Key Takeaways:
Dove is taking on radical transparency with a new Reddit campaign, “r/eal reviews”, by publishing unfiltered feedback for its awarded hair masks. In an industry built on controlled messaging and tightly managed influencer partnerships, this campaign brings a new wave of integrity.
The Unilever-owned brand is turning over creative control to Reddit, publishing candid consumer commentary, both positive and negative, about its 10-in-1 Repair Masks. Rather than refining feedback into marketing copy, Dove built a campaign using reviews word for word from the first 50 Reddit users who consented to participate.
The campaign shows a notable evolution in Dove’s long-standing Real Beauty platform. Historically focused on representation and body confidence, the ethos is now being applied to product performance and the unpredictable nature of online discourse.
Reddit, with more than 121 million daily active users and over 100,000 communities, has become a critical destination for beauty discovery. Beauty-related views on the platform have grown more than 30% year over year, reflecting a broader shift: consumers increasingly trust peer-to-peer discussion over brand-produced content.
For Dove, the initiative leverages this cultural shift rather than sanitizing it. Comments appear as originally written. Participant identities are masked with Reddit’s “Snoo” avatars to preserve anonymity, a nod to the platform’s candid culture and an acknowledgement that honesty thrives when identity is protected. By choosing not to filter sentiment, Dove is reframing transparency as proof of confidence. If the product performs, the internet will say so.
The “r/eal reviews” campaign extends beyond digital placements; in New York City’s Flatiron Plaza, Dove is staging a two-day pop-up featuring oversized installations of Reddit commentary displayed edit-free. In select media placements, comments populate letter by letter in real time. The dialogue is incorporated into performance marketing as well as user-generated content.
Experiential marketing meets social listening to close the gap between community conversation and brand storytelling. By publishing unfiltered reviews and inherently relinquishing some narrative control, the brand is recalibrating the risk of increased credibility in a climate of scepticism around paid endorsements.
At the center of the activation is Dove’s 10-in-1 Repair Masks, positioned as 2025’s most-awarded hair repair mask. The amino serum–infused formulas claim molecular-level repair in one minute, targeting dry and damaged hair across hair types. The range of masks covers issues such as Bond Strength, Intensive Repair, and Hyaluronic and Moisture.
For legacy mass brands navigating a fragmented digital landscape, trust is not built through authority. By embedding Reddit’s raw commentary into its media mix, Dove is aligning with the broader industry shift toward community-powered credibility. Brands don’t need all reviews to be glowing; Dove proves that being willing to embrace imperfections will win the trust.
