OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 2, 2025--
e.l.f. Cosmetics, a brand from e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF), launched today a clever campaign that gives a whole new meaning to AI: Animal Intelligence. The words of wisdom fueling this content come from some of the smartest sources on the planet, our beloved pets.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251002412237/en/
With universal appeal to every eye, lip and face, e.l.f. Cosmetics is vegan and double-certified cruelty free by both PETA and Leaping Bunny – with premium quality and extraordinary prices. With over 94 million households in the U.S. owning pets,* furry friends are a source of positivity, inclusivity and accessibility for so many in the e.l.f. community.
At the heart of this campaign is a collective love for animals. e.l.f. looks to celebrate the joy, emotional intelligence and individuality pets bring to our lives. The campaign features beloved social sensations Luna the Mini Cockapoo, Venus the Two-Faced Cat and Blue Planet Pets. Fans are invited to join the “Paw Squad” between October 2-8, 2025, by submitting the best photo of their own pets for a chance to win a “treat.” Participating community members have a chance to be featured in upcoming e.l.f. campaign and a chance to win prizes, including Chewy.com “Paw-tastic Prize Packs.” Visit here to enter and find more information about the sweepstakes, including the official rules.
“As a lifelong pet lover, this campaign is especially close to my heart. At e.l.f., we know how deeply our community values our products being vegan and cruelty-free. These superpowers are part of who we are and what we stand for,” said Patrick O’Keefe, Chief Integrated Marketing Officer of e.l.f. Beauty. “With this launch, we wanted to surprise and delight the community while emphasizing our shared passion for pets. By reframing AI as Animal Intelligence, we’re showing up with purpose, fun and positivity.”
To further celebrate the furry-friend fun, e.l.f. is extending its support of the Best Friends Animal Society, a leading national animal welfare organization dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and cats in America’s shelters, by donating $25,000.
“Our partnership with e.l.f. Cosmetics continues to be such a joyful collaboration. Together, we’re proving that when compassion meets creativity, incredible things happen for the animals. We share a deep love for homeless pets and a commitment to creating a brighter future for them, and we’re so grateful for the ongoing support e.l.f. Cosmetics brings to this lifesaving work,” said Candi Maciel, Director of Corporate Partnerships of Best Friends Animal Society.
Animal Intelligence launches across TikTok, Instagram and e.l.f. Beauty Squad for one week, with future waves of pet-led content planned for later this year.
The campaign was developed in consultation with eGEN, a global immersive consultancy that helps brands engage next-gen audiences through culture, community and technology.
For more information about Best Friends and pets looking for loving homes, please visit bestfriends.org.
*APPA, March 2025
About e.l.f. Cosmetics
e.l.f. Beauty (NYSE: ELF) is fueled by a belief that anything is e.l.f.ing possible. We are a different kind of company that disrupts norms, shapes culture and connects communities through positivity, inclusivity and accessibility. e.l.f. Cosmetics, our global flagship brand, makes the best of beauty accessible to every eye, lip and face by bringing together the best of beauty, culture and entertainment. Our superpower is delivering universally appealing, premium quality products at accessible prices that are e.l.f. clean and vegan, all double-certified by Leaping Bunny and PETA as cruelty free. We are proud to have products made in Fair Trade Certified™ facilities. Learn more at www.elfcosmetics.com.
About Best Friends Animal Society
Best Friends Animal Society is a leading animal welfare organization dedicated to saving the lives of dogs and cats in America's shelters and making the entire country no-kill. Founded in 1984, Best Friends runs lifesaving facilities and programs nationwide in partnership with more than 5,500 shelters and rescue organizations. From our headquarters in Kanab, Utah, we also operate the nation's largest no-kill animal sanctuary — a destination that brings our mission to life for thousands of visitors each year. We maintain the most comprehensive animal sheltering data in the country and make it accessible to the public — empowering communities with critical insights into the needs of their local shelters and how they can help. We believe every dog and cat deserves a home. And we believe that, by working together, we can Save Them All®.
e.l.f. Cosmetics launched a clever campaign that gives a whole new meaning to AI: Animal Intelligence. Featuring beloved social sensations Luna the Mini Cockapoo, Venus the Two-Faced Cat and Blue Planet Pets, e.l.f. looks to celebrate the joy, emotional intelligence and individuality pets bring to our lives.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison Friday in the first verdict from eight criminal trials over the martial law debacle that forced him out of office and other allegations.
Yoon was impeached, arrested and dismissed as president after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024 triggered huge public protests calling for his ouster.
The most significant criminal charge against him alleges that his martial law enforcement amounted to a rebellion, and the independent counsel has requested the death sentence in the case that is to be decided in a ruling next month.
Yoon has maintained he didn’t intend to place the country under military rule for an extended period, saying his decree was only meant to inform the people about the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament obstructing his agenda. But investigators have viewed Yoon’s decree as an attempt to bolster and prolong his rule, charging him with rebellion, abuse of power and other criminal offenses.
In Friday’s case, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon for defying attempts to detain him, fabricating the martial law proclamation, and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting and thus depriving some Cabinet members who were not convened of their due rights to deliberate on his decree.
Judge Baek Dae-hyun said in the televised ruling that imposing “a grave punishment” was necessary because Yoon hasn’t shown remorse and has only repeated “hard-to-comprehend excuses.” The judge also restoring legal systems damaged by Yoon’s action was necessary.
Yoon’s defense team said they will appeal the ruling, which they believe was “politicized” and reflected “the unliberal arguments by the independent counsel.” Yoon’s defense team argued the ruling “oversimplified the boundary between the exercise of the president’s constitutional powers and criminal liability.”
Prison sentences in the multiple, smaller trials Yoon faces would matter if he is spared the death penalty or life imprisonment at the rebellion trial.
Park SungBae, a lawyer who specializes in criminal law, said there is little chance the court would decide Yoon should face the death penalty in the rebellion case. He said the court will likely issue a life sentence or a sentence of 30 years or more in prison.
South Korea has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1997 and courts rarely hand down death sentences. Park said the court would take into account that Yoon’s decree didn’t cause casualties and didn’t last long, although Yoon hasn’t shown genuine remorse for his action.
South Korea has a history of pardoning former presidents who were jailed over diverse crimes in the name of promoting national unity. Those pardoned include strongman Chun Doo-hwan, who received the death penalty at a district court over his 1979 coup, the bloody 1980 crackdowns of pro-democracy protests that killed about 200 people, and other crimes.
Some observers say Yoon will likely retain a defiant attitude in the ongoing trials to maintain his support base in the belief that he cannot avoid a lengthy sentence but could be pardoned in the future.
On the night of Dec. 3, 2024, Yoon abruptly declared martial law in a televised speech, saying he would eliminate “anti-state forces” and protect “the constitutional democratic order.” Yoon sent troops and police officers to encircle the National Assembly, but many apparently didn’t aggressively cordon off the area, allowing enough lawmakers to get into an assembly hall to vote down Yoon’s decree.
No major violence occurred, but Yoon's stunt caused the biggest political crisis in South Korea and rattled its diplomacy and financial markets. For many, his decree, the first of its kind in more than four decades in South Korea, brought back harrowing memories of past dictatorships in the 1970s and 1980s, when military-backed leaders used martial law and emergency measures to deploy soldiers and tanks on the streets to suppress demonstrations.
After Yoon's ouster, his liberal rival Lee Jae Myung became president via a snap election last June. After taking office, Lee appointed three independent counsels to look into allegations involving Yoon, his wife and associates.
Yoon's other trials deal with charges like ordering drone flights over North Korea to deliberately inflame animosities to look for a pretext to declare martial law. Other charges accuse Yoon of manipulating the investigation into a marine’s drowning in 2023 and receiving free opinion surveys from an election broker in return for a political favor.
A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shouts slogans outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waits for a bus carrying former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs as police officers stand guard outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A picture of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is placed on a board as supporters gather outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
