Campaign watch: Manny MUA, Jaclyn Hill, Desi Perkins and Shayla front L’Oréal’s Skin Ink campaign

L’Oréal Paris has tapped some of beauty’s most recognisable influencer pioneers — Manny MUA, Jaclyn Hill, Desi Perkins and Shayla — for its new Skin Ink launch.

The campaign highlights how legacy brands are leaning on the authority of creators who helped establish the beauty YouTube era more than a decade ago. For Manny MUA, long a fixture in the space, the spot caps a ten-year journey from indie creator to brand mainstay.

For influencers, the casting is significant. It signals that longevity and trust still carry weight in beauty marketing, even as brands experiment with TikTok-native stars and micro-influencers. L’Oréal’s decision to showcase a group of creators with staying power underlines the shift from short-term partnerships to sustained relationships that mirror those with traditional celebrities.

For L’Oréal, the strategy is as much about credibility as it is reach. Aligning Skin Ink with creators who built the modern beauty industry reinforces its cultural relevance while positioning influencer marketing as a professionalised channel on par with legacy advertising.

Bottom line: by putting OG beauty influencers at the centre of a global campaign, L’Oréal is reminding the industry that influence isn’t fleeting — it can be a decade-long career path.