It all started with a single, cryptic post on a Friday afternoon. The kind that makes PR managers sweat and fans hit the refresh button frantically. Kriti Sanon was stepping down as Chief Customer Officer of Hyphen.
The now-deleted announcement post sent shockwaves through the beauty community. Comments sections turned into a digital wake. Was there a fallout? Was she moving on to a bigger rival? In an era where celebrity-led brands are often dismissed as ‘vanity projects,’ Kriti had been the face of Hyphen’s authenticity. Her sudden ‘exit’ felt like the brand had lost its heartbeat.
For 48 hours, Hyphen let the speculation simmer. They didn’t delete the comments; they didn’t issue a ‘clarification.’ They let the public’s emotional investment do the heavy lifting. The takeaway was clear: the audience didn’t just like the products; they were deeply tied to Kriti’s role in creating them.
On Sunday, the ‘revelation’ arrived. Kriti wasn’t gone. In a playful post, the brand revealed the truth: she hadn’t left her post. Rather, she was expanding it. Not only was she still the CCO, she had also clinched the title of the Chief SPF Officer.
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The plot was a long-run journey, which ended with a campaign film that brought the SPF Police character to life through a humorous everyday scenario. The film shows Kriti stepping into her authoritative yet witty SPF Police role, catching a gym-goer attempting to step outdoors without sunscreen. Just in time, Sanon intervenes and hands her Hyphen’s All I Need Sunscreen, which arrives instantly via Blinkit, reinforcing the campaign’s message that there is no excuse to skip sunscreen before stepping out.
Through this multi-stage rollout, from the unexpected twist to the campaign film reveal, the brand not only sparked conversations around Sanon’s new role but also encouraged audiences to talk about one of the most commonly overlooked steps in skincare: making sunscreen a daily essential.
Link to the campaign:
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Speaking about the campaign, Kriti Sanon, Co-Founder and Chief Customer Officer at Hyphen, said, “Hyphen has always been deeply personal for me because I’m involved not just as a Co-Founder, but as someone who genuinely cares about what our community needs from skincare every day. One habit I keep talking about is sunscreen because it’s often the easiest to forget and the most important to follow. So when the team came up with the idea of me becoming the ‘SPF Police’, I thought it was a fun way to remind people that skincare can be effective, simple and enjoyable at the same time.”
Speaking about Kriti’s continued role in the brand, Vaishali Gupta, Co-Founder and Chief Growth Officer at Hyphen, added, “Kriti has been deeply involved in shaping Hyphen from the very beginning, bringing a strong understanding of our customers and playing an active role across product ideation, formulation, and brand communication. She will always remain the Chief Customer Officer, staying closely connected to our consumers and what they truly need from the brand. The ‘SPF Police’ avatar is simply a fun extension of that involvement, finding creative ways to encourage better skincare habits while staying rooted in the insights we receive from our customers.”
