Global cosmetics giant L’Oréal has recruited a model famous for filming pornographic content on the OnlyFans adult website to promote a makeup brand popular with teenagers.
Ari Kytsya, a US-based adult performer, has been hired as a new brand ambassador for Urban Decay, a line of makeup sold in Boots and in other high street stores globally.
Kytsya, who describes herself as a “mattress actress”, a euphemism for an explicit content creator, has a dual online persona. She produces hair and makeup tutorials and lifestyle influencer content for the more than 4.6 million followers she has on Instagram and TikTok. Her account on OnlyFans, the platform used by millions for its adult content, offers subscribers nude images and videos of her performing sex acts.
Penny East, the new chief executive of the Fawcett Society, the UK’s leading charity campaigning for women’s rights and gender equality, said the brand’s decision to collaborate with an OnlyFans star broke a new threshold in the mainstreaming of the controversial website and its explicit content, warranting “legitimate concern”.
The decision to work with Kytsya appears to contravene L’Oréal’s own “Value Charter”, which sets out the ethical standards that must be adhered to by influencers who are partnering with their brands.
Urban Decay is known for its provocatively named products. Photograph: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Urban Decay
The charter says influencers must share L’Oréal’s “ethical principles” and must not previously have posted pornography and other “content which is at odds with our values of respect, tolerance and inclusion”.
L’Oréal defended the collaboration, praising Kytsya for her openness in talking about “the joys, challenges, and risks of the industry she works in”.
But the Fawcett Society CEO questioned whether Kytsya represented an appropriate choice by L’Oréal as a role model for the young women who buy its cosmetics. “We have concerns about the thousands of very young women joining the site in the hope of finding fame and fortune. The majority of OnlyFans creators make very little money and the pressure to find a niche is pushing women to make increasingly explicit content,” East said.
“Ari Kytsya is one of the few successes. She is a hugely popular and engaging influencer, with a large following across all social media platforms. She also creates highly explicit and pornographic content on OnlyFans. The move to put OnlyFans content creators in high-street commercial makeup campaigns will only serve to make OnlyFans a more enticing prospect for young girls.”
The advertisement, which has been viewed by more than 18.7 million people on Urban Decay’s TikTok page, contains pixellated images of Kytsya, with a sensitive content warning, beneath the headline “UD likes it raw”. Kytsya tells viewers that “censorship is out of control” and calls for “uncensored makeup” that performs “on stage, on camera and yes on mattresses”.
Urban Decay products. The brand was purchased bought by L’Oréal in 2012. Photograph: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Urban Decay
Founded in 1996, Urban Decay was bought by L’Oréal in 2012 and is known for its provocatively named products, such as “Perversion” eyeliners, “Naked” eye shadows and “All Nighter” setting sprays.
L’Oréal’s communications team supplied a comment on behalf of an Urban Decay spokesperson, saying: “Urban Decay partners with a diverse range of talent who represent the many facets of creative expression. Urban Decay chose US creator Ari Kytsya for her distinctive makeup artistry and her authenticity. She is known for her open and transparent dialogue with her community, fostering conversations about her personal experiences, including the joys, challenges, and risks of the industry she works in.”
Kytsya frequently promotes the advantages of going into the adult content creation industry, promising TikTok followers that it can prove a lucrative career choice. “The thing about my job is if you go full out you can make enough money to start your own thing whether that’s buying houses or doing Airbnbs and investing,” she says.
She also offers practical advice to followers who are considering working in this world, encouraging them to make sure they get tested regularly for sexually transmitted infections. She acknowledges that there are “dangers” involved in the work, and recommends that girls “who have just turned 18” should not rush into the adult industry. “Take time to think about it before you do it.”
Concern about L’Oréal’s brand collaboration follows increasing unease about the extreme behaviour promoted by high-profile adult performers who share their material on the OnlyFans platform. Visa and the drinks brand Diageo last week pulled advertisements from a Channel 4 documentary 1,000 Men and Me about Bonnie Blue, another adult performer who became famous on the site. OnlyFans had refused to host videos of her attempt to sleep with 1,000 men.
Farhad Divecha, CEO of AccuraCast, an international digital marketing agency, said he was unaware of other mainstream global brands using adult content creators to advertise their products. “Today’s society is much more accepting of advertising like this than it might have been five or 10 years ago. Brands want eyeballs. As a marketer, I see untapped potential in those sites,” he said. “It might not hurt Urban Decay if the controversy provokes extra visibility.”
Kytsya thanked Urban Decay for hiring her, commenting: “Most brands tend to hesitate when it comes to collaborating with me because of the kind of content I create.”
OnlyFans did not respond to an approach for comment.
