Can Twitch become beauty’s new shopping mall? e.l.f. bets big with Amazon Ads

e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. (NYSE: ELF) has officially become the first brand to activate in-stream, shoppable advertisements on Twitch, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of live commerce and creator-driven brand engagement. The feature, which is made possible through a strategic partnership with Amazon Ads, allows viewers to seamlessly purchase e.l.f. Beauty products directly within Twitch livestreams. This new integration reflects a broader push by Amazon to merge entertainment and ecommerce inside its ecosystem and signals e.l.f. Beauty’s growing dominance as a digital-first disruptor in the cosmetics sector.

The new activation debuted on e.l.f. Beauty’s branded Twitch channel, “e.l.f. YOU!”, which has already garnered more than 43 million minutes watched. Shoppers can now see clickable products appear in real time as creators demonstrate or talk about them, enabling instant conversion from content to commerce—all without navigating away from the stream. This native functionality is a first for Twitch and is being showcased prominently at TwitchCon San Diego 2025, where e.l.f. is hosting live content and participating in panels around creator-brand collaboration.

Why is e.l.f. Beauty betting on Twitch and live commerce for its next growth phase?

e.l.f. Beauty’s Twitch strategy reflects the company’s sustained focus on younger, digitally native consumers who consume livestreamed content daily and are increasingly receptive to brand integration within creator communities. Since its initial foray into Twitch, the brand has leaned into community-building and real-time storytelling, making it a standout among beauty brands on the platform. The decision to introduce shoppable ads directly into livestreams now represents a logical next step—transforming its content pipeline into a transactional engine.

The campaign has been built with Amazon Ads’ native retail media technology, which links product display directly to Amazon’s ecommerce backend. Viewers see non-intrusive overlays that highlight featured e.l.f. products in real time. When clicked, these overlays open lightweight shopping windows inside the Twitch interface, enabling purchases without interrupting the livestream. Behind the scenes, Amazon Ads provides full integration with e.l.f.’s product catalog, ad targeting, and performance tracking. This real-time commerce loop lets e.l.f. optimize both engagement and return on ad spend, while also collecting valuable data on shopper behavior.

The move is also consistent with e.l.f. Beauty’s broader omnichannel playbook, which blends influencer marketing, social discovery, retail media partnerships, and community-driven product launches. Analysts have noted that e.l.f.’s decision to launch on Twitch ahead of peers gives it first-mover advantage in a space that is ripe for mainstream CPG brand experimentation.

What is Amazon’s strategic interest in turning Twitch into a retail media channel?

For Amazon, the e.l.f. Beauty partnership represents a larger test of its ambitions to transform Twitch from a content-only platform into a shoppable media experience. Amazon acquired Twitch in 2014 and has since watched it evolve from a gamer-focused streaming site into a broader culture and community platform with rising influence across categories like beauty, fashion, and food.

Amazon Ads is using this pilot to test whether Twitch can serve as a conversion layer in the retail media stack, similar to how TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram are integrating ecommerce flows. By leveraging Amazon’s native product fulfillment and checkout infrastructure, the ads remain low-friction and trackable, unlike traditional influencer or affiliate marketing campaigns that often lose attribution along the way.

This partnership provides Amazon with a real-world opportunity to demonstrate how its advertising solutions can blend entertainment with shopping. If successful, this model could eventually extend across Prime Video, Freevee, and even Fire TV, positioning Amazon Ads as a full-funnel advertising partner across content, conversion, and fulfillment.

How are brands like e.l.f. reshaping the beauty sector through creator commerce?

e.l.f. Beauty’s Twitch campaign is a continuation of its broader strategy to meet customers where they are—especially on creator-centric platforms that prioritize authenticity, real-time interaction, and community involvement. The brand has long leaned into non-traditional marketing channels, gaining visibility through viral TikToks, Discord campaigns, Roblox activations, and now Twitch livestreaming.

This approach allows e.l.f. to operate outside the confines of traditional digital advertising. Rather than buying impressions on static banners or video pre-roll, e.l.f. is embedding itself directly into content, turning creators into real-time storytellers and sales agents. By adding commerce functionality on top of that, the brand is essentially compressing the marketing funnel—from awareness to consideration to purchase—all within one interactive livestream.

In a crowded beauty market where loyalty is often won through peer validation and creator recommendations, this model offers a differentiated, measurable, and scalable way to drive both engagement and sales. It also empowers creators by giving them tools to monetize in-stream engagement without jarring sponsorship interruptions.

What are the technical and commercial challenges that could affect adoption?

Despite the promise of live commerce, the Twitch-Amazon-e.l.f. experiment is not without risks. One of the biggest challenges is ensuring that the in-stream shopping experience feels native rather than disruptive. Twitch users are notoriously protective of the authenticity of their content creators, and heavy-handed commercial overlays could spark backlash if not executed with subtlety and relevance.

There are also backend risks around latency, inventory management, and fulfillment timing. Because the experience depends on Amazon’s ecommerce infrastructure syncing in real time with Twitch content, even small lags or pricing mismatches could reduce conversion rates or frustrate users.

Furthermore, there’s the question of scalability. While e.l.f. Beauty is the first to launch this integration, the experience and ROI will need to justify the technical lift and creative planning required. If metrics like clickthrough rate (CTR), average order value (AOV), and return on ad spend (ROAS) are not compelling, other beauty or consumer brands may hesitate to follow.

Finally, while Amazon has the ecommerce scale to support such integrations, other streaming platforms do not. If Twitch remains the only platform capable of offering this kind of live native shopping, it may limit expansion beyond Amazon’s ecosystem in the near term.

How is Wall Street likely to view this move from e.l.f. Beauty and Amazon?

From a stock market standpoint, e.l.f. Beauty continues to be viewed as a high-growth, innovation-led player in the cosmetics industry. Its stock, traded under ticker symbol NYSE: ELF, has outperformed many legacy beauty players due to its lean digital-first strategy, high engagement rates, and strong margin profile. Analysts tracking the company have historically praised its ability to launch disruptive campaigns at low cost while maintaining brand authenticity.

The Twitch integration is likely to be seen as a positive catalyst by institutional investors—especially those betting on the convergence of creator media, retail media networks, and next-gen ecommerce. If early performance metrics from the shoppable livestreams show traction, it may further bolster investor confidence in e.l.f.’s ability to grow without heavy dependence on traditional retail channels.

For Amazon, the move strengthens its case as the dominant retail media network in the West, putting pressure on Google, Meta, and emerging platforms like TikTok Shop to step up their commerce capabilities. Wall Street has been watching Amazon Ads closely for signals of expansion beyond sponsored listings, and this Twitch test could pave the way for more immersive and monetizable ad formats within Amazon’s owned properties.

What is the future outlook for shoppable media and live commerce in the West?

While livestream commerce is already mainstream in China—driven by platforms like Taobao Live and Douyin—it is still in its infancy in North America. Twitch’s native commerce integration, powered by Amazon, could be a pivotal step in accelerating adoption in the West, especially if it’s packaged in a way that prioritizes user experience and creator authenticity.

If this pilot succeeds, other consumer-facing brands across beauty, fashion, home goods, and electronics may quickly follow. We could see the rise of dedicated “shoppable shows” on Twitch, co-branded influencer storefronts, or seasonal livestream campaigns timed to key retail events like Prime Day or Black Friday.

For e.l.f. Beauty, the Twitch commerce experiment isn’t just a marketing play—it’s an early bet on where digital retail is headed. In a post-cookie, creator-led internet, commerce embedded within entertainment may become the new normal.

Key takeaways from e.l.f. Beauty’s Twitch commerce integration

• e.l.f. Beauty became the first brand to launch shoppable in-stream ads on Twitch, using Amazon Ads infrastructure.

• The campaign debuts on the brand’s Twitch channel “e.l.f. YOU!” and enables product purchases directly within livestreams.

• Amazon is using this rollout to test native live shopping formats across its broader media ecosystem, including Prime Video and Fire TV.

• The move is part of e.l.f.’s strategy to engage Gen Z audiences through creator-led platforms and real-time commerce experiences.

• Technical execution and user sentiment will determine the scalability of this format across other brands and categories.

• Analysts and investors see this as a signal that retail media and live commerce are converging in Western markets, with Amazon leading the charge.

• If successful, the model could influence how CPG and beauty companies invest in livestreaming, social selling, and creator commerce.