- Blog
- Paula’s Choice Marketing Breakdown: Turning Science into Skincare Success
Paula’s Choice Marketing Breakdown: Turning Science into Skincare Success
-
Barbara Bartucz
- Marketing Breakdowns
- 6 min read
Table of Contents
Founded in 1995 by Paula Begoun, Paula’s Choice has become a trailblazer in evidence-based skincare.
In fact, its success and strong positioning led to a major milestone in 2021, when Unilever acquired the brand for around $2 billion, bringing it into the Prestige portfolio alongside other premium skincare leaders.
With a strong focus on…
- Transparency – openly sharing ingredient lists and product research
- Education – empowering consumers with research-backed knowledge
- Science-driven products – delivering formulas tested for proven results
…the brand has cemented its leadership in the skincare industry, staying ahead of evolving consumer demands in 2025.
From an informative website to impactful influencer collaborations, Paula’s Choice has built a loyal, engaged customer base, establishing itself as a trusted source for effective skincare solutions.
Now, let’s dive into the details!
1. Educate first, sell second
At the core of Paula’s Choice’s marketing is its commitment to educating consumers.
The brand has built an extensive library of evidence-based content designed to empower customers and help them make informed decisions.
Paula’s Choice has an impressive collection of articles covering all things skincare, from acne and aging to ingredient breakdowns.
This extensive library positions the brand as an expert and thought leader in the industry.
They’re also active on YouTube. Regular uploads of educational video content help demystify skincare routines, highlighting key ingredients and their benefits.
They’ve also created their own version of Wikipedia, called Beautypedia, a unique tool where customers can search for or upload products.
Paula’s Choice then offers a detailed analysis of the ingredients and their effectiveness, helping consumers better understand the products they’re considering.
Their SEO strategy stands out for its emphasis on branded keywords, targeting over 117k keywords, including terms like “paula’s choice” and variations such as “paulas choice,” “paula’s choice bha,” and “paula’s choice retinol.”
These high-traffic keywords are expertly optimized throughout their website, playing a key role in Paula’s Choice’s strong presence and dominance in organic search results.
The brand’s top-performing pages are primarily product pages, with their ingredient checker also driving significant traffic.
2. Let others tell your story
Paula’s Choice collaborates with carefully selected influencers who share the brand’s dedication to science and evidence-based skincare, ensuring authenticity in every partnership.
The brand also works with high-profile ambassadors like Olympic medalist Ilona Maher and basketball player Azzi Fud, who serve as the faces of Paula’s Choice.
Their involvement brings credibility to the brand while helping reach a wide, diverse audience.
In addition to those ambassadors, the brand partners with smaller influencers who showcase the product within their skincare routines for tired eyes:
Or explain how they prepare the eye area before applying makeup:
These strategic partnerships with influencers have allowed Paula’s Choice to:
- Build an engaged community,
- Foster trust, and
- Drive new customer acquisition through word-of-mouth and high engagement rates.
3. Turn social into skincare school
Paula’s Choice uses social media to build community and increase brand awareness, especially among Gen-Z, who value transparency and education.
The brand engages users and works with influencers on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, and YouTube.
TikTok, in particular, has driven massive growth for Paula’s Choice, with educational yet fun videos that explain ingredients and showcase real customer results.
@paulaschoice How to clear skin: Add 2% BHA Exfoliating Toner to your skincare routine ✨ ✔️ Apply after cleansing—don’t rinse off! Finish with the rest of your routine & always use SPF during the day. 🫶If you’re new to BHA, Start 2-3x per week & work your way up Questions? Let us know! #PaulasChoice #ClearSkin #BHA #Toner #GlowySkin ♬ Original Sound - Unknown
The hashtag #paulaschoice has experienced exponential growth, further boosting the brand’s visibility on social platforms.
4. Remove friction from the buy button
Paula’s Choice is great at converting website visitors into customers with effective strategies that improve the shopping experience and increase sales.
New visitors get a 20% discount and free shipping when they sign up with their email and mobile number.
The discount is applied to the cart automatically.
And in case shoppers forget, a reminder bar at the top of the page shows a countdown timer.
Additionally, they offer a free gift with the code “milky.”
Their website also includes a skincare routine finder and analysis quizzes to help users discover the best products and receive personalized recommendations.
5. Loyalty lives in the details
Paula’s Choice places a strong emphasis on customer retention through personalized email marketing, ensuring that each communication feels tailored to individual needs.
Their emails often highlight real results from customers, showcasing before-and-after transformations or testimonials, which helps to reinforce the effectiveness of their products.
In addition, the emails provide personalized product recommendations and pairings, suggesting complementary items to enhance each customer’s skincare routine.
This thoughtful approach not only helps build trust with existing customers but also encourages repeat purchases and fosters long-term brand loyalty.
6. Ads that answer questions
Paula’s Choice invests significantly in paid advertising across various platforms, including social media channels like Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and Google Ads, to drive traffic and increase conversions.
Their Meta video ads effectively highlight the brand’s products, showcasing their benefits and usage, which helps engage potential customers with informative and visually appealing content.
Complementing their video ads, static and shopping ads highlight specific products, often featuring promotional offers or limited-time discounts to encourage immediate purchases.
On Google Ads, they have a similar strategy. They use video ads to raise awareness and drive product consideration by explaining the benefits and ingredients behind their offerings.
These targeted text ads appear in search results, capturing the attention of potential customers actively looking for skincare solutions.
Shopping ads display product images, pricing, and direct purchase links, simplifying the buying process for customers and enhancing the likelihood of conversion.
Wrapping up
Paula’s Choice has built a comprehensive marketing strategy that seamlessly blends education, influencer collaborations, social media engagement, and conversion optimization.
By placing a strong emphasis on transparency, personalized customer experiences, and evidence-backed skincare, Paula’s Choice remains a leading authority in the skincare space, driving sustained growth and customer loyalty in 2025.
Learn more
Looking for more marketing breakdowns? Check out these articles:
- Building a Premium Pet Brand: The Marketing Strategy Behind Maev’s Rapid Growth
- How Away Reached $1.4 Billion by Turning Luggage into a Travel Lifestyle
- E.L.F. Cosmetics Marketing Breakdown: A Digital-First Beauty Brand for Gen Z and Millennials
- Skullcandy’s Marketing Breakdown: A Deep Dive into Success
- Native’s Marketing Playbook: How a Deodorant Brand Went From 3D Renders to Retail Giants
Migration has never been easier
We made switching a no-brainer with our free, white-glove onboarding service so you can get started in the blink of an eye.
What should you do next?
Thanks for reading till the end. Here are 4 ways we can help you grow your business:
Boost conversions with proven use cases
Explore our Use Case Library, filled with actionable personalization examples and step-by-step guides to unlock your website's full potential. Check out Use Case Library
Create a free OptiMonk account
Create a free OptiMonk account and easily get started with popups and conversion rate optimization. Get OptiMonk free
Get advice from a CRO expert
Schedule a personalized discovery call with one of our experts to explore how OptiMonk can help you grow your business. Book a demo
Join our weekly newsletter
Real CRO insights & marketing tips. No fluff. Straight to your inbox. Subscribe now
Share this article
Written by
Barbara Bartucz
Barbara is a Content Marketer at OptiMonk. She takes pride in creating different forms of content, whether it’s an article, a video, or an e-book.
You may also like
- Posted in
- Marketing Breakdowns
Product updates: January Release 2025
