• by Sarah Mahoney , Staff Writer @mahoney_sarah, February 14, 2025

CeraVe, the skincare company, isn’t just moving into hair. The L’Oréal-owned brand is diving in with dramatics, introducing the new products through an attention-getting influencer campaign and an ad written like a "Saturday Night Live" sketch, set to run during the show's 50th anniversary special. The spot stars cast members Bowen Yang and Sarah Sherman as dandruff-drenched members of “Naumôre Dandruf,” a heavy metal band. Their long-haired drummer is dermatologist Dr. Dustin Portella, who saves the day. Kelly Buchanan Spillers, global head of digital and social for CeraVe, tells CPG Insider about the launch. 

Interview has been edited for length and clarity.

CPG Insider: Why get into haircare?

Kelly Buchanan Spillers: CeraVe is known for skincare. And most people who visit a dermatologist don't realize their scalp is skin. The only way that CeraVe could enter the chat was if we left your scalp better.

It’s taken us about seven years and 220 or so formulas to develop products that do that, bringing that same equity we have in skincare into everyday hair care.

One in five Americans suffers from dandruff, and of that population, 40% leave it untreated. Nothing is working for those who have tried to treat it. They’re still itching. The most significant part of this campaign is getting people to have open conversations about dandruff.

CPG Insider: Getting shelf space in drugstores is hard, even for well-known brands. What are your expectations for hair care?

Spillers: I can’t say how much we expect to sell. Our hopes are high that we'll be able to move people already using our moisturizing products to the full line of CeraVe. Our goal is to have a majority share of your bathroom, and that's how we measure our success.

CPG Insider: Procter & Gamble’s Head & Shoulders is the leader in dandruff shampoo, and there are plenty of others, both mass and salon brands. Who are you targeting, and how are you different?

Spillers: The beauty of CeraVe is that we're a genderless brand. The line also includes Gentle Hydrating Shampoo, as well as the dandruff formulations. They’re all allergen-free and sulfite-free. We can capture a significant amount of the market -- people looking for a solution that improves their scalp condition and skin barrier.

CPG Insider: How does this campaign fit your “medutainment” philosophy?

Spillers: We want to break the taboos about people talking about dandruff. We’re pointing at the flakes not to make fun, but to show people they can solve their problems by reaching for CeraVe.

CPG Insider: Why use “SNL”? Bowen Yang is currently ultra hot, thanks to “Wicked.” What made you want to put a wig on him, Sarah Sherman, and the dermatologist?

Spillers: I know! And Sherman has had quite a few breakout moments already this season. We didn’t know that would be true when we started working on this with them last summer.

We wanted the sketch to be over-the-top but still educational.

CPG Insider: Isn’t there a risk that people will laugh at you, not with you?

Spillers: This was written by a team of current “SNL” staff writers. We asked them to do what “SNL” is known best for: going completely over the top. People are not confident wearing black when they have dandruff, right? They're doing things that enable them to hide their condition, so we put our characters in the most extreme condition that someone with dandruff would be in: a metal band who headbangs while wearing 100% black. It shows off the problem and the solution in a funny, interesting way.

Then the dermatologist chimes in, explaining that the scalp is skin and CeraVe can help.

CPG Insider: The spot made me think of Ally Sheedy’s character in “The Breakfast Club.”

Spillers: Us too. That was one of the starting inspirations. We wanted people to think, “Where have I seen this?” You’ll also get a hint of “Spinal Tap” and a bit of “Wayne’s World.” The intention is to feel familiar but in a CeraVe, “SNL” way.

CPG Insider: How much of the strategy is based on what you learned from the “Michael CeraVe” work last year?

Spillers: We learned a lot from that campaign. We've known for a long time that we would launch the haircare campaign into a big cultural moment. What better to align ourselves with than the “SNL 50th Anniversary” show?

We started the slow release of content before the Super Bowl because we wanted people to think we were coming out during the game and leave them expecting more. And it meant a lot that we are one of only two beauty sponsors of the "SNL" anniversary show. The other is Maybelline, another L’Oréal brand.

CPG Insider: The “Head of CeraVe” campaign began introducing three personalities -- influencer Charli D’Amelio, the NBA’s Anthony Davis, and UCONN basketball star Paige Bueckers -- slowly, with some big reveals along the way. How did you pick them?

Spillers: We wanted to hit the campaign from a digital and social activation perspective, highlighting how people are looking for hydrating hair solutions. And we wanted to work with someone who is an actual dandruff sufferer. When we met with Anthony Davis, we loved that he was game to talk about his dandruff. He towers over everyone. He can see who else has dandruff, too, whether or not you wear black.

Working with Charlie was a bit different. She’s been a part of the CeraVe family for a long time and has a very dry scalp. We asked: What if she had a scalp shrine? We made that part of her getting ready for her eight weekly appearances in “&Juliet” on Broadway.

That one came to us through social listening. We found that some people were already using dandruff shampoos to help them eliminate their dandruff, but dandruff comes back in a cycle. People put CeraVe moisturizer on their scalp, especially where their hair parts, to stop the scratch.

And with Paige, who represents our gentle line, we came up with a line for her that communicates how she is tough on the court and gentle on the scalp.

CPG Insider: How is the “Head of CeraVe” rolling out?

Spillers: The campaign is launching in three phases. We started with Dandruff Desperation, talking about ceramides and scalp benefits. Next, we reveal that our “Heads of CeraVe” are the heads of these three people. And we’ll culminate the campaign with a contest, asking people to celebrate their scalp stories by posting a 0.5 selfie – people take a selfie from behind, like a fisheye on the back of your camera, to show your scalp.

People can win prizes, like seeing Charlie on Broadway, going to a Mavericks game to see Anthony Davis play, or even going to U-Conn, where we hope Paige will be the first draft pick for the WNBA.

And there will be more content rolling out over the summer.

CPG Insider: How long before you decide whether haircare is a hit?

Spillers: It's a hit already. We started getting onto shelves in November. We can see the Amazon and walmart.com reviews, which are around 4.6 or 4.7 stars.

CPG Insider: What’s next? Toothpaste?

Spillers: I can confidently say that oral hygiene will not be next. But this is our 20^th anniversary, and we’ll have much to discuss later this year.