Unilever’s K18 is bringing beauty influencing to an unexpected platform: LinkedIn.

The haircare company is working with LinkedIn influencer marketing firm Creator Authority to partner with two LinkedIn influencers, Jade Walters and Elvi Caperonis, to give away a K18 product haul and a mentorship by the creators to two members of each of their respective communities.

“There are influential creators everywhere and people haven’t really tapped into LinkedIn creators before,” said Diana Martinez, the director of influencer relations at K18. “We wanted to be one of the first.”

Martinez doesn’t think LinkedIn is an unlikely place for beauty influencer marketing.

“Beauty and hair are about more than just appearance,” she said. “When you feel your best, you do your best which boosts your confidence throughout your life, including your career.”

LinkedIn is largely underutilized in consumer marketing, while beauty influencer marketing on TikTok and Instagram is so cluttered, brands have to get creative to stand out.

“What wouldn’t be perceived as totally out-of-the-box on Instagram or TikTok is novel and so much more exciting on LinkedIn, because no one is doing that stuff,” said Brandon Gahan, the CEO and co-founder of Creator Authority.

LinkedIn, with over 1 billion users worldwide, also has what Gahan describes as a “premium audience” of affluent professionals. “The average household income on LinkedIn is much higher than any of the other platforms and it’s where B2B decision makers are spending a bulk of their time,” he said. 

LinkedIn didn’t comment in time for publication.

The campaign is still in its early days, and while Martinez and Gahan are seeing positive feedback so far, they are waiting until the end to see how the campaign resonates with LinkedIn users. Gahan from Creator Authority sees the campaign as a big learning opportunity. The campaign is now entering its next phase, when Walters and Caperonis document their mentorship of the giveaway winners on the platform.

LinkedIn’s growing video content initiative could also lead to more B2C marketing campaigns. Video content increased 34% year-over-year from October 2023 to 2024, and it generates 1.4 times more engagement. Both Walters and Caperonis posted videos to the platform to promote the giveaway.

“I think we’re going to see more and more consumer brands on LinkedIn,” said Gahan.