The archive · Product Ideas · Product decision · 2022
Vaseline's See My Skin builds a library for skin-of-color images — WARC 2023 Grand Prix
Vaseline built See My Skin, the only database searchable by conditions on skin of color — 3.1M equitable skin-care experiences.
Vaseline (Unilever)
What it had to solve
Less than 6% of image-based search results show skin conditions on people of color, and patients who don't feel seen in search are less likely to see a dermatologist — driving 25% higher mortality from conditions like skin cancer.
How it works
In April 2022 Vaseline launched See My Skin, an online database built to be searched by conditions on skin of color. Partnering with HUED and VisualDx, Vaseline aggregated thousands of images of hundreds of dermatological conditions on Black and Brown skin, with every image independently evaluated by board-certified dermatologists, and connected users to culturally competent doctors.
The campaign began from a documented equity gap: less than 6% of image-based search results show skin conditions on people of color, and patients who don't feel seen in search are less likely to see a dermatologist, which drives 25% higher mortality from conditions like skin cancer. Rather than an awareness message, Vaseline built the resource that search engines failed to provide, taking nearly three years from inception to launch.
Within the first two weeks See My Skin organically ranked for 50+ keywords and drew 6,000+ visits, with 59% of organic views from people searching a specific skin concern; 48% of searchers took action, and dermatology-care seeking rose 1,430%. The effort has since created 3.1 million equitable skin-care experiences and won a Grand Prix at the WARC Awards for Effectiveness 2023.
Why it lands
- Building a real medical resource turned a brand-purpose claim into a utility people actually searched for and used.
- Dermatologist-vetted images gave the platform credibility no advertising message could assert on its own.
- Connecting searches directly to culturally competent doctors made the intervention practical, not symbolic.
- The upload tool let the library grow from community contributions, making the fix systemic rather than one-off.
What it did
Within two weeks the site drew 6,000+ visits and organic visibility for 50+ keywords; 59% of organic views came from people searching a specific condition; 48% of searchers took action; dermatology-care seeking rose 1,430%; the effort has created 3.1 million equitable skin-care experiences.
What you can take
Instead of making an ad about a gap in the system, build the missing system: a utility that fixes the problem earns attention and trust a campaign message never could.
Since then
See My Skin became a sustained platform instead of a campaign: Vaseline continued expanding and maintaining the library, and the work won Cannes Lions 2023 awards in Brand Experience & Activation and Digital Craft as well as a Grand Prix at the WARC Awards for Effectiveness 2023. The database remains live as a permanent resource for patients and dermatologists.
Sources
- Vaseline | See My Skin
- Vaseline Launches First Search Database for Skin of Colour
- WARC Awards for Effectiveness name Grand Prix & Gold winners
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