- Dylan Efron stars in the new campaign for e.l.f. Cosmetics’ e.l.f. Hair "Never Thirsty" Shampoo and Conditioner.
- The steamy ad playfully references Efron’s viral 2025 interview where he claimed people shower and soap up too frequently.
- The $9 hydrating formula received PEOPLE’s 2026 Beauty Award for Best System for Hydration.
- This marks Efron’s first collaboration with e.l.f. Hair, following his recent commercial work in the tech sector.
Dylan Efron has turned one of his most viral pop culture moments into a brand deal. The television personality, producer, and athlete officially stars in the latest campaign for e.l.f. Cosmetics, promoting e.l.f. Hair’s “Never Thirsty” Shampoo and Conditioner.
The steamy commercial leans directly into online humor. In early 2025, Efron sparked widespread social media debate when he stated on the Are You Okay? talk show that people shower too much and rely too heavily on soap.
Now, e.l.f. Hair brings him back to the shower in the exact same colorful Speedo he wore in his initial viral response video. Lathering up under the stream, the campaign delivers a clever punchline: Efron might be considered an internet thirst trap, but his hair is definitely “Never Thirsty.”
The $9 provitamin B5 and argan oil system also recently won PEOPLE’s 2026 Beauty Award for Best System for Hydration.
This campaign marks Efron’s debut partnership with e.l.f. Hair, adding to a busy commercial year. His crossover appeal previously surfaced in tech when he headlined a Samsung campaign alongside Nick Foles and Clay Matthews.
On screen, Efron continues to hit major milestones. After winning Season 3 of Peacock’s The Traitors as a Faithful, he finished in fourth place on Season 34 of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars and co-starred in the 2026 spy-themed music video for “Wish I Didn’t” alongside Megan Moroney.
For e.l.f. Cosmetics, the collaboration reinforces a playbook built on viral pop culture partnerships, having previously dominated social feeds with high-profile campaigns starring Jennifer Coolidge and Meghan Trainor.
In the hair category, the brand tapped Peyton List and Yonna Jay for its “What the h-e-l-f?” campaign to build youth credibility.
Takeaways
This partnership demonstrates how modern brand deals thrive on self-deprecation rather than polished perfection. Instead of burying Efron’s awkward 2025 viral shower debate, e.l.f. leaned straight into the joke, turning past online criticism into instant commercial chemistry.
It also highlights a strategic shift in hair care marketing: rather than rolling out a separate, aggressively masculine “men’s” line, e.l.f. uses an athletic, outdoorsy ambassador to position hydration as universal, affordable self-care.
Can self-deprecating humor help beauty brands connect with male shoppers more effectively than traditional rugged grooming tropes? How will legacy salon hair brands react as affordable mass-market lines like e.l.f. continue winning major editorial beauty awards?
