The activity focused on women aged 18 to 25, with the goal of supporting retail sales at Boots and Sephora while building the brand’s CRM.
Delivered in partnership with digital sampling agency Sampl, the campaign was designed to feel personal and well-paced. Ads on Meta invited consumers to try the product, but instead of revealing it all at once, the experience was built as a series of small discoveries.
Samples were sent to 15,000 skin care users, followed by a set of emails that blurred the product at first, gradually revealing it through an animated GIF. This light-touch format kept people engaged and curious. The full name and benefits of the serum were introduced only after the sample had been dispatched, helping the focus stay on experience, not claims.
“Sampling works best when it’s targeted, thoughtful, and part of a bigger retail plan,” said Matthew Huntly, CEO at Sampl. “This campaign helped The INKEY List reach the right customers, gather useful data, and support their retail partners in a way that felt seamless to the consumer.”
All messages were tailored by market, with clear calls to action to purchase at either Boots or Sephora. Consumers were guided from curiosity to product trial to retail consideration, at a pace that suited them.
The results reflected that steady approach. More than 75% of participants said they intended to buy, and in the US, over 78% were new or lapsed customers, making the campaign a strong contributor to CRM growth. In the UK, email open rates reached over 70%, showing that the message and timing resonated.
This activity is part of The INKEY List’s ongoing effort to connect product education with long-term interest, rather than one-off campaigns. The brand says that pairing skin care science with simple, smart marketing remains key to its growth strategy.