Herbal Essences taps into infomercial nostalgia to serve ‘scent traps’

• Herbal Essences today (Oct. 15) launched a brand new campaign, “Scent Traps,” that enlists “Love Island” personality Amaya Espinal, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
• The effort features Espinal in a series of videos inspired by infomercials of the Nineties and 2000s and features a social media sweepstakes that can see the brand give out Scent Trap kits.
• Created by Grey with support from Omnicom PR Group, “Scent Traps” gives a reality TV-powered spin on a type of social media post generally known as “thirst traps” while updating the brand’s suggestive marketing for brand new audiences.

Procter & Gamble’s Herbal Essences is refreshing the thought of “thirst traps” — photos shared, often on social media, for the aim of spurring desire — as “scent traps,” an olfactory tackle a cultural idea whose time might need passed. The effort taps into the brand’s iconic scents and their connection to memory and emotion, per research shared by the brand.

“This campaign captures the essence of what Herbal has all the time been known for—playfulness, nostalgia, and the unforgettable power of scent,” said Robert Reiss, vp of Herbal Essences North America, in a press release.

A 15-second “Scent Traps” video features Espinal — the breakout star of essentially the most recent season of reality hit “Love Island” — in a gauzy, pink-hued studio where she stands within the shower, flirts with a mannequin and leaves a scent trap in a paramour’s wallet. The spots pay homage to infomercials of the ‘90s and ‘00s and nod to a fictional “Herbal Essences Hair Shopping Network.” The creative, which spans digital and OOH, is inspired by retro TV, pop art and daring fashion.

Consumers can visit the brand’s website for a likelihood to win a Scent Trap kit that features shampoo, conditioner, a mini scent diffuser and a “Tips and Tricks” booklet. The kit includes the brand’s Rose Hips shampoo, a bottle of which is sold every two seconds, per sales data shared by the brand.

While flirty and playful, the campaign takes a distinct approach than the brand’s memorable ads from the ‘90s and 2000s that featured women moaning suggestively while using the product — a template the brand in 2014 utilized with singer Nicole Scherzinger. 

Brands including Bud Light and Dr. Squatch have fashioned ads after infomercials, while others, including Dunkin, Doritos and DoorDash have gotten suggestive in 2025. Meanwhile, General Mills parodied “Love Island” and types including Motto by Hilton and Temptations have tapped other personalities from the show.

Parent company P&G saw organic sales grow in fiscal 12 months 2025, with hair care products up low single digits. The company continues to emphasize performance and value in its promoting, according to President and CEO Jon Moeller.

“We want our ads to be as entertaining as they might be, but not to the extent that they compromise right to the guts of the matter performance and value message,” the chief said on a call discussing the earnings.