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Pattern Beauty brings authenticity and curl culture to tv with first-ever commercial

Pattern Lounge, US

US – Tracee Ellis Ross has launched Pattern Beauty’s first ever tv commercial, a 60-second spot that blends humour, nostalgia and a celebration of textured hair.

The ad re-unites the Girlfriends cast – Golden Brooks, Jill Marie Jones and Persia White – from the early 2000s sitcom in a playful hair bar, where Ross, as Chief Curltender, mixes personalised ‘hair cocktails’ such as Thirst Trap and Coiltini for each curl type. The engaging film presents Pattern Beauty’s complete product range, from conditioners to hair styling tools, while emphasising the versatility of its formulations.

More than a demo, the spot feels true to Ross herself: comedic, confident and community-focused. It balances fun with meaning, using friendship and familiar faces to deliver a deeper message about self-expression and textured haircare.

By showcasing a range of hair types, the ad reinforces Pattern Beauty’s core mission as a brand created by women with textured hair for women with textured hair. It positions haircare as a meaningful ritual rather than a simple routine. The brand’s entry into television feels both strategic and timely – a joyful, inclusive re-imagining of what modern haircare can be, and a reflection of the industry’s broader movement towards innovation, representation and functional beauty solutions for underserved audiences.

Tapping into the wellness-led shift in beauty, the campaign also aligns with the findings of our Future Forecast 2025: Beauty macrotrend report, which highlights the evolution of the textured haircare market.

Strategic opportunity

As underserved consumers expect brands to increasingly understand and respond to their individual needs, those that feel genuine and real – such as Pattern Beauty – will stand out by making inclusion a clear part of their offer and not solely their marketing

The Messenger bot quietly transforming women’s safety in Jordan

Photography by Rahime Gül, Middle East

The Middle East – A discreet digital tool is offering life-saving support to vulnerable women in Jordan. Darb Alaman – meaning ‘Safe Pathway’ in Arabic – is a human-led chatbot developed by ActionAid Arab Region (AAAR), which operates within WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.

Purpose-built for women in high-risk situations, Darb Alaman offers discreet, confidential access to information, legal aid, counselling and protection services via familiar social media platforms. Designed for users with limited digital literacy, the chatbot mimics a personal profile, allowing women to engage intuitively and without providing any identifying personal details. Crucially, messages are received by trained social protection officers within a secure, vetted network.

Since its launch, Darb Alaman has recorded nearly 40,000 digital views and over 2,200 unique visits, with a 4,000% rise in content engagement this year alone. Most users are young women under 35 (source: Service95).

Darb Alaman is a rare example of how, away from the gimmicks and novelty, AI can be used for good when rooted in local realities. Our SXSW London 2025: The Pursuit of AI Optimism report further reveals how AI can be deployed to go beyond dystopian fears and help create a better world.

Strategic opportunity

Prioritise AI solutions that solve real safety, access or wellbeing challenges over attention-grabbing brand activations

Stat: Study finds TikTok is reshaping luxury discovery

Photography by Porapak Apichodilok

Global – A new study in the US, UK, France and Italy, commissioned by TikTok, reveals a structural shift in how consumers discover luxury, increasingly driven by creator-led content on social feeds.

Some two-thirds of first-time luxury buyers say their initial interest was sparked by social media, with TikTok emerging as one of the fastest-growing discovery platforms.

Rather than polished advertising, users are engaging with user-generated content (38%) and creator videos (32%), with 26% waiting for creator reviews before committing to a purchase.

As highlighted in our New Codes of Luxury report, creators are no longer just influencers – they’re trusted curators shaping real-time buying decisions. This behavioural shift is also affecting resale, with one in four luxury shoppers saying TikTok’s trend cycle influenced their second-hand purchases.

With Gen Z and Millennials projected to control 60% of luxury spending by 2026, TikTok is redefining how the next generation connect with, evaluate and buy into luxury.

Strategic opportunity

Embed creator partnerships into your product discovery strategy to spark interest among first-time buyers and stay relevant within fast-paced, social-first trend cycles