MAC Cosmetics To Launch First NFTs in Support of America’s National Youth HIV/Aids Awareness Day

Quick take:

• The NFT collection will be available on April 10.
• The entire purchase price from primary sales of the NFT collection will be donated to support youth impacted by HIV/Aids.
• MAC is launching NFTs to connect with its community in the metaverse.

MAC Cosmetics is collaborating with the Keith Haring Foundation to launch its first NFT collection as it makes its foray into the metaverse.

To coincide with America’s National Youth HIV/Aids Awareness Day on April 10, the Viva Glam x Keith Haring NFT drop will be happening on OpenSea from Apr 10 to 1 June. 

The NFT collection features three animated graphic art of  MAC’s Viva Glam lipsticks adorned with the late Keith Haring’s most iconic pieces of art. One of the NFT art pieces features Haring’s famous Untitled (Heart Face) on a red background while another features Baby Angel on a blue background. 

The NFTs come in three rarity levels. The Keith Haring Red is priced at $25, with up to 5,000 available to be minted on demand, while the Keith Haring Blue sells for $15 with only 250 pieces minted on demand. The most exclusive NFT is the Keith Haring Yellow, with only 25 pieces sold at $1,000.

The entire purchase price from primary sales of the NFT collection will be donated to the Mac Viva Glam Fund to benefit youth impacted by HIV/Aids, while 2.5% of the purchase price from secondary sales on OpenSea will go to the Keith Haring Foundation.

Speaking to Refinery29, André Branch, MAC Cosmetics General Manager, North America, said: “Our partnership with the Keith Haring Foundation for Viva Glam this year brings together beauty, art, and activism, and that’s what we wanted our first-ever NFT to stand for. Viva Glam is the heart and soul of MAC and as we look to continue raising money to support healthy futures and equal rights for all, innovating our 100% giving model will only better support those organizations.”

According to Vogue Business, MAC has had its sights set on the metaverse for a while. The cosmetics brand was developing a metaverse strategy by partnering with Xbox and Tencent mobile game Honor of Kings to gauge consumer interest in NFTs and how consumers interact with gaming and online platforms.

MAC’s foray into NFTs and the metaverse is a way for the brand to connect with its audience on virtual platforms. 

“Being on the pulse of culture has always been very important for us,” MAC’s global chief marketing officer Aïda Moudachirou-Rébois told Vogue Business. “Regardless of what we do, we want to make sure [our projects] are relevant to our customer. Our community is moving to the metaverse, so we want to stay close to them and engage with them there.”

To reach non-crypto native consumers, MAC has partnered with blockchain tech company ConsenSys to enable buyers to purchase the NFTs by credit or debit card.