Dermalogica in Formula 1: Fan Engagement done right

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Who is Dermalogica?

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Let me introduce you to Dermalogica - a consumer brand focused on skincare whose focus is not just on clear and healthy skin but the on education and science behind the products that they create.

During the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Dermalogica activated not only at the Ultimate Fan Festival (with one of the most fan-focused events there, in my opinion), but a suite at the Turn 3 Club.

I, as well as a number of other Formula 1 creators, was invited to partake in these activations throughout the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend... And as I said to the Dermalogica team:

"What you are doing is a breath of fresh air for our community."

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What did Dermalogica do 'right' at the Las Vegas Grand Prix?

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In one word, research. It's easy for consumer brands to fall into their usual marketing patterns - inviting creators that directly match their brand to promote their products... It's almost an industry standard at this point to focus on who most closely fits a brand's products, rather than identifying the target audience of where they are activating.

So, for a skincare brand - the standard has always been to bring Beauty 'influencers' and creators to races. Women who are extremely successful with high follower counts and who often advertise products similar to Dermalogica (in this case).

However, that is NOT what happened.

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Turn 3 Club

Dermalogica invited myself and a number of other F1 and Motorsport content creators - both women and men (because skincare IS for everyone)- to experience their suite on the Thursday of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Why is this important? From my experience and in the experience of most of these other creators, they are among the first consumer brands to invite creators in our space and recognize the people whose content has driven Formula 1 forward in this 'new era' of the sport.

Not only were we invited to enjoy some luxury during the race weekend, but the team members present from Dermalogica took time to chat with each of us... Took time to ask questions about the sport.... To ask us what races we think they should activate at that would be beneficial to both F1 Fans and their brand.

The VP of Marketing for the entire brand was even present, wearing F1 merch, and proudly admitting that she is a Formula 1 fan who took time to consume OUR content before deciding who to invite.

The team, of course, invited the content creators and influencers in the beauty market who will always make the most sense for their brand - but what made this experience stand out is that we were invited on an equal playing field with them. We were given the opportunity to not only educate these successful creators about Formula 1, but the entire Dermalogica team.

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Ultimate Fan Fest Activation

While the suite was an incredible perk of working with Dermalogica and showed true dedication to understanding the F1 creator landscape, where I was truly impressed is how Dermalogica focused on certain parts of their brand to match the branding and interests of Formula 1 fans.

To be honest, before actually attending this activation - I thought Dermalogica wanted to be at F1 Las Vegas for publicity as it is such a popular event in an extremely glamorous location. BUT, I realized I was very wrong.

At the Fan Festival on Friday and Saturday all of the creators that Dermalogica engaged with were invited to their VERY well set up and interactive station that taught me a LOT about their brand. Dermalogica is not just skincare, but a brand focused on science, technology, and innovation. They decorated their booth in F1 fashion - racing helmets and all, but what actually stood out is how they physically presented their products and tools to F1 fans.

We started off in a skin analysis station, where professionals from their team broke down how our skin looked and the science behind the products that they recommended. Then, we went to a hand station (yes our hands) where another team of professionals explained not only what products were being used on us, but how they were formulated, how the technology works etc...

And as someone who became a fan of Formula 1 because I was fascinated by the technology (as with MANY other fans), the concert of Dermalogica and Formula 1's brands suddenly clicked.

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Looking forward

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I can hope, not only as a creator in the F1 space, but as someone who has created a company in the motorsports space that the research, time, and intentionality that Dermalogica put in to the Las Vegas Grand Prix will be replicated by other brands, at other races, and become a standard practice in the sport.

At the end of the day, consumer brands are now a huge part of Formula 1, as with content creators and people who may not know much about the sport that we love so much. What makes Dermalogica different was their willingness to integrate both the 'niche' Formula 1 creators and the standard creators that align with their brand so that everyone could enjoy the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend and learn more about the sport from both the company and creator lenses.

It was also very important to see how Dermalogica utilized parts of their brand and identity to identify with the brand and identity of so many Formula 1 fans - focusing less on looking beautiful but more on WHY these products work, how they were created, and putting time and effort into engaging with F1 fans.

I look forward to seeing Dermalogica at more F1 races, and hope that other brands will follow suit during the 2025 season and beyond.