Having survived coming of age in the early 2000’s, there has remained at least one constant: Paris Hilton continues to be an eternally bronzed icon decade after decade.
Thankfully, we’re no longer resorting to harmful tanning beds in order to achieve the look.
Hilton’s new partnership with innovative sunless tanning brand TAN-LUXE feels like a match made in beauty brand heaven. As soon as the teasers began gracing our feeds, we knew this was going to be a launch worth covering at The Beauty Brief.
Self-tanner has always been a complex category to win at, but The Future appears to be addressing some of the biggest faux pas. And with a sense of humor while they’re at it.
Typical sunless tanner complaints?
Too orange
Too streaky
Unnatural color
Too sticky
Transfers onto fabric
Doesn’t last (And that notorious fake tanner smell, which if you’ve experienced it, is haunting)
Before we dive into the GTM strategy, we’d like to take a brief detour regarding the soundtrack.
The Beauty Brief personally recommends giving the TAN-LUXE social media manager a raise because their song selections were doing the work.
Since we happen to be the target audience, we’re experts on this.
Choices included Yummy x Righteous by Aisha Erotica and Mo Beats, MOTHER ATE by Jane Bell, and Stars Are Blind by Paris Hilton (duh).
Listen. Nuance is important when it comes to marketing. And this gets 5 stars from us.
Now back to "business."
We’re transported to Planet Paris with a futuristic digital ad that begins by telling us to rotate our phones in order to “see the future.” TAN-LUXE HQ and Paris interact on a mission to create the perfect tagline for their partnership. After summoning AI Paris, we see her interacting with her past, present, and future self.
Please note the notorious denim outfit from The Simple Life. Attention to throwback details on this campaign? Impeccable.
After acknowledging that Hilton’s infamous “That’s Hot” line won’t work in this instance due to, you know, like, global warming, the Parises settle on “The Future Looks Good On You.”
Next comes the product lineup drop, which is sold as a set retailing at $49.00:
The Future Airbrush 360 Self-Tan Mist (5 oz/150 ml)
Luxe Tanning Mitt in Pink
The Future tanning mist is described as “an ultra lightweight self-tan water in an airless 360-mister” and clinically-proven claims include:
Moisturizes skin by up to 60%
Lasts a minimum of 10 days from a single application
Be non-drying on the skin
Develops in 4 hours
It’s also been formulated with an exclusive Pink Sands scent that falls in the Woody/Fruity category with notes of cassis, violet, and white leather.
Additional call-outs include TAN-LUXE’s new Triple Tan+ Technology that promises to “penetrate deeper, develop faster and last longer – all while working with your own skin tone for the ultimate tailor-made tan” and an added peptide blend combined with the brand’s Hydra-Boost Complex to “support skin’s natural collagen production and deeply hydrate” skin.
We’ll have to wait until more reviews are in, but so far the TikTok girlies seem happy.
The Future has sold out TWICE online at Ulta, but is still available in stores and through other retailer partnerships with Cult Beauty, Selfridges, LOOKFANTASTIC, and TAN-LUXE’s own website.
It doesn’t look like the entertainment is over just yet either. As of 4/29 on the brand’s IG, we got a collab with creator Serena Kerrigan (208k followers on IG, 599.6k on TikTok), the “Queen of Confidence,” featuring classic Y2K Paris looks, and a spin on Hilton’s “Stop Being Poor” tank, now reading “Stop Being Pale.”
Fun fact: this meme is actually inaccurate. Her tank top was manipulated and originally said "Stop Being Desperate," not poor. Regardless.
The launch event was a glorious futuristic pink party, as expected, and it looks like more intimate events took place as well in celebration of The Future.
Our invite at the Beauty Brief must have gotten lost in the mail, but we forgive them.
All in all, we say this launch is a win. It’s leveraged Paris’ personal brand to the fullest in a way that is fun and self-aware, while still providing consumers a why to try. Gaining access to Miss Hilton’s dedicated following is a marketer’s dream and we think TAN-LUXE provided.
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