Miley Cyrus Joins Maybelline as the Brand Reimagines Its Iconic “Maybe” Tagline
In an exclusive interview, Maybelline Global Brand President Sandrine Jolly explains how the beauty company plans to build on decades of brand recognition while connecting its marketing strategy to consumer engagement and product innovation.
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Maybelline is taking a different approach to modernizing its brand. Instead of replacing one of beauty’s most recognizable taglines, the company is expanding its meaning through a new global platform and a partnership with Miley Cyrus, reinforcing its position in a competitive beauty industry.
First introduced in 1991, “Maybe it’s Maybelline” is becoming the foundation for a broader brand strategy that connects marketing, partnerships and product innovation. The updated tagline, “Maybe. We’re Born With It. Maybe. It’s Maybelline.,” anchors The Beauty of Infinite Possibility, a new global brand platform featuring Cyrus.
For Maybelline, the opportunity is to preserve the recognition built over decades while giving the brand a framework that can stay relevant to consumers.
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Protecting a Valuable Brand Asset
The shift reflects a broader change in how consumers engage with beauty. Makeup has increasingly become a means of personal expression, extending beyond appearance to encompass confidence, creativity and identity.
“We approached this as an evolution, not a reinvention. ‘Maybe’ and ‘Maybe it’s Maybelline’ remain at the heart of the platform because they carry incredible recognition and emotional connection,” said Sandrine Jolly, Global Brand President of Maybelline.
“Maybelline has evolved alongside women and culture for more than 110 years. Protecting our heritage doesn’t mean keeping the brand frozen in time; it means carrying forward what makes Maybelline iconic in a way that remains meaningful today.”
Consumer research offers context for this shift. According to McKinsey & Company’s 2026 beauty industry report, based on its 2025 Global Beauty Consumer Survey, just over half of respondents said beauty means feeling confident. About 26% each associated beauty with looking attractive to others or looking as young as possible.
Maybelline is positioning the updated platform around the idea that beauty should be accessible and personal. For Jolly, the brand’s combination of accessibility and high-performance makeup remains central to its competitive positioning.
In a beauty category where brands are competing for consumer attention, Maybelline is building its next chapter around an established brand asset.
“In an increasingly crowded beauty market, we have the advantage of building on something that is already unmistakably ours: ‘Maybe.’ Rather than creating an entirely new brand idea, we’re giving one of beauty’s most recognizable assets renewed meaning, combining the strength of our heritage with an idea that can continue evolving alongside women and culture,” Jolly said.
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Why Miley Cyrus Fits the Strategy
Cyrus is central to the platform’s introduction as Maybelline’s Global Brand Ambassador. The partnership also builds on an existing relationship. Cyrus lent her voice to the brand’s iconic tagline in the previous year, making her a natural fit for its next chapter.
For Jolly, the connection goes beyond celebrity recognition. Cyrus has moved through distinct creative chapters in music and style while maintaining a recognizable point of view, a trajectory that aligns with the platform’s focus on possibility and self-expression.
“Music, like makeup, is a powerful tool for creative expression. They each allow people to experiment, set a mood and express different sides of themselves,” Jolly said.
Cyrus sees the campaign as an extension of that idea.
“My path has never been just one thing, and I think that’s what connects me to my fans. We’re all figuring out who we are and where we want to go, each in our own way. Maybelline believes we’re all born with infinite possibility, and that’s what ‘Maybe’ means to me: the freedom to keep exploring, evolving and choosing what comes next. I’m proud to be part of the Maybelline family and to share that belief with my fans,” Cyrus said.
While Cyrus leads the platform’s initial campaign, Maybelline plans to expand the storytelling through women across music and beyond. The broader strategy gives the company room to develop additional partnerships and creative work under a consistent brand idea.
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Turning Brand Equity Into Business Value
Maybelline is positioning The Beauty of Infinite Possibility as more than a marketing campaign. The platform is intended to connect the company’s storytelling, partnerships, consumer experiences and product development around a shared identity.
“This is much more than a campaign. The Beauty of Infinite Possibility gives us a global platform that can connect our products, storytelling, partnerships and experiences around one enduring idea,” Jolly said.
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Product innovation will be an important part of making that positioning tangible. The company plans to connect its focus on high-performance, accessible makeup with opportunities for consumers to experiment and express themselves.
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Maybelline will evaluate the platform through a combination of consumer engagement and business performance, rather than relying on a single measure. Jolly said the company will look at whether consumers connect with the meaning of “Maybe,” whether the platform deepens engagement and whether that connection translates into brand and product consideration.
For a brand that has spent decades building recognition around a single tagline, the strategy is an effort to extend that equity across more of its business. The measure of its success will be whether the renewed identity resonates with consumers and creates a stronger connection between Maybelline’s marketing, products and long-term brand growth.