Dove is the latest brand to give its marketing the mature consumer edit.
On Thursday, the 67-year-old personal care brand launched “Beauty Never Gets Old,” a 360-degree campaign aimed at disrupting the beauty conversation around aging and celebrating the longevity of one of its bestselling products. The campaign highlights real “life-long” users of Dove’s iconic Beauty Bar, which the brand launched with in 1957. The Dove Beauty Bar is now present in one in four U.S. households, according to Dove.
Dove enlisted a group of women over 60 years old to be spotlighted as “the true beauty influencers” for the campaign. “Over half of women (66%) still feel pressured to maintain a youthful appearance, with girls starting anti-aging routines as young as 10,” the brand reported in a statement to Glossy.
“This has been a long time coming because, for the longest time, the beauty industry continued to perpetuate unachievable ideals,” said Divya Raghavan, senior brand director of Dove Innovation and Equity. “There’s a lot of stigma around aging, and a lot of older women [have been] invisible in the beauty conversation.”
For the campaign, Dove hosted a one-day photoshoot for the mature models that included capturing film and individual portraits to showcase the beauty of aging. The photos will be featured on Dove’s social channels and in paid social ads, as well as IRL in New York City above the Forever21 storefront in Times Square. In addition, Dove is releasing a 30-second TV commercial on major networks that will run through the end of the year. The long-form version will live on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, in paid and organic spots. Dove also tapped 19 influencers of all ages who will post content on their own feeds and Stories showing them using the Beauty Bar.
“Featuring mature women in beauty campaigns expands our traditionally narrow view of youthful beauty and supports women of all ages to celebrate aging, rather than fearing it,” Katrine, a Dove Beauty Bar user since 1977, told Glossy. “By highlighting mature people in the beauty industry, I am thrilled that women will become more empowered and inspired to explore and champion their beauty through all the decades of their lives.”
Consumers over 60, often referred to as Boomers, are a growing yet often overlooked demographic in beauty. According to a July report from Cosmetic Business, between 2019 and 2023, women over 55 — who are now at least 60 — were the only demographic increasing their beauty product usage. Their usage grew by 2% during the period and 5% since 2022.
Unilever, which owns Dove, released its second-quarter and half-year 2024 results on July 25. The report revealed that the company’s revenue increased 2.3% to $33.74 billion in the first half of the year. Personal Care grew 5.6%, with its growth being led by the company’s “Power Brands,” at 7% underlying sales growth, the report said. Unilever’s Power Brands include 30 brands such as Dove, Lux, Ponds, Vaseline and Rexona.
