At the Met Gala carpet on Monday night, the answers to “Who are you wearing?” included Yves Saint Laurent, Chanel, and Prada. At least one could have also been OxiClean, the laundry brand famous for its corny Y2K infomercials.
That’s according to a press release from the company, which told journalists that makeup artist Jen Tioseco relied on the brand’s $6 stain pen to ensure she could “work instantly to remove a tough stain” from actor Camila Mendes, in case any mascara or blush smeared onto her Manish Malhotra couture gown.
This year’s Met Gala isn’t the first time “huh?” items are getting a branded callout tied to a celebrity event—“Jeannie Mai sips ARMRA Colostrum while getting glam” read a post-Golden Globes press release—but it seemed to peak on Monday. Designer Alexander Wang launched his new energy drink called Real:ly while standing next to his date, Irina Shayk, on the carpet. (Tagline they didn’t use but should have: “Wait, really?”) Tweezerman blasted out a news release about Emma Chamberlain’s nail artist Tom Bachik using its $8 nail clippers during her pre-Met manicure; the red carpet queen was also styled with a $200 La Bonne Brosse hairbrush.
Meanwhile, Nicole Kidman apparently required two separate Denman brushes to handle her butt-length extensions. Misty Copeland wore Cakes boob tape; Tate McRae prepped her hands in $7 “collagen gloves” (imagine fingerless mittens made of tinfoil) from Voesh Pro. Gabrielle Union and Eileen Gu had their hair scented by Parfums de Marly and Tyla’s was spritzed with Initio Parfums Privé. (Union and her husband also “opted to sip on a THC-infused beverage” from Cann while getting ready.) Paige Bueckers’ blonde was said to be courtesy of Madison Reed’s demi-permanent dye in UConnic Blonde. And if you thought Sarah Pidgeon, Ayo Edebiri, and Daisy Edgar-Jones looked particularly lymphatically drained on Monday night, well that was thanks to an LED gua sha from ORA Method. Welcome to the final-boss level of the red carpet economy, where attention equals value and anything that can surf a social media wave becomes a coveted asset.
I say final-boss level because there have certainly been levels of sponsorship that preceded it. Makeup brands like Chanel and Maybelline and Dior and L’Oreal Paris have long sponsored makeup artists for their red carpet work; ditto hair brands, from Garnier to Dyson. Red carpet beauty is all about the visual of the hair and makeup so that made sense, we could accept it. Those press releases never made us cock our heads and scrunch our brows (as much as beauty editors can).