Indie beauty brands, watch out! I asked our PR and growth experts about beauty campaigns with viral potential they're currently observing.

These were my questions for the experts:

1) What summer specific hashtags or viral challenges are you seeing beauty brands capitalizing on this season? Which campaigns generate the most engagement?

2) Festivals and other summer events provide major opportunities for beauty PR. Which brands have noteworthy summer campaigns and PR strategies this year, particularly around festivals, vacations, and summer weddings?

3) With concerns surrounding sun protection, how are beauty brands using PR to educate consumers, and which campaigns have successfully balanced maintaining that aspirational summer glow while protecting your skin?

And these are the experts' insights.

• “Romanticizing your life”
• Low-effort beauty and future-proof skin
• #SunKissedGlow, #FestivalFace, and #SPFIsSelfCare
• Sun protection as a daily self-care ritual
• Region-specific tags like #DesertBeauty or #CoastalSkincare
• Natural radiance and feeling good

“Romanticizing your life”

Emily Reynolds-Bergh, Owner at R Public Relations

"Romanticizing your life" is still a very popular trend, and it will likely bleed into the summer months. Brands with a strong emphasis on design and aesthetics can capitaize on this trend by using visual- and video-heavy social media content paired with trending audio and hazy, ethereal filters.

It’s still very early in the festival season, but Coachella is a great event to turn to when seeking brand inspiration. Thanks to her headlining slot, Lady Gaga’s Haus Labs drove the most brand awareness, followed closely by Kosas (according to Launch Metrics). Brand trips continue to work wonders, acting as a beautiful and enviable content farm. Brands can also consider event-specific product drops to build buzz alongside brand awareness.

Gone are the days of thick, pilling sunscreen. There are many silky, glowy options on the market. The problem now is standing out. Dieux does a fantastic job of educating consumers through its low-fi TikTok videos, especially regarding sun care. Its founders showcase their education and expertise by talking directly to the camera about their products, pricing, challenges, and successes. It’s both compelling and educational content."

Low-effort beauty and future-proof skin

Briana Torres, Marketing & Client Experience Manager at Injectco

"The campaigns winning this season are leaning straight into low-effort beauty.

The tag I am seeing everywhere right now is #TwoProductFace. It is pulling big numbers because it feels achievable and post-worthy. Paired with a mirror selfie and a clean caption, brands are riding it to plug sunscreen-makeup hybrids, tinted balms and spray SPFs like they are essentials. No big stunts, no massive collabs, just vibe and utility in one swipe. That is what’s moving product.

Brands doing well at festivals are not chasing booths, they are chasing bathrooms. I mean that literally!

The best placements I have seen are QR stickers on bathroom mirrors, mini sampling at Airbnbs and “get ready with me” kits dropped to influencers two days before Coachella. The activation that nailed it last month gave out free setting spray in 92-degree weather. Went viral. Sold out. Zero influencers needed.

The glow vs. protection balance is tricky unless you make it aspirational.

Brands that win here talk less SPF, more future-proof skin. They are pushing the idea that glow is cumulative, not just cosmetic. I saw a campaign frame SPF as “your future self’s highlighter” and the comments exploded. Smart copy, soft visuals and no dermatology lecture. That is what landed. The moment it feels clinical, the scroll happens."

#SunKissedGlow, #FestivalFace, and #SPFIsSelfCare

Rachel Lynch, Director of Operations at CellaBeauty

"This summer, I’ve seen beauty brands leaning into hashtags like #SunKissedGlow, #FestivalFace, and #SPFIsSelfCare — all tied to visual storytelling.

At CellaBeauty, we participated in the #GetReadyWithMe festival edition, where creators showed their full skincare-to-glam transformation using our serum and SPF duo. These real-life moments generate higher engagement than polished ads.

Brands have done an excellent job of integrating festival culture and beachy vacation aesthetics into PR. Their pop-ups at summer events and partnerships with creators attending weddings or destination bachelorettes help them tap into peak beauty moments.

When it comes to sun protection, Supergoop!’s “Every. Single. Day.” campaign strikes the right balance—educating while still feeling effortless. We took a similar route, pairing skin safety with radiance messaging. We worked with derms and influencers to explain how our SPF primer enhances makeup and protects the skin, making daily application feel smart, not optional."

Sun protection as a daily self-care ritual

Nikki Kay Chase, Owner at Era Organics

"I've watched beauty brands chase viral summer hashtags while missing the most powerful opportunity right in front of them. The real engagement goldmine isn't another #SummerGlow challenge, it's repositioning sun protection as a daily self-care ritual rather than a chore.

We discovered this accidentally when our customers started sharing their morning routines featuring our mineral sunscreen as the "final step of skincare love." Instead of fear-based messaging about UV damage, we leaned into the sensory experience (the cooling sensation, the dewy finish, the moment of mindfulness while applying). We saw engagement increase when we shifted from "protect your skin" to "this is your morning ritual of self-respect." The brands winning this summer aren't those with the flashiest festival campaigns, they're the ones making SPF feel as indulgent as a face mask. And it's better for customers to associate your brand with positive self-care rituals rather than fear and negativity."

Region-specific tags like #DesertBeauty or #CoastalSkincare

Bernadette King, CEO at King Digital Pros

"As someone who's worked with both service businesses and luxury retail clients, I'm seeing a big shift toward summer hashtags that emphasize "self-care routines" rather than just product features. Unlike typical #SummerGlow campaigns, brands getting the most engagement are using region-specific tags like #DesertBeauty or #CoastalSkincare to target consumers based on their local climate challenges.

Festival marketing has evolved dramatically since COVID. Smaller beauty brands are abandoning traditional festival sponsorships in favor of creating "experience pods" at local summer events. One jewelry client of mine tripled their ROI by setting up a "summer accessory styling station" at community markets instead of competing for attention at larger festivals.

The sun protection conversation has moved from SPF numbers to "environmental defense" messaging. My clients in the healthcare space are seeing exceptional engagement with educational content that addresses blue light protection alongside UV protection. We've found that conversion rates increase by about 30% when brands position sun care as part of a year-round wellness routine rather than just a summer necessity.

What's working best across all my campaigns is creating content that acknowledges seasonal behavior changes. For instance, when we help cleaning businesses market their services, we emphasize how their deep-cleaning services can protect beauty products from summer heat damage—an unexpected angle that consistently outperforms traditional summer cleaning promotions by addressing a pain point beauty enthusiasts actually care about."

Natural radiance and feeling good

Paul DeMott, Chief Technology Officer at Helium SEO

"I've noticed beauty brands really leaning into themes of natural radiance and feeling good this summer, often through challenges that involve showing off healthy skin or hair in sunny settings. The campaigns that get the most traction often encourage genuine self-expression and interaction.

For example, I've seen a lot of buzz around hashtags like #SummerGlowUp, #SunKissedSkin, and #BeachHairDontCare. It's less about trying to make everyone look identical and more about celebrating individual beauty when the sun is out. The viral challenges frequently involve short-form video content where people share their pre- and post-routine looks, or show off a simple "get ready with me" for a summer day. The key is that these aren't just product showcases; they're about the feeling and the lifestyle that the products support. Think of a challenge like "My 3-Step Summer Skin," where users demonstrate how they achieve a fresh, minimal makeup look or keep their skin hydrated.

I remember working with a skincare client last year, right before summer, who was traditionally very focused on clinical results and scientific claims. My team and I suggested they pivot some of their social media content to align with this "effortless summer beauty" vibe. We proposed a series of user-generated content challenges, one of which was called #HydrateAndRadiate. Users were asked to show their favorite way to stay hydrated and how their skin looked after using the brand's new lightweight moisturizer. We even put a small ad spend behind some of the most authentic-looking user submissions. The engagement was through the roof. It wasn't just about likes; we saw a noticeable uptick in comments asking about the product and direct messages inquiring where to buy it. It really drove home the point that in digital marketing, especially for beauty, people connect with stories and relatable experiences more than just product features. They want to see how a product fits into their life, not just what it does."

#PRontheGO