ELF Champions Next Generation of Women with Hello Sunshine Partnership

ELF has forged a foundational partnership with actress Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine in the launch of Sunnie, a first-of-its-kind media, experiential and lifestyle brand created to support, inspire and champion the next generation of women as a full ecosystem and community.

The founding principle is that teens and young women need tools – not rules – to succeed without the pressure of having everything all figured out.

‘Joy is Rebellion’

As Sunnie’s partner, ELF supports Hello Sunshine in building a highly inclusive online and offline experience that champions curiosity, celebration and connection. Sunnie offers a safe space for young women to nurture themselves and one another on their own terms. It’s a movement rooted in a belief that confidence is a muscle, community is a fuel and joy a form of rebellion, per the brand.

“At ELF, we use our platform to create pathways for growth for the next generations. Our stars align with Sunnie’s mission to help young women star in their own stories,” said Kory Marchisotto, chief marketing officer, ELF Beauty. “We are joining forces to create cultural change and give rising stars what they’ve been missing to reach their highest potential: tools, support and space to shine.”

Witherspoon and Marchisotto will appear together at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for a conversation called, “Joy Is Rebellion: Hello Sunshine and Gen Z Rewrite the Narrative.”

Redefining Success

To ground the platform in real insights, Sunnie commissioned a research report in partnership with Etre and Ypulse – The Gen Z Rewrite – surveying 1,000 girls ages 13-18. Sunnie is a direct response to the learnings, prioritizing a content, community and experiential platform designed to deliver the positivity, inclusivity and accessibility these young women need versus performative marketing. The data found that 92% of 13- to 18-year-olds appreciate brands that encourage them to define success in their own way.

“We couldn’t be more proud to have ELF as a foundational partner in bringing Sunnie to life,” said Hello Sunshine’s Head of Direct-to-Consumer, Maureen Polo. “Sunnie is built to fuel connection, creativity, and confidence—and ELF’s fearless approach to disrupting norms and celebrating self-expression makes them an ideal partner in this mission. Together, we’re creating a cultural force that meets young women where they are and empowers them to shine on their own terms.”

As a foundational partner, ELF is supporting Hello Sunshine as it creates a multifaceted content engine across platforms, including: emotional wellness and identity; storytelling and shared experience; real-life tools; and self-expression and style discovery.

A highlight to support self-expression and empowerment is a feature called color ELF-nalysis, a beauty-meets-identity tool featured in Sunnie’s newsletter and on Pinterest that helps users discover their “color season” and own their personal aesthetic. Read more on that here.