Introduction
Livestreaming has become a cultural force, connecting creators and audiences through shared experiences. This month Amazon‑owned Twitch took a notable step toward live commerce by partnering with beauty brand e.l.f. Cosmetics to test a shoppable ad format. Announced in mid‑October 2025 ahead of TwitchCon San Diego, the initiative allows viewers to buy products directly in the stream without leaving the viewing experiencebusinesswire.com. The pilot, dubbed “eyes.lips.first.”, debuts on the brand’s Twitch channel e.l.f.YOU!, which has grown into a vibrant community since its 2020 launchbeautypackaging.com. By bridging entertainment and commerce, Twitch hopes to make shopping feel like a natural extension of creator content.
How the shoppable format works
The new format integrates Amazon Ads’ retail media technology directly into Twitch streams. When a creator on e.l.f.YOU! introduces a product, a small shoppable overlay appears on the screen. Viewers can click to purchase the featured item without pausing the stream or being redirected to another sitebusinesswire.com. Marketing Dive notes that the ad system “flattens the marketing funnel” by marrying product discovery with instant conversion; it draws on Amazon’s rich retail data to measure performance and target adsmarketingdive.com. The goal is to maintain immersion while enabling a seamless purchase experience.
Key features include:
- Native integration: Shoppable elements appear as part of the stream interface rather than as pop‑up ads, preserving the creator’s presencetubefilter.com.
- Real‑time purchasing: Viewers can complete transactions without leaving Twitch, turning live chats into shopping opportunitiesbeautypackaging.com.
- Creator‑hosted segments: Instead of a traditional ad break, creators themselves introduce products and guide viewers through the buying processtubefilter.com.
- Performance analytics: Because the system runs on Amazon Ads’ retail media platform, brands can access detailed metrics on conversion and audience engagementmarketingdive.com.
e.l.f. Cosmetics’ strategy and community building
e.l.f. Cosmetics has invested heavily in gaming and streaming communities. When the company launched its Twitch channel in 2020, its objective was “to meet our community where they play, create and connect,” according to chief integrated marketing communications officer Patrick O’Keefebusinesswire.com. The brand has hosted tournaments and collaborated with female gamers to cultivate a supportive space for beauty enthusiasts, resulting in more than 43 million minutes watched and tens of thousands of followersbusinesswire.com. O’Keefe explained that the new shoppable initiative continues this mission by empowering female gamers and highlighting that “beauty belongs everywhere”beautypackaging.com.
During TwitchCon San Diego (17 – 19 October 2025), O’Keefe presented on a panel titled “The Future of Co‑Creation: Creator & Brand Team‑Ups,” discussing how the partnership merges authenticity and commercebusinesswire.com. By hosting the first test on its own channel, e.l.f. can gather feedback from its existing community before the feature rolls out to other brands.
Broader context: Live commerce in the U.S.
While live shopping is ubiquitous in China and parts of Asia, U.S. platforms have struggled to replicate the phenomenon. Attempts by YouTube and Amazon to create live‑commerce hubs have yielded modest adoption, and some streamers have reported declining ad revenue on Twitchmarketingdive.com. Nonetheless, companies continue to experiment. TikTok’s U.S. Shop program has gained momentum and inspired Amazon to enhance its own integrationsmarketingdive.com. Dataconomy notes that Twitch’s partnership with e.l.f. is part of a growing trend of blending entertainment with commerce, following features like TikTok’s Shop and Roblox’s digital storefrontsdataconomy.com.
Trend Hunter summarizes the collaboration as part of a broader move toward live‑stream commerce integration: shoppable elements within content can redefine the consumer journey by offering an immersive, real‑time buying experiencetrendhunter.com. The initiative underscores the intersection of gaming, beauty and e‑commerce—a combination that could attract new demographics and create novel revenue streams for creators and platforms alike.
Implications for Twitch, Amazon Ads and the creator economy
For Twitch, the shoppable format could help diversify revenue beyond subscriptions and donations. Amazon Ads sees the integration as a way to harness its extensive retail media data and advertising infrastructure to deliver “more measurable business outcomes” for brandsmarketingdive.com. If the pilot succeeds, Twitch may extend the feature to more channels, enabling creators to earn commissions on products they showcase.
The partnership also signals how streaming platforms are responding to evolving consumer expectations. As viewers increasingly multitask—chatting, watching and shopping simultaneously—integrated commerce feels like a natural progression. However, the success of live shopping in the U.S. will depend on adoption: consumers need to trust in‑stream shopping features, while creators must balance authenticity with promotion. By anchoring the rollout in an engaged community and leveraging Amazon’s infrastructure, Twitch and e.l.f. are testing whether live commerce can become a viable pillar of the creator economy.
Looking ahead
The “eyes.lips.first.” shoppable element is currently limited to e.l.f.YOU! but hints at a future where other categories—from fashion to gaming hardware—could adopt similar formats. The coming months will reveal whether viewers embrace the convenience of buying within a stream or whether skepticism around sponsored content slows adoption. With social commerce evolving rapidly and platforms racing to incorporate shopping tools, Twitch’s partnership with e.l.f. Cosmetics represents an important experiment at the intersection of entertainment, community and retail.
