Asos has deleted an advert for its retail deal with Kylie Cosmetics after being accused of copying Maybelline's viral London Underground video.
The online fashion and beauty online retailer released a short video on TikTok and Instagram that used augmented reality (AR) to depict a Kylash mascara going through a Tube station.
The video was part of a wider campaign to promote the Coty-owned brand on asos.com, which included a launch party and a spoof breaking news announcement.
However, the Kylie Cosmetics London Underground video has been slammed as a copycat for being too similar to Maybelline's AR clip which featured a tube carriage adorned with eyelashes driving under a Sky High Mascara wand.
Maybelline's edition has been viewed more than 279,000 times on TikTok since its July release.
The L'Oréal-owned make-up line also created a New York version which achieved more than 12 million views on the video platform.
At the time of the launch, Maybelline's Brand Business Director Delphine Consigny explained to Cosmetics Business that "CGI is a way to unleash your creativity".
"It’s also still fairly new for the industry so it’s a type of content that still cuts through," she added.
However, the similarities between the two adverts have been highlighted by social media users.
"Not Asos trying to rip off the Maybelline marketing team’s viral ad campaign?," one consumer wrote on Twitter.
Others teased Kylie Cosmetics of "jumping onto the CGI train" and "crossing the line" from inspiration to copying.
The quality of the CGI used in the Kylie Cosmetics advert was also highlighted.
Yashir Chowdry, a marketer who analysed the two campaigns on LinkedIn, wrote "the videos fail to create an 'is it real' feeling. At first glance you know it's CGI."
Cosmetics Business has reached out to Asos for a comment.
