• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, June 17, 2025

E.L.F. and Pinterest have cooked up a new way to coax buyers into digital purchases -- still a major pain point for the kind of shoppers who just want to see the difference between It’s Giving Guava and Rose Envy when shopping for lip color.

Called “Color E.L.F.nalysis,” the two companies are introducing the personalized tool at Cannes, showing off the ways it lets users discover makeup shades that harmonize with their unique features, get matched with a curated Pinterest board, and then shop for products tailored to their individual color story.

The launch also reflects broader trends reshaping ecommerce well beyond beauty. From eyewear and furniture to fashion, brands are racing to deliver personalized digital shopping experiences, using tools like virtual try-ons and AR visualization to close the gap between browsing and buying. And as social platforms like Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram evolve from inspiration engines to shopping destinations, brands like E.L.F. are finding new ways to meet consumers at that commerce crossroads. Increasingly, personalization isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s what younger shoppers expect, pushing marketers in every category to raise their game.

The E.L.F. “experience” starts with a selfie, and the tool analyzes the user’s hue (warm or cool), value (light or deep contrast), and chroma (bright or muted) to reveal color season and custom board.

That kind of analysis has long been standard fare at department store beauty counters, but usually comes with a hard sell for one brand. “‘Color E.L.F.nalysis’” is about breaking down beauty barriers and making personalized color analysis accessible to every eye, lip, and face—for free,” said Patrick O’Keefe, chief integrated marketing communications officer, in the announcement. “This tool, developed with Pinterest and in collaboration with real-life color experts, complements—not replaces—the human touch. It’s a smart, seamless, and fun way for our community to discover what works for them—and find their perfect e.l.f. product matches in just a few taps.”

But the effort involves more than just tech, leveraging Pinterest search trends to steer users to hot topics, based on such insights as a 23% increase in searches for  “true summer makeup” or a 30% jump in "spring color palette analysis.” These Pinterest-curated boards use the collages format, bringing colors to life in dynamic ways.

“With 1.6 billion makeup-related searches over the past year and a 22x increase in interest around tools like ‘color season analysis, it’s clear consumers are craving personalized beauty experiences," said Katie Dombrowski, vice president of CPG at Pinterest, in the announcement.