This week, I checked in with beauty brands advertising and activating around Sunday’s Academy Awards. This includes L’Oréal Paris and Kiehl’s, both of which invested in cinema-inspired commercials that ran during the show. Meanwhile, brands like Oribe and 111Skin marketed through artist-focused gifting suites, and Therabeauty invested in proximity marketing. Additionally, L’Oréal Group’s BOLD arm invests in two Indian beauty brands, and Ulta Beauty announces its consumer experiential event, Ulta World, to debut in Texas this spring.
Hollywood’s biggest night took place on Sunday with the 97th annual Academy Awards.
L’Oréal Group bet big on the evening with two cinema-inspired commercials that ran during the event. The first was for L’Oréal-owned Kiehl’s to promote the new Better Screen Facial Sunscreen Serum, which launched in January. The second was centered around L’Oréal Paris’s Infallible 3 Second Setting Mist, which is the top selling setting spray on Amazon, according to L’Oréal.
The commercials were part of the biggest multi-brand advertising stunt in Oscars history, according to L’Oréal. It included six commercials — from L’Oréal Paris, Kiehl’s, Carnival Cruise Line and Samsung — all of which starred female stunt actors executing 75 action sequences across the spots.
For example, in the Kiehl’s commercial stunt, actress Hayley Wright hangs from metal wires during a filming break on a Western set, allowing her enough time to apply some sunscreen. For L’Oréal, stunt actress Samantha Win busts through a glass window only to find her makeup untouched thanks to an application of Infallible setting spray beforehand.
“Our goal with this ad campaign was to put the spotlight on a community who contribute so meaningfully to the industry yet are so largely overlooked,” L’Oréal Paris USA president Laura Branik told Glossy. “We’ve always stood by the belief that everyone is worth it. This partnership was a natural extension of that mission, shining a light on the incredible dedication of stunt performers while showcasing a product designed to help everyone feel confident and empowered, even in the most challenging of activities.”
Rates for a 30-second Oscars spot sold for between $1.7 million and $2.3 million this year, according to Deadline.
“The spot ran mid-show, and cut-downs started to take over social in the hours that followed and will continue to run over the next few days,” Branik said. “We’ll be executing a full-funnel plan that includes media flighting, paid support from mega-influencer partner content and owned social content, along with comprehensive press outreach and seeding.”
Meanwhile, Kiehl’s gm John Reed told Glossy that the team’s goal was to create “a breakthrough cultural moment that sparks conversation” with its ad. “By aligning with Hollywood’s biggest night and celebrating the artistry of stunt performers, we’re emphasizing that our formulas, just like the pros behind the action, are built to perform under pressure.”
According to data from Google Trends, searches for “Kiehl’s sunscreen serum” and “Kiehl’s face sunscreen” both spiked in January, just after the product’s launch, and hit 100 — the Google Trends value for highest searches — over the weekend. Google searches for “L’Oréal Infallible setting spray” spiked to reach a value of 31 over the weekend but have not surpassed the 100 value achieved in May 2024.
Neutrogena also invested in the time slot with its buzzy Hydroboost campaign starring influencers Tate McRae and Dr. Muneeb Shah, as previously reported by Glossy. The ad ran twice, in its full version and a shorter cut, during the awards. Ulta Beauty also ran a commercial during the Oscars: Its multi-brand “possibilities” spot featuring MAC, E.l.f., Clinique, Morphe, Redken, and more top brands and hero products.
Both L’Oréal Paris and Kiehl’s invested in social placements of its ads. Additionally, Kiehl’s doubled down on its messaging around the sunscreen serum with a paparazzi-inspired campaign on social media. The ad stars Miles Mitchell, the winner of the viral NYC Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest from January. He got ready with Kiehl’s and attempted to attend the show only to be rejected for having skin that was too glow-y. Timothee Chalamet did not win on Sunday but he did receive top screen time alongside girlfriend Kylie Jenner in the front row of the Oscars.
Instead, the night’s big winner was undoubtedly Mikey Madison, the 25-year-old star of “Anora” and winner for best actress. “Anora” also won best original screenplay, best director, best picture and best film editing.
Madison’s glam squad included makeup artist Melissa Hernandez, who was sponsored by Blue Lagoon Skincare and Armani Beauty. Hernandez used Armani’s Luminous Silk Foundation, Vertigo Lift Mascara and Lip Power Satin Lipstick in 503 on the Oscar winner. Meanwhile, hairstylist Rena Calhoun was sponsored by Bumble and Bumble, Shark Beauty and Tangle Teezer. Madison’s nails were by Emi Kudo, sponsored by Aprés. Jamie Mizrahi styled Madison.
Brands also capitalized on the busy weekend in L.A. with gifting suites tailored to artists, stylists, editors and industry insiders in town for the awards. Hair-care brand Oribe popped up with 111Skin in a suite at Century City’s Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel throughout the week leading up to the awards. Attendees were gifted Oribe’s new Densifying collection as well as a selection of styling products. Meanwhile, 111Skin focused on promoting its new Dark Spot Correcting Serum while distributing its hero skin-care products like the Black Diamond Lifting & Firming Mask.
The Grove was a hotspot for proximity marketing this weekend. As previously reported by Glossy, the Caruso property is one of the most foot-trafficked destinations in Los Angeles.
Kiehl’s leveraged its Oscars commercial for a large-scale activation on Monday at the shopping center. The team transformed a space in the outdoor mall into a movie set with high-energy Western-style performances similar to the Kiehl’s commercial. Visitors received free samples and exclusive gifts with purchase at Sephora’s Grove brick-and-mortar location.
“By transforming Sephora at The Grove into a real-life movie set, complete with live stunt performances, we’re offering a hands-on brand experience that connects our heritage with modern innovation,” Reed said. “In addition to sampling, we’ll offer an exclusive three-piece gift-with-purchase promotion to encourage trial and conversion. Our priority for this activation is driving brand awareness and excitement for these two incredible products, and we are thrilled to offer the L.A. community a one-of-a-kind experience with dedicated Kiehl’s staff providing skin services, product education and more.”
Also leveraging The Grove’s foot traffic this weekend was Therabody’s beauty line, Therabeauty. The team activated at The Grove on Friday to promote the new TheraFace Depuffing Wand, which delivers cold and heat to soothe and depuff skin while boosting radiance and skin elasticity. The event included a custom Therabeauty truck, giveaways, product demos, refreshments and a billboard on the exterior of the mall.
The Therabeauty team told Glossy it saw more than 1,000 guests visit the one-day activation, and the content captured by attendees drove more than 750,000 digital impressions.
“Last September, we held an invite-only pop-up event in SoHo to launch the original TheraFace Depuffing Wand, and passersby were curious and wanted to come in to shop,” Amanda Lehner, vp of marketing for Therabeauty, told Glossy. “We wanted to recreate a similar experience in L.A. … We also wanted to make sure makeup artists, celebrities and other industry tastemakers who were in town for Oscars weekend were able to attend a VIP session.”
Executive moves:
- In an unexpected move for the conglomerate, Unilever CEO Hein Schumacher has stepped down from his role effective Saturday. He was replaced by Fernando Fernandez, who previously served as CFO. Schumacher had held the CEO role since 2023.
- Lauren Bloomer is the new CEO of makeup and skin-care brand Winky Lux. She takes over for co-founder Natalie Mackey who will focus on her role as creative director. Bloomer’s CV includes executive roles at Estée Lauder Companies and the Clorox Company.
News to know:
- A new consumer-focused, immersive beauty experience from Ulta Beauty called Ulta World is set to debut in San Antonio this spring. The one-day event will feature brand founder meet-and-greets, live product demos, free gifts and other activations. The event correlates with Ulta Beauty’s Field Leadership Conference, an annual event that brings Ulta’s field leaders and GMs together with brand founders and reps for speaking panels, brand activations, booths and other events. FLC is scheduled for April 24, and the new consumer event is scheduled for April 26. “With Ulta Beauty World, we’re inviting beauty enthusiasts to step into our world like never before,” CMO Kelly Mahoney said in a press release. Consumer tickets for Ulta Beauty World go on sale on February 27.
- The Estée Lauder Companies announced a partnership with Serpin Pharma on Wednesday to develop longevity-focused skin-care ingredients. Serpin Pharma is a U.S.-based clinical-stage pharmaceutical company focused on anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating therapies. The partnership will leverage Serpin Pharma’s ongoing research into skin-care solutions, according to ELC. “This novel technology will advance our transformative innovation agenda by pushing the boundaries of breakthrough scientific discovery,” ELC evp of global innovation and R&D Carl Haney said in a statement.
- Puig, which owns beauty brands like Charlotte Tilbury and Byredo, reported 14.1% sales growth during its full-year fiscal 2024 on Thursday. The Spanish conglomerate’s sales topped $4.97 billion during the full year to reach $551 million in net profit.
- German conglomerate Beiersdorf — which owns skin-care brands like Nivea, Chantecaille and La Prairie — reported 6.5% sales growth on Thursday for its full-year fiscal 2024 to reach $10.2 billion in sales. The company told investors it anticipates a skin-care slowdown in calendar year 2025 with at least a 2% drop in growth.
- L’Oréal Group’s venture arm, Bold Ventures, announced on Wednesday that it has made investments in two Indian beauty brands: science-driven skin-care brand Deconstruct and clean hair-care company Arata. In a LinkedIn post announcing the investments, Bold’s admin said, “Deconstruct has built a powerful new niche in the Indian skincare landscape,” while “Arata is demonstrating how India-specific haircare solutions and ingredient transparency are speaking strongly to Indian consumers today.” The amounts of these investments was not disclosed.
Stat of the week:
Peptide lip treatments are trending, according to Spate consumer research firm. The lip product category has grown by 327% across social platforms compared to this time last year. Searches for peptide lip treatments have increased by 347% over the past year on TikTok, while searches are up 104% on Google. Top product mentions include Rhode’s Peptide Lip Treatment in classic and birthday cake flavors and Ole Henriksen’s Pout Preserve Peptide Lip Treatment in Blood Orange Spritz. Lip butters are also trending, with top social mentions including offerings from Summer Fridays, Brazilian Kiss, Nivea, Revlon, Korres, Kiehl’s and Sol de Janeiro.
In the headlines:
Trump says Canada, Mexico tariffs to take effect, adds new China duty. Uoma Beauty founder sues the brand’s new owners. Suki Waterhouse and Poppy Jamie are launching an app for friend groups to practice gratitude every day. Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan talks becoming Fable & Mane’s first global ambassador. A new era of men’s skin care in India. This new sustainable brand at Target is making women’s shaving sexier than ever.
Listen in:
Celebrity makeup artist Kelli Anne Sewell joins the Glossy Beauty Podcast to discuss building an engaged online community.
Need a Glossy recap?
Inside Ulta Beauty’s 44-million-member loyalty program. Debut Biotech launches carmine pigment alternative as vegan beauty grows and red dye No. 3 is banned. L’Oréal Groupe invests in the US market with completion of $160 million research center. Off-price leader TJX announces 2025 brick-and-mortar expansion plans as it passes 5,000 stores. What’s behind L’Oréal’s niche fragrance investments? Il Makiage owner Oddity bucks the beauty slump with record sales. Glossy 101: What’s the deal with UGC?
