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Henkel Logo
With 13 professional beauty brands under its umbrella, Henkel Beauty Care Professional is pushing the boundaries of digital transformation.
At the helm of this evolution is Cedric Parsiegla, Director of eCommerce Sales & Digital Strategy - Henkel Beauty Care Professional North America, who is leading the charge in AI-driven marketing, social commerce, and data-driven customer engagement.
Speaking at eTail, Parsiegla broke down how Henkel is navigating new platforms like TikTok Shop, leveraging AI to refine marketing strategies, and overcoming operational roadblocks in digital transformation.
The takeaway? The beauty industry is undergoing rapid change, and brands that adapt fast will win.
AI-Driven Marketing: Enhancing Personalization & Timing
AI is reshaping how Henkel engages with customers, particularly in text message marketing for its B2B e-commerce platforms.
✅ AI-driven SMS campaigns were rolled out in October, just before the cyber rush.
✅ These campaigns focus on targeting customers at optimal engagement times.
✅ Results? Higher open rates, click-throughs, and conversions.
"We started implementing AI-driven text message marketing in October, just before the big cyber rush, and the results have been great.”
Henkel, as a massive global company, has to navigate strict legal reviews when implementing AI.
"AI and legal are a back-and-forth process. Every step requires careful approval,"
So while AI is a powerful tool, enterprise-scale implementation takes longer due to compliance and governance.
Henkel fully embraced TikTok Shop at the end of last year, onboarding all 13 brands.
Why? The explosive rise of short-form video and user-generated content (UGC).
✅ UGC Over Brand-Created Content:
"Having consumers speak about us rather than us creating content is a key part of our strategy," Parsiegla says.
✅ Lower Barriers for Stylists to Sell Products:
Affiliate & ambassador programs allow hairstylists to sell Henkel products via TikTok Shop without holding inventory.
✅ Faster Discoverability & Purchase Decisions
Brands that invest in video-first, socially-driven shopping experiences will have the edge.
Expanding Beyond TikTok: Pinterest & The Evolving Social Commerce Landscape
Henkel isn’t just betting on TikTok.
Parsiegla highlights Pinterest as a rising star for beauty brands, citing strong ROAs.
"Pinterest has been a very good performer for us in terms of ROAs, and we see potential for beauty on this platform,".
However, not all platforms are smooth sailing:
🚨 Instagram Shop & YouTube Shop Struggles:
Henkel’s biggest challenge? Their backend isn’t Shopify-based, which complicates social commerce integrations.
Brands on Shopify can activate Instagram Shop easily, but for Henkel, it’s a technical challenge.
"Most of our stores are not Shopify, so launching on Instagram Shop and YouTube Shop is harder. We’re exploring it for the brands that are Shopify-based."
Henkel’s Approach to Amazon & Marketplace Strategy
Interestingly, Henkel hasn’t been selling on Amazon for long.
This highlights a broader industry shift:
Amazon’s influence on beauty e-commerce is growing.
Brands are realizing they can’t ignore marketplace dominance.
Henkel is still refining its Amazon strategy while continuing to scale direct-to-consumer (DTC) efforts.
Amazon isn’t replacing Henkel’s other platforms—but it’s becoming a key part of their digital transformation.
Supporting Stylists in a Changing Salon Industry
Another major industry shift? Salons are reducing retail space.
✅ More space is allocated to services, not product shelves.
✅ Stylists need new ways to sell without carrying inventory.
✅ TikTok Shop’s ambassador program helps fill this gap.
"TikTok Shop is a perfect chance for this—stylists can be affiliates, earn commissions, and sell without holding stock," says Parsiegla.
This reimagines the role of stylists, ensuring they stay central to the beauty sales ecosystem.
Henkel’s strategy is a masterclass in digital adaptation:
✅ AI for smarter marketing (despite legal hurdles).
✅ Social commerce & TikTok Shop to reach new audiences.
✅ Pinterest & alternative platforms for high-ROAS campaigns.
✅ New sales models for stylists adapting to industry shifts.
🔹 Parsiegla’s advice?
"Take a step back, look at the rapid changes, and try to do the best you can. Everyone is figuring it out."
The brands that move quickly, experiment boldly and embrace social commerce & AI intelligently will win the next era of beauty e-commerce.
This is an AI-generated podcast based on our eTail interview with Cedric Parsiegla—not a direct recording.
📍The Big Question: Are Brands Measuring What Matters?
Across sessions and side conversations, one theme keeps coming up: marketers lack the tools to measure full-funnel impact
As channels fragment and platforms guard their data, brands need better ways to understand what’s working—whether that’s attribution, predictive modelling, or AI-driven measurement.
🚀 We’ll be digging deeper into this all week, so stay tuned.
💡 Want to chat about it? Let’s meet at eTail.
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Social Commerce: Why TikTok Shop is a Game-Changer