How MAC Built Global Credibility Through Celebrity Partnerships

Discover how MAC Cosmetics successfully built global credibility through strategic partnerships with renowned celebrities. By aligning with influential figures, MAC has amplified its brand presence and fostered a strong connection with consumers worldwide. Explore the significant role these collaborations play in enhancing brand trust and loyalty.

Celebrity endorsements and high-profile partnerships are central to building credibility in the beauty and makeup industry, especially for global brands like MAC Cosmetics. MAC has long relied on collaborations with stars, influencers, and cultural icons to amplify its message of creativity, self-expression, and inclusivity. These collaborations help MAC position itself both as a trendsetter in the professional makeup world and as a brand that empowers consumers to experiment with bold, glamorous looks.

However, it’s not enough to simply have a celebrity’s face on a campaign. For MAC, the effectiveness of celebrity endorsements lies in choosing ambassadors who align with its values, artists who embrace diversity, push beauty norms, and carry social messages that resonate with MAC’s identity. This alignment, when done well, fuels brand trust, market relevance, and cultural impact.

MAC’s Rise in the Indian Beauty Market

MAC Cosmetics entered India as an aspirational, premium makeup brand. Its initial appeal lay in offering high-pigment, professional-grade products that appealed to makeup artists, fashion lovers, and urban consumers seeking international quality. Over time, to truly localize its presence and win the trust of Indian consumers, MAC began partnering with Indian celebrities through campaigns that combined global flair with regional relevance.

In September 2021, MAC made a strategic move by appointing Bollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar as its first-ever Indian brand ambassador. Pednekar’s all-in, outspoken approach to beauty and her message that “beauty is about celebrating your flaws” aligned perfectly with MAC’s ethos of championing individuality and inclusive beauty.

By linking its product campaigns with an Indian star who embraced self-expression and diversity, MAC was able to make its premium makeup offering feel culturally and emotionally resonant for Indian women. The partnership helped MAC evolve from a foreign luxury product into a beauty brand that celebrated Indian women’s stories and identities.

MAC’s Iconic Celebrity Collaborations

Bhumi Pednekar – India’s First Brand Ambassador for MAC Cosmetics

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In September 2021, MAC Cosmetics appointed Bhumi Pednekar as its first-ever brand ambassador in India, marking a key shift in the brand’s Indian strategy. MAC highlighted Bhumi’s journey, from being a fan as a teenager saving up for MAC lipsticks to becoming the face of the brand as symbolic of its own evolution in India.

Looking beyond cosmetics, the campaign emphasized Bhumi’s advocacy for diversity, body positivity, and self-confidence. Her collaboration with MAC included curated cosmetic looks (from bold to “no-makeup” styles), beauty tutorials with global makeup artist Sonic Sarwate, and social messaging that aligned herself with MAC’s empowered beauty narrative.

Bhumi Pednekar – Viva Glam India Initiative

In July 2023, MAC extended its collaboration with Bhumi through the Viva Glam campaign, Bhumi became the first Indian face for MAC’s Viva Glam charitable initiative. The Viva Glam Bhumi Pednekar lipstick was launched as a limited-edition matte mauve shade featuring gold-glitter packaging, with all proceeds going to support HIV/AIDS relief, women’s welfare, and LGBTQIA+ organizations in India. This initiative positioned MAC not just as a makeup brand but as a socially conscious player, using beauty to drive conversations about empowerment, equality, and change.

MAC’s Influencer Marketing Campaigns

MAC Cosmetics India has strategically tapped into influencer marketing to complement its celebrity endorsements, building grassroots credibility and relatability among everyday beauty consumers. Instead of relying only on glamour-heavy campaigns, MAC has partnered with micro- and mid-tier influencers who create authentic, real-life content around product performance. These collaborations spotlight MAC’s hero product the Studio Fix Fluid Foundation and show how it adapts seamlessly to Indian skin tones and diverse lifestyles.

1. Saloni Jha – Everyday Wearability

Beauty creator Saloni Jha shared her discovery of the MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation, highlighting how she was “never a foundation girl” until she tried this product. Her reel focused on the foundation’s breathable, weightless texture and its availability in 59 shades tested specifically on Indian skin tones. By framing it as a personal game-changer rather than just an ad, Saloni positioned Studio Fix as a foundation suitable even for minimal makeup users.

2. Aisha Ahmed – “Second Skin” Effect

Actress and influencer Aisha Ahmed collaborated with MAC to emphasize the second-skin feel of Studio Fix. In her branded reel, she shared her shade (NC20) and outlined the product’s benefits: 24-hour breathable wear, matte finish, sweat/humidity resistance, and transfer-proof formula. She also spotlighted the new accessible pricing of ₹3,400, blending performance messaging with affordability to appeal to younger, price-conscious consumers.

3. Naina Bhan – Festive Glam Looks

Actor and content creator Naina Bhan brought Studio Fix into the context of India’s festive beauty routines. Her reel emphasized how the foundation works as the base for endless party-ready looks, particularly for her shade NC37. By associating the product with celebratory, high-glam moments, Naina positioned Studio Fix as both versatile and trustworthy for special occasions, while reiterating MAC’s inclusivity through the 59-shade range.

4. Saikat Chakraborty – Professional Approval

Makeup artist Saikat Chakraborty collaborated with MAC’s official account to reintroduce Studio Fix as the artist’s #1 choice since the late ‘90s. His reel emphasized professional-grade coverage that still looks like skin, with durability across sweat, heat, and long wear. By featuring a makeup artist rather than just lifestyle influencers, MAC tapped into authority-driven content that validates the product for both everyday consumers and professionals.

Why MAC’s Celebrity and Influencer Collaborations Made an Impact

• Cultural Localization through Relatable Figures: By choosing local icons like Bhumi Pednekar, MAC localized its global brand identity in a way that resonated emotionally with Indian consumers. This localized appeal made MAC more approachable and emotionally relevant.
  
  
• Championing Diversity and Empowerment: MAC’s ambassador choices, especially in the Viva Glam campaigns reinforced its message of self-expression, flaw-embracing beauty, and inclusion. These endorsements positioned MAC not just as a makeup brand but as a platform for conversation around identity, confidence, and social empowerment.
  
  
• Global Icons for New Audiences: Working with global figures like BLACKPINK’s Lisa helped MAC reach younger and trend-driven audiences outside its traditional consumer base. This not only expanded MAC’s brand visibility internationally but also re-energized its product lines with fresh cultural relevance.
  
  
• Seamless Integration of Social Messaging and Sales: MAC didn’t just rely on beauty visuals. The Viva Glam campaigns, where proceeds go to AIDS research and HIV support linked MAC’s product sales directly to social causes, building deeper brand trust and community value beyond cosmetics. 

Get a Famous Celebrity or Influencer to Promote Your Brand!

MAC’s celebrity and influencer collaborations moved the brand from aspirational to attainable by matching the right face to the right objective. Global icons (like Lisa) brought trend currency, while local ambassadors like Bhumi Pednekar and beauty creators (shade testers and MUAs) made MAC’s claims, 59 shades, long-wear formulas, pro-grade performance feel real and relevant to Indian consumers. That blend of star power, local relatability, and professional endorsement turned product features into visible proof and personal stories.

Tactically, MAC paired hero advertising with hands-on social content shade demos, sweat/heat tests, “get ready with me” reels, in-store shade matching, limited-edition drops, and cause-led Viva Glam launches, so awareness translated into trial and purchase. The result: stronger sentiment, faster conversions, and sustained relevance, because MAC didn’t just advertise beauty it demonstrated it in formats consumers trust and act on.