Baby DONT Cry's Ihyeon and Benny Are Now the Faces of VDL

VDL just locked in two of the most-watched faces in fifth-gen K-pop: Ihyeon and Benny of Baby DONT Cry are the makeup brand's newest ambassadors, and the pairing makes a lot of sense on paper.

The campaign centers on two products — the bestselling Cover Stain Perfecting Foundation and Cushion, and a new launch, the Cheek Stain Cream Blusher. The through-line is what VDL is calling a "peach makeup" look: smooth, skin-like base coverage layered with a soft, warm flush. Ihyeon and Benny were chosen specifically because their individual aesthetics are distinct enough to show range, while Baby DONT Cry as a group still reads as one coherent visual identity — which is exactly the kind of tension a color makeup brand wants to sell.

The agency, P NATION, framed the pick around the Zalpha generation: Baby DONT Cry has strong SNS traction and short-form reach with that demographic, and VDL is clearly using this partnership to push the Cheek Stain launch into that feed. The strategy is shortform-first — expect the ambassador content to live primarily on social and Reels rather than traditional ad placements.

One practical note worth flagging: the foundation, cushion, and new Cheek Stain Cream Blusher are being released together as an exclusive set — available only at Olive Young. So if you want the ambassador edition bundle, that's your only door in.

Baby DONT Cry has had a dense few months: a Japan terrestrial TV appearance on TV Tokyo's "Cho Cho Onpa" and a spot on NME's 100 Artists to Watch list. The VDL deal is the beauty chapter of what's shaping up to be a very deliberate global rollout for a group that's still technically rookies. Low-key one of the more interesting brand-idol fits of the year — VDL's "sensory and experimental" color philosophy actually matches the group's whole thing rather than just being a check-signing exercise.