Nipple licking and a flaccid penis! A ground breaking approach to marketing skin care……..…Or soft porn?

Last night I attended ap rivate viewing of REN Skin care’s 18+ Love Clean Skin viral. I was extremely excited to be invited, I adore Ren’s line clean yet potent and high tech skin care!

There are some great products working their way to the shelves and I will let you know how I get on with their Bio Retinoid Anti-Ageing Concentrate, Clarifying Toning Lotion and Revitalising Sun Veil!

 

As I sat amongst beauty writers and editors at the viewing I felt the emotion of the room. Starting at anticipation and quickly transforming into shock and awkwardness as everything was revealed and I make no qualms when I say everything!

The provocative film gives a fly on the wall glimpse at the passion of 2 young lovers who are artfully captured undressing and making love in a fjord in Sweden.

You are loosely reminded that skin is the forefront of this message as the couple cling on to each others flesh.

After the brief river romp the couple sit naked on a rock, “how do you feel?” he asks her “Clean” she smiles. Clean translates as REN in Swedish; a nice touch of brand reinforcement.

The honesty and boldness of the film is metaphorical of the ethos’s of the brand ut is this beautifully artful and genuinely evocative or a cheap way of using sex and sensationalism for self promotion?

The creative director Danny Brooke Taylor expressed “It’s about saying I’m happy with my skin, and I’m going to care for it, show it off. Touch someone’s skin that I love and celebrate it.”

My initial reaction was an extremely British, prudish blush. Speaking to others who have watched the video I have heard it described as beautiful, offensive and even soft porn.

As the fuchsia tones gradually drained from my cheeks I was left pretty speechless but actually surprisingly impressed.

Shock factor is obviously the route REN followed whilst creating this viral. I wanted personally to see a stronger link to skin care (even though you do see more skin than you’d expect…)

It wasn’t  selling the brand to me, I liked the thought process behind the film but I did find this video refreshing to the usual images of impossibly perfect, slightly overexposed and painfully airbrushed smouldering teenager or the cheesy, jazz hands in the air bounce and smile of a “real woman” (who are more often than not stunning, perfectly proportioned, cellulite free plus sized models) as alternatives.

What do you think of REN’s viral video?Let me know your thoughts.

The twitter hash tag is #lovecleanskin @renskincare