Vaseline has played an important role in skincare for people of color for nearly all of its 150 years. But parent Unilever still found it possible to make a bigger impact by commissioning TikTok videos on “slugging,” or using the petroleum jelly to seal skin overnight, particularly in areas prone to dryness like under eyebrows, from creators of color last year.
The initial videos commissioned by Team Epiphany didn’t take off right away, but they seeded explosive growth in the winter that sent social media mentions of Vaseline up more than fourfold in February. Once Unilever saw the growth, it started amplifying it with more paid support, said Kathleen Dunlop, global brand director of Vaseline.