Roblox virtual makeup may be trendy, but player obsession with digital avatar customization has real-world implications. Major beauty brands such as Nars and Nyx are paying close attention to how users engage with beauty-driven avatar products within the metaverse and analysing these activities’ impact on the bottom line. And all of this impacts the strategies that make up a broader digital beauty revolution, Vogue Business reports.
Robloxians engage with virtual makeup because beauty is a significant part of self-expression on the sandbox game, according to Winnie Burke, head of fashion and beauty partnerships at Roblox.
“Our users view their avatars as an extension of their real-life identity,” she says. Burke says one in five Roblox users update their avatar daily, which includes trying on new virtual makeup.
The Vogue article also points to a 2022 global Accenture survey claiming that 48% of respondents are interested in purchasing virtual makeup looks within 12 months. Further, 38% of those surveyed have already made a purchase.
Major brands such as Backup, Nyx, and YSL Beauty are experimenting with emerging metaverse technologies, including branded virtual worlds, web3, blockchain, and NFTs. However, other beauty brands seek to reap the benefits of tapping into existing metaverse spaces such as Roblox, where fashion and beauty trends are a significant part of the platform’s appeal.
For example, Nars Colour Quest allows users to apply virtual makeup to share within an in-app social feed. Additionally, Gucci’s recent Gucci Flora fragrance launch event in Roblox is a testament to the role that metaverse activations can play in these brands’ ability to engage with their audiences in new ways.
“We are at a stage where we’re seeing a lot of really exciting experimentation among the early adopters in this space,” Burke says. Speaking specifically to branded experiences within Roblox, she notes, “[I]it’s clear that when brands get it right, the value [of Web3 activations] is significant and broad-reaching.”
While it’s great to see so much experimentation, and the future looks promising, it’s still relatively early to tell the true potential for beauty brands using metaverse spaces to engage with their audiences beyond traditional advertising and social media. Still, with so many underexplored potential avenues for engagement, such as VR/AR makeup applications and virtual colour customization, it seems there are numerous opportunities for real-life beauty brands to transcend their longstanding identities as physical products to become leaders in the digital beauty revolution within the metaverse.
If you’re a Roblox virtual makeup enthusiast, you’ll want to find some avatar gear to go with your fresh look by checking out our Roblox promo codes list for September. Set the mood to party mode with our Roblox music codes for September, and check out our guide to best Roblox games in 2022 to find the coolest games to show off your new look and tunes.