M.A.C. Cosmetics

How M.A.C. Used TikTok Search Ads to Drive Beauty CTR by 40% in Germany

Objectives

Reaching beauty shoppers at the moment of intent

In beauty marketing, timing is everything. Shoppers often make decisions in a matter of seconds, sparked by a trend, a tutorial, or a product review. As one of the world's most iconic makeup brands, M.A.C. Cosmetics turned to TikTok Search Ads to reach beauty lovers at the exact moment they were searching for new products and inspiration.

With competition intensifying around major product launches, the brand aimed to improve mid-funnel performance by transforming branded and non-branded search queries into purchase intent, while sustaining top-of-mind awareness in an already crowded beauty market.

Solution

Blending search intent with creative relevance

To meet this challenge, M.A.C. ran a focused Search Ads campaign on TikTok using the Conversions objective, optimizing for the View Content event to drive more valuable actions. Campaigns were structured around two core ad groups: one targeting branded terms such as M.A.C. lipstick and the other focused on broader, non-branded queries like best concealer. This intent-driven setup kept the campaign simple, scalable, and easy to optimize.

To maximize relevance, each ad creative was tailored to match user intent. Carousel Ads emerged as the most efficient format, maintaining strong cost performance even after Spark Ads amplification. Creator videos added authenticity and engagement, especially when crafted around the language and expectations behind search queries.

The M.A.C. team also worked closely with TikTok's search and performance experts to adapt cross-platform best practices for TikTok's unique content environment. This collaboration ensured that campaign structures stayed simple, creatives aligned closely with intent, and insights from other channels were applied effectively within TikTok's ecosystem.

Results

Driving more conversions at lower costs

Branded searches proved highly efficient, delivering strong conversion rates and cost-per-action performance by capturing high-intent users already familiar with the M.A.C. brand. At the same time, non-branded searches fueled discovery and exceeded expectations, achieving nearly 40% higher click-through rates and 4x stronger cost-per-click efficiency.

Carousel Ads consistently delivered the best cost performance measured by cost-per-click, while creator-led ads amplified engagement when matched to the right search intent.

Overall, the campaign demonstrated that TikTok Search Ads can bridge awareness and performance, helping brands like M.A.C. take users from discovery to consideration and ultimately to conversion. To find out more about TikTok advertising and marketing solutions including TikTok Search Ads, contact our team here.