Submitted by Richmond & Towers Communications

Cetaphil: Solving the Problem of Sensitive Skin

Richmond & Towers built a dermatologist-led PR and influencer programme for Cetaphil that the agency credits with +11% in the 2 weeks following the Dr Psomadikis YouTube episode.

British Vogue, The Sun, Refinery 29, Closer - 128m+ reachearned media reach
307k+ reach via dermatologists and press/influencersearned social reach
+11% in the 2 weeks following the Dr Psomadikis YouTube episodesales uplift

Case in 60 seconds

Cetaphil needed to be the go-to cleanser for sensitive skin in what the page calls a fiercely competitive market, which meant driving awareness, building trust and accelerating sales at the same time.

The campaign appears to turn on the observation that consumers increasingly consult professionals before buying skincare, so an endorsement dermatologists give in daily practice carries weight that a brand claim about sensitivity cannot.

Rather than argue the sensitive skin case in brand voice, the work handed it to the skin experts who already recommend the products, using their credibility as the platform for Cetaphil's own expertise.

Dr Cristina Psomadakis produced guidance on identifying symptoms of skin sensitivity and appeared in a segment on Superdrug TV's YouTube channel, while Dr Justine Kluk built a sensitive skincare routine around the Cetaphil range including the cleanser. Both ran content creation and social-first storytelling on their own channels, supported by digital PR and instore POS carrying the same expert-led narrative.

Richmond & Towers reports a sales uplift of +11% in the 2 weeks following the Dr Psomadikis YouTube episode, earned media in British Vogue, The Sun, Refinery 29 and Closer at 128m+ reach, and 307k+ reach via dermatologists and press/influencers.

Strategy Breakdown

The primary strategy-learning section — interpretation, not a press-release summary.

Consumers with sensitive skin searching for the best routines and products for sensitivity, and people who look to professionals when making skincare choices.
The page describes a market where many brands speak to sensitive skin, so claims about sensitivity have lost their power to distinguish and consumers turn to professionals to sort credible advice from marketing.
Skincare is described as crowded, fast-moving and saturated, with influencer trends and algorithm shifts working against consistent visibility, so the brand needed a signal that did not depend on those channels behaving predictably.
Cetaphil is positioned as the brand experts already recommend, so the campaign presents its heritage as external validation rather than a claim it makes about itself.
Based on the available evidence, the work assumes people describe sensitivity as symptoms before they describe it as a product need, which is why one dermatologist covered identifying symptoms and the other covered the routine.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • YouTube

Partners

  • Richmond & Towers Communications (lead_agency)

Creator role

  • Dr Cristina Psomadakis — creator
  • Dr Justine Kluk — creator

Results & Evidence

MetricValueResult type
earned media reachBritish Vogue, The Sun, Refinery 29, Closer - 128m+ reachreach
earned social reach307k+ reach via dermatologists and press/influencersreach
sales uplift+11% in the 2 weeks following the Dr Psomadikis YouTube episodeperformance

Why Richmond & Towers Communications's strategy worked

  1. 1

    Professional credentials function as a targeting asset as much as a trust asset, because a dermatologist's audience arrives already sorted for skin concern rather than for lifestyle affinity.

  2. 2

    Splitting two experts across diagnosis and routine gives a category with a long consideration path two entry points, which lets one partner meet symptom searches while the other meets product searches.

  3. 3

    A single broadcast-scale placement can be isolated as a sales driver where a retailer's own channel carries it, since the retail media window narrows the gap between the content and the purchase.

  4. 4

    Carrying the same expert-led narrative into instore POS extends an earned-media message to the shelf, which is where a sensitive skin decision is finally made rather than where it is formed.

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