Celebrity Name: Chappell Roan
Brand Name: M·A·C Cosmetics
Deal Type: Global Brand Ambassador + Campaign
Announced: February 23, 2026
Impact: Expands M·A·C’s reach through Sephora while boosting Roan’s profile as a beauty tastemaker and LGBTQ+ pop figure.
- Chappell Roan is M·A·C’s Global Brand Ambassador, a role she’s held since December 2025, and she’s now starring in the brand’s first-ever Sephora launch campaign.
- M·A·C is entering Sephora U.S. and Sephora at Kohl’s on March 2, 2026, a major retail expansion for the iconic 40-year-old brand.
- The campaign shows range, featuring Roan in a toned-down, ’90s-inspired two-tone lip look, a big departure from her signature theatrical drag-inspired glam, alongside Gabbriette and Quenlin Blackwell.
- A campaign video set to Portishead’s “Teardrop” features Roan declaring “MAC is culture,” with all three faces transforming from barely-there makeup to full bold glam.
Chappell Roan is front and center as M·A·C Cosmetics makes one of its biggest retail moves in years, landing inside Sephora U.S. and Sephora at Kohl’s starting March 2, 2026.
The Grammy-winning “Midwest Princess,” who was named M·A·C’s Global Brand Ambassador back in December 2025, stars in the brand’s splashy debut campaign alongside model and internet personality Gabbriette and content creator Quenlin Blackwell.
Shot by photographer Richard Burbridge with creative direction from M·A·C Global Creative Director Nicola Formichetti, the campaign is both unexpected and intentional.
What’s surprising? Roan, known for her maximalist, drag-inspired looks, goes stripped back here. Her makeup artist Andrew Dahling crafted a nod to the iconic ’90s M·A·C aesthetic, highlighting her freckled skin, natural lashes, and some of the brand’s most beloved lip shades, including the MAC Lustreglass Sheer-Shine Lipstick in $ellout.
“It’s a bit unexpected for Chappell Roan,” Dahling admitted in a statement, “but we wanted to honor M·A·C’s legacy as a brand, by and for everyone.”
The campaign also includes a video set to Portishead’s moody classic “Teardrop,” in which Roan, Gabbriette, and Blackwell each deliver a declaration: “MAC is culture,” “MAC is for everyone,” “MAC is sensation,” before transforming their looks through a series of lip color changes.
Roan’s longtime relationship with M·A·C goes back even before the official ambassadorship; Dahling used M·A·C to dress her look for the 2024 MTV VMAs, 2024 Saturday Night Live, and the 2025 Grammys.
Takeaways:
This campaign is a smart play by M·A·C on multiple levels. First, landing Chappell Roan, one of the most culturally resonant pop stars right now, gives the brand instant credibility with Gen Z and queer communities that already love her authenticity.
Second, showing Roan without her signature theatrical glam is genuinely bold storytelling: it says M·A·C isn’t just for the maximalists, it’s for everyone. For a brand entering the hyper-competitive Sephora floor where every inch of shelf space fights for attention, that kind of versatility message is critical.
The Sephora expansion is also huge business news. M·A·C, part of The Estée Lauder Companies, is tapping into Sephora’s massive foot traffic and loyal beauty community, a move that could reshape how the brand reaches younger, trend-driven shoppers who live in Sephora.
Could this campaign turn Roan into one of beauty’s next mainstream faces? Will M·A·C’s move into Sephora change which brands dominate Gen Z makeup bags?
