Top 5 2024 Skincare Marketing Campaigns You Can Learn From

Are you looking for ways to improve your skincare marketing strategy?

Are you a freelancer interested in gaining more insight for your clients or working for a skincare brand in-house? 

Let's examine how you can reach and retain customers with some of this year’s most influential skincare marketing campaigns (so far)!

The Rise of Skincare Marketing

Beauty marketing has been around for decades! Without going into a whole history lesson, beauty marketing primarily focuses on cosmetics such as mascara, lipstick, and eyeshadows. (Cue those iconic vintage beauty advertisements).

However, a new industry has come into the beauty marketing mix: skincare marketing!

The skincare market gained traction in 2019 when sunscreen became a huge topic of discussion.

When 2020 was hit with COVID-19, most consumers expressed the same sentiment: "Well… I'm not going out. I might as well invest in my skin!" With the mix of social media, influencers, and the "clean-girl" aesthetic, the skincare market really began to grow, and this is where skincare marketing comes into play.

Skincare marketing has positioned itself differently than conventional beauty and makeup marketing. It focuses on self-care and wellness; it’s about health, self-love, and gaining confidence from within. (Literally!)

With this in mind, let's examine different approaches brands use to market themselves.

Case Study #1: Keep It Casual Like The Ordinary

The Ordinary is a brand known for its direct approach to skincare.

The Ordinary started to gain traction in 2016 for its affordable but effective skincare products! (We can attest to this.) The Ordinary names its products after its chemical components; for example, "Hyaluronic Acid" instead of "Glass Skin Serum."

Earlier this year in May, The Ordinary decided to release a bold and disruptive campaign focusing on the chemical components of its products rather than celebrity or influencer endorsements. The design is very simplistic and monochromatic, which reflects the brand and its packaging beautifully.

Takeaway: This works for The Ordinary because it reflects the brand and continues to show its commitment to science-backed skincare.

The Ordinary is so confident in itself as a brand that it does not feel the need to implement marketing campaigns that do not align with it.

The Ordinary acknowledged this in one of the billboards: "Someone said working with celebrities would be good for our brand. But we couldn't find one with a degree in biochemistry."

Case Study #2: Dominate Social Media Like Rhode

A brand that takes a completely different approach from The Ordinary is Rhode!

Rhode is a beauty brand founded by Hailey Bieber in 2022. Similar to The Ordinary's brand voice, the founder note states: “Rhode is dedicated to making products based in science and great formulation, simplifying many of the mysteries and complex narratives behind efficacious skincare.”

Its tagline is: Edited, Efficacious, and Intentional.

Even though Rhode and The Ordinary have similar product philosophies, their marketing philosophies differ significantly.

You may be asking, “How do I promote skincare on social media?” Rhode is known to show Hailey's face EVERYWHERE, in every nook and cranny of the Rhode website and social media.

Rhode utilizes Hailey's fame to promote not only its products, but also its values on social media.

 Rhode's social media approach also includes UGC content, conversation starters, and aesthetic videos; these provide informational, entertainment, and aspirational content.

Takeaway: With this approach, Rhode is a constant reminder.

Hailey Bieber's continual appearance on Rhode's social media attracts new users' attention; a combination of content like UGC, informational conversation starters, and aesthetic videos encourages users to stay and follow, leading to conversion.

Case Study #3: Do Creative Influencer Marketing Right Like Topicals

Founded by Olamide Olowe in 2020, Topicals positions itself as “transforming the way you feel about skin through effective science-backed products and mental health advocacy.”

Topicals specifically targets consumers with chronic skin conditions, which are not often represented in the market. Topicals also proudly positions itself as a Black-owned brand.

Influenced by Detty December, a period of festivities in Ghana towards the end of the year, a group of BIPOC influencers traveled to Ghana.

While there, influencers participated in local activities that displayed Ghana in an authentic light, reflecting Topicals’ brand identity while showcasing its products such as the iconic Faded Under Eye Masks (something that we have been meaning to buy).

Takeaway: This trip earned Topicals a surge in sales and a massive increase in social media following. Consumers viewed this as a unique brand trip consisting primarily of BIPOC creators enjoying a country that is not often highlighted. Topicals knows its audience and effectively targets it.

It helped that during these excursions, the influencers constantly and unconventionally promoted Topicals products; there are many posts of them wearing bright pink under-eye masks while on excursions.

In turn, it became a trend to wear Topicals' Faded Under-Eye Masks in public.

Learn more about the importance of influencer brand trips here.

Case Study #4: Create a Legacy Like Dove

Dove started its Real Beauty campaign in 2004 and has been going strong for 20 years! This campaign aims to build self-confidence, specifically for young women and children. With this, Dove has positioned itself as something greater than skincare products—they're social activists.

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Dove released a statement expressing that as the use of artificial intelligence grows in media and advertising, it is committed to using real images of women in its campaigns and advertisements.

Dove also introduced the Real Beauty Prompt Guidelines, which outline how to make ethical and representative AI-generated content. Other missions include Redefining Beauty, Kid's Self-Esteem, Racial Equity, Parenthood, Positive Masculinity, and Sourcing.

Takeaway: Dove is the poster child for creating a legacy and social activism within its brand, and this positioning took years of work to achieve.

Touching back on Topicals, its primary mission is to focus its efforts on how skin health concerns can affect mental health; this mission will take years to stick in the minds of consumers, something that Dove achieved with patience and consistency.

The Real Beauty campaign's purpose is not to promote a specific product; sometimes, Dove creates ads with copy such as ‘New Dove Firming, as tested on real curves,’ but its more significant purpose is customer retention.

Currently, consumers are four times as likely to purchase and be loyal to a brand that not only focuses on sales but achieves a greater mission.

Real Beauty's impact on customer retention is reflected in Dove’s sales, which have increased almost double in the first ten years of the Real Beauty campaign.

Case Study #5: Go Where the Consumers Are Like Supergoop!

Supergoop! is a unique skincare brand; its main product is sunscreen! Holly Thaggard founded Supergoop! in 2007, and because of its marketing efforts, it has started to gain traction.

Supergoop! positions itself as “sunscreen you want to wear,” claiming that most other sunscreens are gooey and sticky. Its mission is to make it easier to reduce skin cancer by offering a wide range of sunscreen for different skin types, tones, and routines.

Recently, Supergoop! introduced its Skincare Concierge campaign, jumping on the latest trend of OOH (out-of-home) marketing initiatives.

Supergoop! will create popups at various Sephoras around the country, visiting influencers’ homes, festival grounds, and hotels to help consumers find their perfect sunscreen for the summer, along with gifts, samples, and merch.

Takeaway: In an interview with Glossy, Supergoop! expressed it wants to seize this summer, and with this grand-scale marketing initiative, it may work!

Supergoop!’s mission is to improve consumers' skin health by providing the perfect sunscreen match. The Skincare Concierge campaign is a perfect OOH marketing initiative that coincides with the commencement of summer and targets festival grounds where sunscreen is absolutely needed.

This campaign aligns with Supergoop!’s mission and brings the product directly to the consumer in a personalized way!

Ok class, what did we learn?

There are many marketing strategies to choose from. A smaller skincare brand will have a different budget unsuitable for an influencer trip, but it can focus on optimizing social media like Rhode!

Your brand might strive for a bigger mission like Dove, and while that will take time to achieve, it can start with brand alignment campaigns like The Ordinary.

A good marketing strategy starts with a strong marketing plan, research, time, brand alignment, and how you want to position your brand in the skincare market.

Hopefully, these campaigns inspire you to create your own creative marketing efforts!

✍️ Written by Mariajose Melendez