Benefit Cosmetics pulled off a hair-raising stunt that’s scored the brand its third Guinness World Record, and this one came just in time for National Brow Day, which is today.
The new record is for the most people filling in their eyebrows simultaneously—295 people participated in the stunt on Sept. 28 in San Francisco.
Maggie Ford Danielson, Benefit’s chief beauty ambassador as well as the daughter and niece of Benefit’s co-founders, said the whole event was about more than setting a world record. To Benefit, it was about solidifying the brand’s leadership in brow products while raising brand awareness.
“It’s a fun stunt, but it’s also kind of important to who we are as a brand,” Danielson said. “And I think it says something about what’s important to our company.”
To set the record, Benefit needed at least 250 people to take part. And people filling in their eyebrows wasn’t the only thing about the event that was quirky. Participants also wore pink ponchos and lined up to form two large eyebrows.
Guinness World Records adjudicator Claire Stephens pointed out that the wide array of people, including men, who participated was consistent with the company’s values.
“The diversity of people who came to the attempt today showcases Guinness World Records’ coveted value of inclusion that shows that anyone of any gender from any race of any color and with any shape of eyebrows can come together and achieve this world record title,” Stephens said.
Stephens, who was wearing product on her own brows, declined to reveal what brand it was.
A Benefit brow product is sold every two seconds, according to the company, and is the “No.1 brow brand worldwide” based on product sales last year. The two stats are key reasons why the company decided to pull off the world record as close as it could to National Brow Day.
“What we’ve been able to do at Benefit is to make it palatable, make it friendly, make it fun and therefore really make people feel comfortable with the concept of their brows,” Danielson said.
The previous two records Benefit set were for the most eyebrow waxes performed in 24 hours around the world and the most eyebrow waxes performed in eight hours by a team.
