Suave Goes Social-First With New "Ex" Foliating Body Wash Campaign Built for Gen Z

Mar. 10, 2026

Suave launched Smell Like Your Ex(foliating Body Wash), a new social-first campaign created in partnership with global social-first creative agency Born Social. The push supports the launch of Suave’s new exfoliating body wash collection, marking the 89-year-old brand’s inaugural social-first campaign.

Breaking on March 1, the campaign signals a clear evolution in Suave’s marketing playbook to social- and culture-first storytelling to power the launch of its newest Exfoliating Body Wash. The work spotlights the brand’s commitment to quality and accessibility, bringing Suave’s There’s More To It positioning to life within this fast-growing product category.

Built on a cultural insight gleaned from social listening, the campaign plays into the shared experience of exes and the lingering clothing and scent that instantly brings old relationships back to life. The central idea encourages letting go of your ex - starting with their hoodie - and replacing it with a scent that’s actually worth keeping. It sits at the intersection of emotional baggage, Gen Z’s interests in thrift culture, and the exfoliating, scent-led benefit of the product. The thrift concept also nods to Suave’s long-standing focus on everyday affordability.

Tina Ghory, Senior Director, Consumer Engagement at Suave said:

“This campaign marks an important moment for Suave as we launch our new exfoliating body wash collection and take a modern approach to connecting with Gen Z by hacking into their feeds through entertainment. Smell Like Your Ex(foliating Body Wash) reflects how we’re evolving as a brand and showing up differently, speaking the language of this audience and bringing our There’s More To It positioning to life in a way that feels relevant, accessible and native to social.”

 

The campaign launches with a hero social film and three vignettes set inside a local thrift store called The Ex-Change. Shot like a throwback, homemade thrift-store commercial, the film follows a deadpan store representative as she wanders the aisles addressing the camera. Customers line up clutching items left behind by their exes, from stained overalls to oversized novelty items, as tongue-in-cheek sections categorize different “ex” archetypes. The film culminates with a customer trading in her ex’s hoodies and receiving a fresh hoodie and Suave Exfoliating Body Wash, ending on a knowingly awkward product reveal that positions the body wash as an empowered upgrade to smelling like your ex.

Directed by Tessa Greenberg, selected for her comedy and improv experience, the campaign prioritized casting social comedians rather than traditional actors, with time built in for ad-libbing and freestyling. The talent reflects a diverse range of backgrounds, relationships and expressions, with Greenberg closely involved in casting and performance shaping throughout the process.

Paddy Smith, Chief Creative Officer at Born Social added:

“This campaign shows what it looks like when social leads the thinking from the start. By treating social as a space for brand building, not just content distribution, we were able to ground the idea in Gen Z culture and shape the work in a way that feels native to how people actually engage with brands today.”

 

Visually, the work is defined by heightened color drawn from the four product fragrances – Strawberry Delight, Citrus Blossom, Pistachio Cream, and Vanilla Suede - with the different scents amplified through art direction, color and texture. The campaign includes a launch film for social, and a suite of supporting social-first assets.

The campaign will run across U.S. social platforms, supported by merchandise drops and mailers. Media buying was handled by Stella Rising.