
“We have concerns about the thousands of very young women joining the site in the hope of finding fame and fortune.”
“The majority of OF creators make very little money and the pressure to find a niche is pushing women to make increasingly explicit content,” East said.
Image credits: Instagram / arikytsya
She also highlighted that Ari is the exception, not the rule, when it comes to OF creators. Thus, featuring her in ads may set a dangerous precedent.
“Ari Kytsya is one of the few successes. She is a hugely popular and engaging influencer, with a large following across all social media platforms.”
“The move to put OF content creators in high-street commercial makeup campaigns will only serve to make OF a more enticing prospect for young girls,” she said.
L’Oréal’s Urban Decay brand and some netizens stood by Ari’s work
L’Oréal has stood firmly by its decision, telling The Guardian it values Ari’s honesty in discussing “the joys, challenges, and risks of the industry she works in.”
The company framed the campaign as part of a broader commitment to inclusivity and breaking down stigma.
Image credits: Instagram / arikytsya
L’Oréal's stance is quite understandable. Fans of Ari have praised her for being “real” and “honest” about adult work.
She has also made it clear that she does not encourage underage or very young women to enter the adult industry.
A large segment of Ari’s fans has been applauding the campaign as well.
“There has been so much pearl clutching about the dumbest things lately, as if this is gonna make teen girls dream of becoming s*x workers,” one supporter wrote.
Image credits: Instagram / arikytsya
“She’s super duper clear in sooo many videos that she doesn’t support really young girls going into the industry,” another wrote.
So far, Urban Decay’s ad campaign featuring the OF star has been getting serious eyeballs.
One of Ari’s ads on Urban Decay’s TikTok page has garnered over 18.8 million views since it went live.
Netizens weighed in on Urban Decay’s ad campaign featuring OF star Ari Kytsya
