Glossy Pop Newsletter: Why dating apps are the new hot spot for beauty brand marketing
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Though headlines suggest that young daters are turning to pickleball courts to find love, many are still swiping from the comfort of their air-conditioned apartments.
Allies of Skin, the science-forward skin-care brand founded in 2016, spent six years developing its SPF, launched in May. As a result, the brand had ample time to think about how to promote the launch. “[Your relationship with SPF] is the most important relationship you’ll have in your skin-care routine. We can sell the best serums and create the best moisturizers, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t wash your face properly and use SPF — those are the two non-negotiables,” said the brand’s founder and CEO, Nicolas Travis.
He added, “The search for the perfect SPF [can be rife with] disappointments. That’s the same thing with dating.”
As such, the brand decided to advertise its new product on Tinder and Grindr. Some of the ad copy read, “Always use protection” — which calls to mind a 2023 campaign sunscreen brand Pavise ran on social media that also conflated sunscreen and safe sex. Other assets stated, “You just found the one,” which was a riff on the name of the product: The One SPF 50 Invisible Sunscreen Gel.
According to Tinder audience insights shared with Allies of Skin, 58% of its female users have a “strong interest in beauty and cosmetics.” They are also 106 times more likely than other women to have purchased makeup or cosmetics in the last month.
“It’s like finding your soulmate; when you find an SPF, unlike a serum, a moisturizer or an eye cream, you really stick with it. You don’t want to change a good thing. That’s the same thing with your life partner,” Travis said.
The brand ran its campaign on Tinder and Grindr for 10 days in June. On Tinder, Allies of Skin’s ad showed up as a profile. Those who swiped right on it, suggesting interest, were directed to the brand’s site, allowing it to collect data and email addresses. On Grindr, the only option was banner ads, which were not as successful, Pascal said. “The benchmark that [Tinder] gave us was a 0.56% click-through rate, but we got more than double, at 2.3%. We surpassed even what we expected,” Pascal said. In the first month following the launch, when the Tinder ads ran, the brand sold one unit of the SPF every three minutes.
“We wanted to educate consumers in a fun way about the importance of wearing SPF. … When [consumers see it in] a dating app, it can be intriguing, it can be surprising, it can be fun, and it can make you click. And that’s exactly what we saw, in terms of results,” said Ayal Pascal, Allies of Skin’s vp of marketing.
The brand’s goal was to grow its total addressable market — it announced a $20 million round from Meaningful Partners in March. “We want to make sure that we’re reaching outside of our niche of skin-care-obsessed consumers,” Pascal said. At $45, the brand’s SPF is a more entry-level price point than its serums, for example, which are priced $84-$188.
Given the brand’s elevated price point and positioning, it ultimately did not go with Tinder’s suggestion that it entice users with a free gift or discount code. Ultimately, the Tinder campaign was successful enough that Pascal said the brand will likely activate on the platform again around future product launches.
Tinder remains the largest dating app in the ecosystem. According to 2023 Pew Research, 46% of online dating users said they’d used the app, which has 50 million users.
“Beauty and self-care products represent the top spending categories for female Tinder users,” said Vicki Shapiro, vp of marketing at Match Group, which owns Tinder, OKCupid, Hinge and Match.com. “They empower consumers to express themselves, which aligns perfectly with Tinder’s commitment to creating a platform for self-expression and connection.” Brands including Tatcha, Lancôme, Sephora, NYX and EOS have advertised on Tinder, she said.
“Tinder users are already practiced in presenting their authentic selves on their profiles, and, as such, brands that facilitate this goal tend to resonate more,” Shapiro said. “Tinder users are also typically the early adopters among their social circles, making the app an ideal launchpad for introducing products to the market.”
In February, Tatcha, the Unilever Prestige-owned Japanese-inspired skin-care brand launched in 2009, launched a campaign promoting “moisturizer monogamy,” which included ads on Tinder. According to a Tatcha representative, this campaign was an attempt to “leverage media to connect with consumers in exciting and relevant ways.”
They added, “As we ideated on ‘finding your forever after’ with the campaign, [which promoted] the Dewy Skin Cream, we felt [an ad placement on Tinder] was a natural fit that allowed potential clients to engage with the brand by ‘swiping right’ on this well-loved moisturizer.”
Living Proof, the science-forward hair-care brand also owned by Unilever Prestige, is currently running a major brand awareness campaign fronted by Paris Hilton. As part of the campaign, the brand placed ads on Tinder for the first time.
“This is a new test platform for us,” said Alexis Tedesco, Living Proof’s CMO. “We wanted everything about the campaign to be different and a little bit out of the box for Living Proof — not only working with [Hilton] as a partner, but also where we advertised.”
The brand began to run Tinder ads in April, and they will continue to run through August. “The engagement rate is super high,” said Tedesco. “It’s about 83% above the average click-through rate for this target audience on Tinder, according to Tinder.” Living Proof has achieved a 3.18% click-through rate. As a result, the brand has seen a 96% increase in new users generated compared to the period before the ad was run.
When users swipe right on Living Proof, they are directed to the brand’s website. If they provide their email address, the brand offers a 15% discount. The goal, Tedesco said, is brand awareness and to bring new people to the Living Proof website and ecosystem. The brand is not riffing on the dating theme, but is instead sticking to assets that simply include Hilton. Tedesco said Living Proof will continue to advertise on dating apps in the future.
“Consumers on these platforms are looking for connections. … We see that as an opportunity to make a connection with a brand that you’ve maybe never tried before,” Tedesco said. “Or, maybe you’ve heard of us, but you’ve never had any incentive to click through or see what we’re about. Here, you have a captive audience of people who are taking time out of their day to start something new.”
She added, “If I’m going to go out on this new date, and I can [buy] this product that’s going to make my hair smoother and sleeker, why not give it a try? It’s a new connection.”
Collab of the week: J.Crew x Maryam Nassir Zadeh
Launched Tuesday, J.Crew introduced a capsule collection with “cool girl” indie designer Maryam Nassir Zadeh inclusive of swimwear, footwear, some bags and apparel. “I have admired Maryam Nassir Zadeh for quite some time. … We both share a love for travel, and I respect Maryam’s collector’s eye. … We work so seamlessly together,” said Olympia Gayot, J.Crew’s creative director and evp of women’s and kid’s design. “We decided to focus on signature styles from Maryam’s collection, but we emphasized a new approach. Maryam had designs she was eager to bring to life, so together, we did just that. Maryam’s namesake brand and J.Crew both produce classic, evergreen pieces with a modern twist. It was important [to create] a collection that would be timeless and practical.” Shop it here.
Launch of the week: Tarte turns 25
In celebration of its 25th birthday, Tarte launched a small celebratory collection, inclusive of a 28-pan eyeshadow palette ($54) and two new shades of its bestselling Maracuja Juicy Shift, dubbed “CEO” and “Self-Starter” ($26 each), which is a pH-adjusting version of its hit lip product, the Maracuja Juicy Lip Plump.
“We’re celebrating this milestone all year. Our 25-city Global Kindness Tour has connected us with over 6,000 amazing community members and we’ve given back over $1 million in donations [to teachers and schools]. … Our 25th-anniversary collection includes Amazonian Clay Reflections Palette with shades inspired by 25 years of beauty, community and kindness. … This collection is our way of saying thank you to our Tartelettes,” said Maureen Kelly, Tarte’s founder and CEO.
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