In this week’s Our Take, beauty brands serve up solid drama, a comedy club provokes a reaction, an inclusion campaign worth listening to, and a South Korean prison break is back out on good (or possibly bad) behaviour.
Beauty Brands Serve Up Drama
Over the past few weeks, beauty brands have been putting a fresh spin on their content by channeling the drama and excitement of popular TV shows through social content series.
Tower 28 Beauty took a fun twist on The Sex Lives of College Girls with “The Blush Lives of Sensitive Girls” (yes, it’s cheeky). Then, Cocokind took us back to the runway with their Project Runway-inspired “Runway” series, showing us how skincare can be as dramatic as fashion.
Not to be outdone, Milani decided to crown a new kind of beauty with “America’s Next Top Primer” – a nod to the iconic America’s Next Top Model, but with a primer twist. Talk about taking a classic to the next level!
And the fun doesn’t stop there. Cerave has taken things a step further with their “Skinterrogation” series, hosted by influencer Jake Shane, where dermatologists face some serious questions about skincare – without the chance to dodge them. It’s like a beauty quiz show; with all the answers you need (and some serious laughs along the way).
What’s clear? Beauty brands are tapping into the power of nostalgia and the fun of TV culture to bring their content to life. It’s not just about showing off products; it’s about engaging us with stories, humor, and personality AND we’re glowing with excitement for all these TV-inspired beauty moments!
You (Literally) Have To Laugh
We know we shouldn’t take comedians too seriously but we like this bit of outrageous publicity-seeking from London’s Top Secret Comedy Club. To protect their performers from unresponsive audiences, the club is ensuring the crowd is filled with punters who can actually laugh at a joke. By banning Botox.
It seems like a stunt that would have fit better 20 years ago, when Botox first became a cosmetic phenomenon. In its early years, overuse and clumsy application resulted in a generation of aging fashionistas unable to crack a smile. But our incredibly attractive middle-aged colleagues assure us that’s no longer the case, not that they’d know actually, and maybe those comedians just weren’t funny.
We’re laughing on the inside.
A song to make you listen
March 21, 2025 marks World Down Syndrome Day, and CoorDown has launched the global awareness campaign “No Decision Without Us” to emphasise the crucial necessity of including people with disabilities in decision-making processes that directly impact their lives. Coordown states: “From having a say in everyday personal choices to being involved in writing laws and policies, people with disabilities demand a seat at the table where the decisions are made.”
The video campaign features a musical style narrative, which starts out when the parents of a girl with Down Syndrome are deciding what she should wear to a wedding. Without her input. She jumps in and demands that since this decision concerns her, she should have a say in it. Similar scenarios follow: a wheelchair user who protests the design of a train station, a little person advocating for an accessible workspace, a deaf student highlighting the safety issue of an audio-only fire alarm, and more.
This campaign highlights that true inclusion goes beyond creating opportunities. It’s about listening.
A Kind of Prison Break. Rebooted.
Long after it was locked away in 2018, this story about South Korea’s extreme digital detox has been set free and is spiking on social media. Again.
Rather than escaping to a spa, people are willingly locking themselves up in a “Prison for Relaxation”— trading screens, schedules and stress for solitude and a tiny cell. No phones, no talking, no distractions. Just a blue jumpsuit and your own thoughts.
It’s a paradox: to feel free, you must confine yourself. But for many, this structured isolation is the ultimate reset—a hard reboot for the mind.
The story’s re-emergence is being seen as a reaction to increasing levels of toxicity on social media, which is possibly a reflection of increasing levels of toxicity in real life.
The takeaway? Sometimes, less really is more, and a little solitude might be the most radical form of self-care yet. Also, great content doesn’t die – it’s put away for a while, but will be back on your timelines when you least expect it.