Merz Aesthetics signed up R&B superstar entertainer Teyana Taylor as its new brand partner for anti-wrinkle treatment Xeomin as it looks to cut deeper into a cosmetic market dominated by AbbVie’s Botox.
Taylor is a singer-songwriter, actor, dancer and choreographer and most recently starred in Paramount Pictures' "Coming 2 America"; she can also be seen as the main character in the upcoming A.V. Rockwell featured debut "A Thousand And One."
This is the third celeb partner for the U.S.-German specialty pharma. Back in August, Joe Jonas of the U.S. band the Jonas Brothers penned a deal to become its new U.S. brand partner. That came two years after Merz hired Oscar- and Emmy-winning actress and Goop founder Gwyneth Paltrow in 2020 as its first brand ambassador.
Given the new partners’ ages—Jonas at 33 years old and Taylor at just 31 years old—Merz’s hope is to get to the younger market of millennials. Back in 2018, it launched a campaign for the “Xennial microgeneration.” Xennials represents the generation between Gen X and millennials, and Merz is now doubling down with its latest brand partners.
“Teyana Taylor embodies the true meaning of ‘Beauty on Your Terms’ through her music, her style and, now, her beauty treatments,” said Patrick Urban, Merz Aesthetics president, North America.
“As one of the most dynamic and talented female entertainers, we are thrilled to partner with her in furthering our mission in bringing authentic confidence to life and encouraging others to do what makes them feel most confident as well.”
Xeomin was approved for cosmetic use in 2011 for temporary improvement in the appearance of frown lines between the eyebrows and was set to roll out in 2012. However, it was delayed another 10 months after Allergan sued and won an injunction over employees that left Allergan and had been working on Botox to join Merz and work on its rival drug.
Merz does not break down how much the drug makes, but its latest financial announcement said the company brought in just shy of 1 billion euros across its whole healthcare business in 2020.
But Botox, now owned by AbbVie after it snapped up Allergan, remains the sales king. It raked in $5.23 billion worldwide in 2021, though Botox has non-aesthetic approvals as well. Both also compete with Evolus’ Jeuveau, which made $99.7 million last year and was approved in 2020.