Key Takeaways:
OnlyFans has expanded its ambitions beyond being solely an adult content platform. It’s quietly becoming a driving force behind beauty’s next marketing evolution. As the industry seeks new ways to reach consumers, brands are venturing into previously untapped territory and rethinking old boundaries.
The formula for engagement is ever evolving as the line between self-expression and social media blurs, prompting beauty brands to reconsider a space they had previously steered clear of to achieve success. Long stigmatized yet massively profitable, OnlyFans is home to creators with loyal fan bases (over 305 million male and female users worldwide who brought in $6.6 billion in total transaction volume in 2023), attention-grabbing storytelling, and a level of unfiltered authenticity that traditional influencers often lack nowadays—three things beauty brands are increasingly in need of in today’s market.
Urban Decay’s latest campaign, Battle the Bland, features creator Ariel “Ari” Kytsya, signaling a shift in how the industry approaches creators with not-safe-for-work (NSFW) backgrounds. Although the campaign doesn’t mention OnlyFans, the decision to cast her signifies a significant move for the beauty world. Specifically, it raises the question: Is this a bold one-off that only Urban Decay could pull off or the start of something bigger?
How OnlyFans Entered the Beauty Chat
The relationship between OnlyFans and the beauty industry may seem unlikely but, in reality, there’s a natural alignment rooted in aesthetics, influence, and intimacy. Beauty has a successful history in spaces where sought-after aesthetics and personal storytelling meet.
“We’re drawn to what looks good. That’s true whether it’s a beauty ad or adult content. Women look to other women for inspiration, and men are drawn to women they’re attracted to. It all comes back to aesthetics. If something looks good, it's going to get attention. That's just the way that the human mind works. So, there is a very strong alignment between the two areas,” explains Lucy Banks, Managing Director of Million Billion Media, the first adult-industry-friendly marketing agency in Australia.
OnlyFans delivers exactly that: stunning visuals that cut through the noise in a more unfiltered, personal way. Nowadays, audiences are savvier to traditional influencer marketing and can sense when the creator is more interested in the payday than a staunch believer or user of said product. Comparatively, a branded piece of content from OnlyFans creators can land as more authentic, especially when stacked against influencers juggling a dozen paid partnerships.
Some brands, such as Lush, Tarte Cosmetics, and Herbivore Botanicals, have quietly entered OnlyFans’ waters, gifting products to creators without amplifying their content or casting them in large-scale campaigns. These low-profile activations suggest a growing interest in leveraging OnlyFans' engaged audiences without drawing mainstream attention. All three brands declined to comment on their strategy for this article, signaling that the stigma surrounding the platform remains very much present.
According to Banks, there has been a significant shift within the industry, particularly over the last 18 months. Mainstream beauty brands have recognized that not only do OnlyFans creators have an engaged male audience, but many of them also have a strong female audience. Whether or not one agrees with the platform’s content, Banks argues, it’s hard to ignore the selling power of its top creators.
“These women are stunning, aspirational, and they know how to convert. Women may not look up to them for career choices, but they do admire their confidence, beauty, and sense of self-expression,” said Banks. This beauty belief is what helps make the collaboration feel less taboo and more strategic.
1.3 Billion Reasons Why Beauty Brands Are Looking at OnlyFans Differently
OnlyFans brought in $1.3 billion in revenue in 2023, but the income gap between creators remains imbalanced; the top 1% earn 33% of all revenue, while the average user earns just $150 to $180 per month. Yet the platform’s cultural impact footprint tells a different story: With more than 31 million backlinks and organic growth higher than those of Instagram and YouTube, there’s untapped potential for brands looking to increase awareness and conversions.
Further echoing this direction is the evolution of OnlyFans creators themselves. “It used to be that adult creators had to show up online in lingerie or be scantily clad, really making it obvious that they were OnlyFans creators. That’s not the case anymore,” explains Banks.
Today’s creators show up more like traditional influencers—camera-ready, entrepreneurial, and with a multichannel presence. They’re using OnlyFans not just for monetization but to foster tight-knit communities, move products, and grow their cultural relevance. “In 2025, OnlyFans creators are the new Instagram influencers—but with stronger monetized engagement,” Banks adds.
Urban Decay’s partnership with Ari Kytsya is a case study in what that shift looks like in practice. “It makes sense,” Kirbie Johnson told BeautyMatter. Johnson co-hosts the beauty podcast Gloss Angeles and writes the Ahead of the Kirb Substack, which covers beauty news through an entertainment lens. “Urban Decay was built on edgy, subversive products like Naked Palettes and All Nighter Setting Spray. But lately, with launches like Big Bush Brow Gel, they felt like they were trying too hard. Ari brings the authenticity back.”
Unlike creators who mostly appeal to men, Kytsya commands a cultish female following across TikTok and Instagram. “Including me. That female contingent is critical for a beauty brand,” Johnson said. “She’s aspirational, she’s hot, but she’s also relatable. She’s the type of creator who makes people ask: ‘What eyeliner is she wearing?’”
Urban Decay catered to the female gaze, not men, “which I think a lot of brands could have mistakenly done,” Johnson noted.
Backlash and Bias Are Still a Factor
Not every brand has Urban Decay’s moxy and natural synergy with adult creators, though. “Historically, there have been marginalized groups of people that brands and society in general were hesitant to work with due to stigma or fear of judgment,” said Banks. “Over time, that starts to erode.”
These creators aren’t criminals, but the platform’s stigma hasn’t fully disappeared, meaning that mass acceptance is still pending. This results in some brands being hesitant to engage, concerned about potential backlash—from negative customer reactions to bad headlines.
Banks noted that influencers, too, once faced public scrutiny before becoming a standard part of the marketing landscape. She anticipated that adult entertainers would eventually follow a similar path toward normalization. "The brands jumping on board now are the ones seeing maximum conversion. That’s what’s happening," she said.
What Comes Next
If the early 2010s championed aspirational beauty and the pandemic era shifted the focus to clean girl minimalism, the next wave is all about unfiltered authenticity. OnlyFans, with all its complexity and controversy, is uniquely positioned to be the beauty industry’s way in.
“I anticipate this becoming the new normal,” Banks predicts. “You might be thinking, ‘What do you mean an adult creator is promoting beauty products?’ But in 12 to 24 months, that question won’t even come up.”
With creators boasting massive Instagram followings and strong female audiences, the fit between beauty brands and OnlyFans creators is a natural one. Urban Decay’s embrace of this shift has already paid off with soaring engagement, with over 16.9 million views on their TikTok reveal post.
Banks points to brands like Gem deodorant, whose partnership with Blue Eyed Kayla Jade drove products to sell out, results not easily matched by typical influencers. “OnlyFans creators currently have the edge in marketing needs, that unique influence that generates buzz and drives deeper reactions. That’s a win for any brand.”
Johnson agrees but offers a note of caution: “If Urban Decay’s parent company, L’Oréal, is willing to take this leap with someone like Ari Kytsya, it signals a major shift. But brands need a thoughtful strategy that feels authentic, otherwise audiences will see right through it.”
Success in beauty marketing isn’t one-dimensional, and OnlyFans creators are no longer on the fringe. They’re real influencers driving real results, both financially and culturally, and in doing so, they’re helping reshape the industry into a more expansive, inclusive space. Brands resistant to this shift risk being outpaced, missing the chance to connect with consumers who crave transparency and individuality over the perfectly curated highlight reel that has long defined beauty marketing.
