EXCLUSIVE: Alix Earle Is ‘Un-expiring’ Pantene’s Newest Drop

Alix Earle and Pantene are joining forces.

The Miami-based influencer has teamed up with the mass market hair care brand to launch a limited-edition “Unexpired Pantene” collection dropping Wednesday.

The collaboration comes after Earle, 25, posted a video on TikTok in December that began with her posing the question, “how come when I come home and use my expired Pantene shampoo and conditioner, my hair feels softer than it’s ever felt….I’m starting to think maybe I need to switch back.”

The 25-second video, which has since garnered more than 7 million views on TikTok and 600,000-plus likes, set off a wave of discourse regarding the benefits of drugstore versus prestige hair care, with others sharing their own affordable hair care favorites to the platform. In the weeks following the viral video, a number of Pantene’s bestsellers, including its Pro-V collection, saw sales lifts exceeding 20 percent as a result of the conversation.

“Over the past few years, I’ve put a lot of stress on what the ‘fanciest’ products I could use are, thinking those are what would ultimately be best for my hair,” said Earle, for whom Pantene was a childhood hair care staple, in an email to WWD. “When I went home for the holidays and used the old Pantene in my mom’s house, I realized my hair felt so good, and that I would rather go with what feels right for me versus what the public was saying.”

Earle’s message aligned with that of Pantene’s previously launched “If You Know, You Know” creator campaign, which similarly presented the brand’s core offerings as commensurate to higher-priced alternatives.

“What Alix did was naturally supercharge a conversation that was happening online, and our team activated very quickly to jump on it and keep it going,” said Rob Reiss, vice president, North America hair and disruptive innovation at P&G Beauty. “We knew that the magic in that post was Alix, and we started a conversation with her, which is where we came up on the idea of ‘unexpired’ Pantene, with the products being handpicked based on Alix’s own routine.”

The collection consists of a mystery shampoo and conditioner duo that retail for $9.99 each and are encased in limited-edition white-and-gold packaging plastered with the opening quote from Earle’s video. The collection, which features existing Pantene products that will be revealed at launch, will be available for purchase via Pantene’s website.

“Pantene is about offering great products at a great value that delivers on the hair health consumers are looking for — going back to that tried-and-true benefit is where we’ve found success,” Reiss said.