Key Takeaways:
“Hey Upper East Siders, this just in … I hear B was spotted on the school steps this morning giving a show and tell, preaching the importance of skincare to freshman girls with colorful bottles and a lot of joy.”
Shai Eisenman’s trailblazing, community-powered skincare brand, Bubble, named actress Leighton Meester as its first global brand ambassador. The announcement marks a milestone for the brand as it scales into a new era of worldwide visibility and debuts alongside Radical Joy, Bubble’s first 360-degree brand campaign: a bold, colorful, and playful celebration of skincare that proves efficacy and fun don’t have to be mutually exclusive.
Bubble launched in 2020 with a mission to democratize prestige-level skincare, offering dermatologist-developed products at a lower price point while engaging consumers in every cornerstone from naming products to formulation testing. For a brand that's built its reputation on a strong sense of community, the decision to introduce a celebrity ambassador is both strategic and symbolic. Bringing on Meester signals Bubble's next stage of growth, amplifying awareness, deepening cultural relevance, and reinforcing the brand's identity as “the world's most joyful skincare company.”
At the core of Radical Joy is a paradox: skincare that is both premium and playful, aspirational and accessible. “Premium skincare doesn’t have to be serious to seriously work,” Meester says in the campaign's launch video, which features absurd yet fun elements, including her new found friend, a seal. The message is a sentiment that Eisman echoed in a prelaunch conversation with BeautyMatter. “The fact that our packaging is colorful and joyful doesn’t mean it isn’t clinical. It doesn’t mean it won’t deliver incredible efficacy. It just means you can enjoy the process while still getting the best results possible.”
Radical Joy features Meester using her favorite Bubble products including Soft Launch Hydrating Cream Cleanser, Cosmic Silk Hydrating Milky Toner, Day Dream Tone and Texture Serum, Slam Dunk Hydrating Moisturizer, and Talk Back Lip Serum. These hero SKUs will be highlighted in a dedicated feature set rolling out into Ulta Beauty stores nationwide beginning in October, reinforcing Bubble’s retail presence and creating tangible entry points for consumers to shop the ambassador's picks.
Eisenman emphasized that the choice to bring on Meester was grounded in consumer insight. “We’ve asked our community repeatedly what excites them, and one of the biggest insights was nostalgia—people are still rewatching shows they grew up on, like Gossip Girl,” she said. “Leighton resonates across generations. She’s aspirational yet relatable, premium yet approachable, and has this unique dry humor that makes her feel authentic. She was the perfect fit to tell our story.”
Meester herself underscored this alignment. “Bubble proves that skincare can be powerful without being overly complicated,” she said in a company press release. “Its mission to make effective skincare accessible to everyone really resonated with me. I hope this campaign inspires people to find a little more joy in their daily routine.”
The casting decision is notable for its cross-generational appeal. Meester remains a nostalgic icon for millennials who grew up glued to Gossip Girl, while her approachable persona resonates with Gen Z and even Gen Alpha consumers discovering her work through streaming. As a mother, Meester connects with the parents who are increasingly becoming part of Bubble’s consumer base, allowing Bubble to extend beyond its Gen Z core without diluting its identity, and relaying the message that its products are for all.
The campaign's name is not just a tagline, but a reflection of Bubble’s ethos. “We want to be the world’s most joyful skincare brand,” Eisenman said. “It’s about more than formulas; it’s about color, playfulness, and injecting joy into your morning and evening routines.”
This position is strategic in a crowded skincare market where clinical claims and dermatological efficacy are often communicated in sterile, serious tones. Bubble differentiates by leaning into vibrant branding and community innovation while remaining dermatologically rigorous. By coding that approach into Radical Joy, Bubble creates a platform that is both ownable and scalable, opening the door to future campaigns, collaborations, and activations.
The launch of Radical Joy also marks Bubble’s largest marketing campaign to date. It will be executed across digital, social, out-of-home, and retail channels, ensuring visibility at every consumer touchpoint. For a brand that has scaled rapidly through grassroots community engagement and retail expansion, the introduction of a celebrity-led omnichannel campaign represents a true transition point.
“This is the first time we’ve had a celebrity face of the brand,” Eisenman said. “It’s the first time we’re doing a campaign of this scale, and we’re thrilled to bring it to life. We see it as a major milestone in Bubble’s journey—a turning point that will allow us to operate on a different scale than we ever have before.”
Bubble's decision to enlist a celebrity ambassador after five years of growth reflects an industry shift where digital-first brands are maturing into omnichannel players that require broader cultural resonance. Where once TikTok vitality was enough to drive early momentum, celebrity alignment is increasingly used to cement mainstream recognition.
The industry has seen this play out across categories. E.l.f Cosmetics leveraged Jennifer Coolidge to embody its irreverent spirit and capture a cross-generational audience, while Rare Beauty and rhode leaned on their founders' star power to authentically scale community-led storytelling into global relevance. Even luxury skincare players like Dior Beauty continue to refresh ambassador rosters to stay culturally top-of-mind.
What sets Bubble apart is the timing and choice of ambassador. Rather than defaulting to a Gen Z influencer or popstar, the brand chose an actress who bridges nostalgia with modern-day resonance. Meester embodies the very contradictions that define Bubble: premium yet playful, iconic yet approachable, cross-generational yet deeply relatable.
In an industry where ambassador decisions often skew towards the obvious, Bubble’s pick feels both strategic and refreshingly unexpected. By pairing community-driven innovation with celebrity-powered scale, Bubble is writing its next chapter and reminding the industry that joy is a powerful active ingredient.
