In the summer of 2024, skincare brand Kiehl’s launched its first products for the care of intimate areas, called Kiehl’s Personals. In support of Kiehl’s Personals, the brand created provocative window posters and social media visuals that featured models in underwear. But the underwear was just a sideshow—in one, a male model rests in tighty-whities with a very apparent bulge. A second poster has a model posing in a bra and panties with visible pubic hair poking out.
The campaign daringly and authentically challenged conventional beauty standards, especially by depicting visible pubic hair. While the advertising wasn’t explicitly sexual, it proved too groundbreaking for some. Keihl’s was asked to remove the signage at some stores, and social media considered it “sensitive content.” Undeterred, Kiehl’s took the opportunity to continue challenging beauty norms, responding with creativity and conviction.
“When we launched our new Kiehl’s Personals line, we wanted to ensure we were educating consumers about the new products and common sexual wellness concerns, so we created extensive educational content co-developed by Harvard and NYU-trained sex therapists. Even with this context, some of the campaign imagery featuring models with naturally visible pubic hair was censored in select store windows,” said Jon Sáenz, Kiehl’s global brand president. “The censored feedback ranged from labeling the visuals as ‘sensitive content’ to requests for their removal. Rather than shy away, we saw this as an opportunity to spark an important conversation about societal discomfort with intimate care and body positivity.”
Working with Parisian creative agency Marcel, Keihl’s clapped back at critics by “apologizing” for the daring campaign while doubling down on showing off pubic hair with posters using a new typeface called “Pubic Display Type.” As the name suggests, the font is pubic-hair themed, with every letterform made from real pubic hair.
Rather than shy away, we saw this as an opportunity to spark an important conversation about societal discomfort with intimate care and body positivity.
Jon Sáenz, global brand president, Kiehl’s
“We used Times New Roman as the base for the font. It’s one of Kiehl’s brand fonts, and we knew we wanted something bold that would also still be quickly legible on our posters,” said Gabrielle Attia, creative director at the Marcel Agency. “From that base, we worked with our artist to reimagine the characters in a way that would give each hairy letter its own unique personality.”
The posters for the new campaign don’t portray models. Instead, the visual assets contain messages like “Our Photos of Models with Pubic Hair Were Censored. So We Removed the Models.” Another poster reads, “Pubic Hair Don’t Care.” A third ad contains the sentence, “Apologies, We Won’t Show Pubic Hair Again.” Each missive is rendered in the newly forged typeface, and the process of creating it was certainly a unique exercise in type design.
Our artist sourced hair from a diverse range of volunteers, ensuring the final typeface would be as diverse and inclusive as the bodies we were ultimately trying to celebrate
Gabrielle Attia, creative director, Marcel
“The process was meticulous, and not without challenges, but worth it given the type of statement we wanted to make,” Attia said. “Our artist sourced hair from a diverse range of volunteers, ensuring the final typeface would be as diverse and inclusive as the bodies we were ultimately trying to celebrate. Once we had the volunteers, they were briefed on the proper way to clean, cut, and supply the hair — ensuring there would be enough material to work with. And once she had the samples, our artist spent up to 8 hours making each letter, carefully placing each strand to ensure the characters all had their own personality: some bushier, some more clean, some curly, some straight, etc.”
Pubic Display Type comprises different hair samples from various people combined to form each character. This result was engaging and thought-provoking, but it also meant that Marcel had to enlist several volunteers. Asking people for their pubic hair to design a typeface for an ad campaign was no easy task. Indeed, it was an odd ask, but Kiehl’s message was important enough to make such an appeal.
“Of course, the project faced both social and technical challenges. Firstly, where do we even begin to source the hair? It’s an intimate thing to ask of people, both physically and mentally,” Gabrielle said. “And even if people were interested, given grooming habits, it was difficult to ensure the hair samples would be the right length to work with. Luckily, the artist found enough volunteers who believed in and supported the project and were willing to contribute anonymously. And the coordination of it all — from sourcing the samples to working with such a delicate and varied material to building out a full typeface (with some punctuation)— required patience, craft, and adaptability. But these obstacles only reinforced the project’s mission of reclaiming the conversation around body hair and push back against the censorship of Personals, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to protecting skin of all types.”
Keihl’s turned the negative responses to last summer’s campaign into an opportunity rather than allowing a feeling of defeat or like it had made a mistake. It’s a great example of how brands can take a stand on issues that consumers care about and be rewarded. It’s OK and even admirable when a brand like Keihl’s makes a bold move some might like for the right reasons. Consumers can see genuine and admirable convictions in a brand’s move and will back it if it aligns with theirs.
“We recognize that conversations around body positivity and censorship are evolving, particularly in the U.S. While some hesitation was anticipated, the reaction to our intimate care ads opened the door for a much larger conversation,” says Sáenz. “At Kiehl’s, we support body positivity and individuality. Still, our mission extends beyond that—this campaign allows us to challenge outdated stigmas while reinforcing the importance of intimate skincare, free from shame.”
It’s risky for brands and designers to question and move against social norms, especially when it comes to topics like body positivity. Keihl’s stood up to those offended by its launch campaign of its Personal products with creativity, humor, and aplomb. While Keihl’s did take a risk at doing so, standing by its convictions and principles ultimately seemed to have paid off. In critiquing Keihl’s Personals campaign, detractors offended by it activated the Streisand Effect and brought more attention to the body positivity messaging as the brand intended.
“Kiehl’s has always believed in challenging outdated societal taboos. The ‘Pubic Display Type’ campaign directly addresses the stigma surrounding body hair while emphasizing that every part of the body deserves care,” Sáenz said. “More than just a response, this campaign promotes acceptance, encourages open conversations, and reinforces healthier, more informed perspectives on natural beauty.”
Being comfortable in our skin and loving ourselves is a significant source of self-esteem. But societal trends, often cyclical, can chip away at our inner peace, which impacts most facets of our lives. Finally, being ashamed of our pubic hair might lead to neglecting that intimate area of our bodies, which shouldn’t be ignored. Thankfully, Keihl’s boldness in engaging the topic head-on with superb design is refreshing and welcomed and should be commended. Fortunately, many have responded positively.
At Kiehl’s, we support body positivity and individuality. Still, our mission extends beyond that—this campaign allows us to challenge outdated stigmas while reinforcing the importance of intimate skincare, free from shame.
Jon Sáenz, global brand president, Kiehl’s
“The ‘Pubic Display Type’ campaign has been met with strong appreciation for the bold stance Kiehl’s has taken on beauty standards. We’re seeing meaningful engagement from consumers who value authenticity and transparency. As conversations around body positivity continue to evolve, this campaign reaffirms Kiehl’s commitment to championing self-expression and redefining skincare for every part of the body,” Jon says.
Rudy Sanchez is a writer and product marketing consultant based in Southern California. Once described by a friend as her “technology life coach,” he is a techie and avid lifelong gamer. When he’s not writing or helping clients improve their products, Rudy is playing Rocket League, running laps in Gran Turismo, or deep into a YouTube rabbit hole.
All imagery © Kiehl’s.
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