Vaseline celebrates 150th anniversary fueled by inclusive and digital skincare innovations

29 Aug 2022 --- As Vaseline celebrates its 150th anniversary, the brand attributes its continued success to a thorough understanding of how skin functions, its innovations that satisfy global consumer needs and its focus on inclusive skin health.

One of the fastest growing brands at Unilever, Vaseline is experiencing sustained sales growth, partially due to a new demographic of skincare enthusiasts on social media practicing “slugging.”

“When Vaseline jelly first launched, it became a must-have product and is still just as relevant today, with creators on TikTok who are inventing and sharing beauty hacks using it,” Kathleen Dunlop, global VP at Vaseline, tells PersonalCareInsights. 

“We evolve our product range to address specific consumer needs and skin types.”

Earlier this year, the slugging skincare trend was introduced by Gen Z beauty enthusiasts who applied Vaseline jelly to their faces and left it on overnight, waking up with a radiant complexion.

New demographic and digital presence
Vaseline is sold in supermarkets, smaller stores and chemists globally, but internet sales for the brand have increased dramatically in recent years, especially in Asia. Within Vaseline’s digital beauty moves, online sales increased rapidly in India and Indonesia.

In China, digital commerce is the primary channel through which Vaseline reaches and interacts with customers.

According to the brand, slugging involves sleeping with Vaseline jelly-covered faces that lead to a glowing complexion the next day.The brand regularly collaborates with influencers to promote its products and has established successful agreements with e-commerce behemoths Alibaba and Tmall.

Over 415 million people viewed the hashtag #Slugging in August 2022 on the particular media platform TikTok alone, with countless users praising Vaseline’s “glow-giving” properties.

Following the slugging trend, Vaseline connected with a sizable audience of young customers by working with influencers and digital producers to promote NPD.

The brands’ product offerings
Vaseline is expanding rapidly across its product line, from the iconic Intensive Care creams to the renowned original Healing jelly.

One such example is the Pro Derma range from the company, which uses “cutting-edge” technology created in Unilever labs. The Pro Derma technology is an innovation from Unilever experts introduced to Vaseline.

The technology enables skin-nourishing ingredients to penetrate deep into the epidermis, rebuilding and restoring ceramides – the “glue” that regulates the skin’s natural barrier. Pro Derma has been clinically proven to double the strength of the skin barrier from the first application.

In China, digital commerce is the primary channel through which Vaseline reaches and interacts with customers.Sales of the premium Pro Derma line in China have skyrocketed since its introduction, and the line now accounts for 20% of Vaseline’s business in the country. Niacinamide and hyaluronic acid are other advanced Pro Derma products that meet consumer demands.

Inclusive beauty
Since 2015, the brand has collaborated on the Vaseline Healing Project with the humanitarian organization Direct Relief. Vaseline uses this to provide dermatological care, medical supplies, products, health care worker training and patient education to millions of people affected by disasters and poverty worldwide.

By 2030, the program hopes to increase its annual reach from one million to three million people. Vaseline’s purpose can drive growth because it is articulated in a way that is locally relevant while remaining consistent globally.

In the US, for example, Vaseline made equity a critical component of its brand purpose. The brand launched its “equitable skincare for all’ initiative in 2020, collaborating with Medscape to better equip dermatologists and medical practitioners to treat, diagnose and care for melanin-rich skin.

Vaseline is also collaborating with HUED, a healthcare technology startup, to connect patients with medical professionals who understand their cultural, physical and mental health needs. Vaseline collaborated on developing a search tool to assist people in locating dermatologists of color and those with experience treating melanin-rich skin.

Vaseline and HUED also collaborated with VisualDx’s clinical decision support system to develop See My Skin, the first online database dedicated to searching conditions on skin of color.

By Nicole Kerr