Why Gen Z and Gen Alpha are driving gamified beauty trends

When actress Chloë Grace Moretz and musician Rina Sawayama launched Godmode Beauty this summer, it signaled a new frontier in the intersection of gaming and beauty. Far from a typical celebrity beauty line, Godmode is structured around narrative world-building: each product is tied to a story-driven universe complete with avatars, biomes, and lore. The debut collection, “Genesis,” features a highlighter, lip glosses, and liners — each presented as a fragment of a larger, evolving game-like ecosystem. The brand’s co-founders describe the launch as an early release, a “beta world” designed to grow and evolve with its community. “Everything we do, from Louis Vuitton activations in Shanghai to Nike campaigns, starts with storytelling,” says Mark Loy, a founder of Godmode and creative agency Closer. “We do not design campaigns; we build worlds our community can live inside. Godmode came from that same instinct. We wanted an original beauty universe where prestige formulas, anime-inspired narrative, and gaming culture coexist.” From avatars to aesthetics: Why Gen Z merges beauty and play The timing of Godmode’s launch is telling. Gaming is no longer a niche cultural hobby; it is a central pillar of youth culture. The global gaming audience now exceeds 3.6 billion people, spanning every continent, while in China women make up nearly half of the 700 million gamers in the country. For these digitally native consumers, beauty and gaming are not siloed interests, but overlapping layers of self-expression. “For Gen Alpha and Gen Z, your avatar is your mirror,” says Kelly Vero, technical founder of Nak3d, an agency that helps brands tap into Gen Z gaming culture. “They are not separating IRL makeup from URL aesthetics. Skins, shaders, highlights, even facial geometry are all ways of signalling identity, mood, or belonging.” Gaming and cosmetics: China’s seamless online-to-offline integration China has arguably led the world in gamified beauty marketing. Unlike Western markets, where gaming activations often feel like temporary campaigns or one-off collaborations, Chinese brands integrate digital play into the core retail experience. Brands such as Perfect Diary and Florasis blend game mechanics — limited edition drops, levels, collectibles — directly into e-commerce and social platforms, creating a seamless loop between online engagement and offline purchasing. “China treats digital engagement as part of the retail ritual, not as a gimmick,” Vero says. “Gamification is culture, not campaign. That mindset — merging beauty, play, and prestige — is the future of digital brand-building.” Miro Li, founder of Double V Consulting, which connects brands with Chinese consumers, points to the sophistication of this approach. “Chinese brands are adept at integrating online and offline experiences,” she says. “A gamified mechanic online might drive traffic to a physical store, then encourage social sharing on Xiaohongshu or WeChat for rewards. Western markets are still more retail-driven, and few have mastered this seamless e-commerce-social integration.” The result is a marketplace where interactive storytelling is more than a novelty, it is expected. Guerlain’s collaboration with the romance simulation game Light and Night Love allowed players to align lipstick shades with in-game character personalities, while Thai brand Mistine launched a summer capsule collection around the same IP. Indie brands like Girlcult and Flower Knows have cultivated devoted followings among young female gamers by integrating narrative, aesthetics, and collectibles into both digital and physical products. These brands demonstrate that gamified beauty need not be a marketing stunt. When executed authentically, it builds loyalty and cultural capital. The rise of female gamers in China and its impact on cosmetics Female gamers represent a growing force in both gaming and beauty markets. Historically underrepresented in games, women now influence product development, storytelling, and aesthetics. “Female gamers expect depth, representation, and design that respect their intelligence,” says Vero. “They don’t want ‘pinkified’ versions of products. They want power, personality, and authenticity.” Miro echoes this observation. “Female gamers value aesthetics, narrative depth, and emotional connection,” she says. “Male-oriented games often default to objectified female characters, which can backfire when brands try to collaborate. Brands must approach storytelling carefully.” Godmode, whose team is 90% percent female, has taken this insight to heart. Its products and universe are co-created with the community through gamified systems and feedback loops. “Most beauty-gaming collaborations are transactional,” says Loy. “We built Godmode to be the opposite. We did not borrow from gaming culture: we come from it.” Gaming-integrated product launches and immersive retail Technology is the bridge linking gaming to beauty, both in China and globally. Augmented reality try-ons, virtual avatars, and interactive digital experiences allow consumers to experiment with looks in real time. In China, apps and mini-programs on WeChat or Taobao facilitate this integration, letting players “try on” lipstick, eye shadow, or hair color digitally before purchasing physical products. Brands can track engagement metrics, optimize drops, and reward players with exclusive content, creating a sense of belonging and interactivity that traditional campaigns cannot match. Even international players are exploring this convergence. Charlotte Tilbury’s first gaming collaboration with Genshin Impact featured co-branded beauty boxes and the game’s in-world character Mona as a virtual muse, blending physical product with digital storytelling. Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty partnered with Netflix’s Arcane to create a gamer-inspired collection, while Tatcha contributed to Animal Crossing: New Horizons, demonstrating that beauty’s embrace of gaming spans regions and brand tiers. Where beauty brands go wrong with gaming tie-ins While the upside is clear, missteps can undermine authenticity. Recent collaborations in China illustrate the fine line brands must walk. Guerlain’s partnership with Light and Night Love initially generated buzz, but some players criticized the products as recycled lines, and limited game-related perks were perceived as lacking sincerity. Xiao Xi, a Gen Alpha Chinese mobile game player posted: “I don't mind my favorite characters being commercialized; I’m happy to spend money on them. However, what I dislike the most is when a product simply prints an image on it, bundles it with peripherals, and calls it a ‘collaboration’ — especially when it’s overpriced. I can understand if they don’t get it, but please don’t create something nonsensical and insincere.” These examples highlight a universal lesson: gamers are expert cultural critics. “If you show up just to sell, you will be ignored,” says Loy. “But if you contribute something meaningful, something that could only exist in that universe, you will find one of the most passionate and loyal communities on earth.” For China, where female gamers wield increasing influence, authenticity is a prerequisite. The future of gamified beauty The convergence of gaming and beauty is more than a fleeting trend; it is shaping the future of brand engagement. “Gaming-inspired beauty is not a campaign trend — it’s a culture shift,” Vero says. “Identity customization, digital or physical, will be a main driver of beauty. Brands like Godmode are early expressions of that convergence, but the next wave will be creator-led ecosystems where looks evolve dynamically across platforms.” Miro agrees that the potential extends beyond niche markets. “Gaming-inspired beauty represents boldness, fantasy, and aesthetic confidence,” she says. “In China, the category still has huge room to grow. But storytelling is key. Brands that cannot build a strong narrative will be seen as opportunistic.” As the gamified beauty market matures, the stakes for global brands are rising. The path from marketing gimmick to integrated cultural experience is clear: authenticity, interactivity, and storytelling are paramount. Brands must understand gaming not as a channel but as a culture, a world to enter respectfully, and a creative framework for co-creation. In China, and increasingly worldwide, the intersection of gaming and cosmetics is not just a marketing trend, it is a blueprint for the next generation of brand engagement. For younger consumers, beauty is not just what you wear: It is how you live, play, and express yourself.

From avatars to eyeliner: Beauty’s deep dive into game culture

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From avatars to eyeliner: Beauty’s deep dive into game culture