The beauty and personal care sector on TikTok is dazzling, with frequent viral hits. Its profound influence and vast market potential cannot be underestimated. From the perspective of subcategories, there are still gaps in the care market; for example, products like body cleansing scrubs and shower gels do not have a clear advantage.

Against this backdrop, there is one brand that, after a long period of silence, suddenly went viral and regained popularity on TikTok, with video views exceeding 1.2 billion and revenue surpassing $200 million, achieving a brand rebirth.

This brand isTree Hut.

How did it leverage scrubs to stand out on TikTok?

Since 2002, Tree Hut has been committed to providing consumers with affordable and high-quality body care products, among which the shea sugar scrub has become the brand's signature product.

Initially, Tree Hut chose to partner with well-known retailer Ulta Beauty. As the brand's influence grew, it successively entered large retail chains such as Target and Walmart, while also opening an official store on Amazon and establishing an independent site for dual traffic generation.

In June 2021, Tree Hut decided to operate its brand on TikTok, but the response was poor, with both traffic and data at a low point. As a result, Tree Hut shifted its marketing focus to Instagram. By 2022, Tree Hut reassessed market dynamics and decisively decided to refocus its marketing efforts on TikTok.

Unexpectedly, this strategic adjustment changed Tree Hut's fate. That year, Tree Hut achieved an EMV (a calculation method for social buzz, search, and purchase value) of $10.5 million on TikTok, a year-on-year increase of 40%, marking the brand's complete rebirth.

The Road to TikTok Revival

Currently, Tree Hut's TikTok account @treehut has 1.8 million followers and an ER (engagement rate) of 4%. This achievement already places it among the top accounts in the same sector.

Of course, Tree Hut's success on TikTok is not a stroke of luck, but the result of the brand's interaction with the TikTok community. This approach not only increased brand awareness but also greatly enhanced user stickiness. Through carefully designed content and sincere interaction with users, Tree Hut successfully established its brand position on TikTok.

TikTok account @treehut data overview. Source: Echtik

1. Unique Product Presentation

Since TikTok is a visual and auditory platform, sensory experiences like scent are difficult to convey directly. Tree Hut concretizes scent by showcasing the delicate texture, flow, and viscosity of its products, visually communicating these qualities to consumers and compensating for the challenge of digitizing scent.

Moreover, Tree Hut deeply understands TikTok users' love for visual and sensory stimulation. The @treehut account's video production emphasizes the unique texture and shine of its shea sugar scrub.

This intuitive short video approach to showcasing product charm has earned Tree Hut widespread praise and enthusiastic following on the platform.

Videos posted by TikTok account @treehut

2. Deep Exploration of Mid-tier Influencers

Tree Hut's promotion strategy on TikTok is very wise. Not only does it rely on top influencers, but it also deeply explores mid-tier influencers, leveraging those with close relationships with their followers to add more authenticity and appeal to the brand.

For example, TikTok mid-tier influencer @realemilyfitzgerald posted a Tree Hut promotion video, using a before-and-after emotional contrast to indirectly showcase the benefits of the scrub, garnering 385,100 views. This video style, which is close to users' daily lives, greatly increases user interest and translates into actual purchasing power.

Video posted by TikTok influencer @realemilyfitzgerald

3. Viral Content Spread

According to data from September 2024, the hashtag #treehutsugarscrub on TikTok has attracted participation from over 3,600 videos, while the brand's exclusive hashtag #treehut has sparked even more discussion, accumulating 10,000 videos and 62.91 million views. This content spreads rapidly like a virus across the platform, greatly enhancing brand awareness.

At the same time, user-generated content (UGC) has also provided strong support for the product's hot sales and the formation of a positive reputation.

Tree Hut hashtag status on TikTok

4,Authentic Interaction, Bringing Users Closer

In addition to product showcase videos, they also highlight employees' daily lives as a major feature of the account. Most TikTok videos promoting Tree Hut products are self-directed and performed by the company's internal three-person social media team, who produce about six videos per week.

In these videos, to create a friendly and everyday atmosphere, employees' small mistakes or imperfect editing are often retained. This kind of authentic and unpretentious content has instead won users' affection and trust.

On TikTok, a platform full of youthful energy, Tree Hut has demonstrated how to achieve this by deeply understanding the target audience, creating engaging content, and building sincere community interaction.

As social media platforms like TikTok continue to develop, brands must constantly innovate and adapt to maintain connections with the younger generation. In the future, we look forward to more brands exploring new possibilities on social media, jointly driving industry innovation and development.

Ps: If companies want to collaborate with influencers, feel free to contact TuKe. We will wholeheartedly provide you with high-quality influencer services.

Image source: TuKe Going Global