The Drum

Jun 19, 2023

April 12, 2022 | 7 min read

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American personal care brand Schick has unveiled a cheeky campaign to promote its new bamboo razor, featuring 2 Broke Girls star Beth Behrs. The spot jeers at condescending environmentalism while promoting the small switchover to a more sustainable grooming tool.

Schick is shooing green-shaming with its razor / Schick

Schick today launched a campaign to spotlight Schick Intuition Bamboo – its new, more sustainable razor featuring a bamboo handle, 75% recycled steel blades, 100% recyclable and sustainably-sourced paperboard packaging and, per the new ad, almost no plastic waste. The campaign stars Beth Behrs, who is best known for her role as Caroline Channing in the CBS sitcom 2 Broke Girls.

The brand worked in collaboration with Edelman to concept and develop the campaign, which is centered on what Schick has dubbed “greentimidation” – the notion that switching over to more sustainable products and habits can seem intimidating, particularly amid widespread wokeness and “green-shaming.”

A post shared by Schick Intuition (@schickintuition)

In the minute-long spot, Behrs embodies an overexaggerated brand of stereotypical health-obsessed, green-conscious consumer. She drinks green juice, uses raw mushrooms as a facial product, does her business in a “custom-made composting vase” and brags about her “spin-powered water heater” as she pedals on a stationary bike. “The rush I get from helping our gracious Mother Earth – it’s indescribable,” she beams.

Luckily, after all the gloating, she presents the Schick Intuition Bamboo as a non-intimidating, easy way to cut plastic waste and make a simple daily routine more environmentally-friendly.

"We have heard from our consumers that ‘green-shaming’ and socially-led ‘eco-guilt’ makes them feel that their efforts aren’t... 'big enough' to truly make an impact," says Melissa Rossi, brand manager of strategy at Edgewell Personal Care, Schick's parent company. "Our hope through this campaign is to end the feeling of ‘green guilt’ and instead normalize celebrating the small changes, because even the smallest choices eventually add up to make a difference."

The new razors can be purchased in a package with one bamboo handle for every three blade cartridges — another effort to reduce waste.

The initiative is part of Edgewell Personal Care’s broader sustainability efforts. In 2020, the company – which owns a handful of other care brands including Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic, Playtex and Wet Ones – unveiled a set of ambitious goals, including 10 high-level commitments and 27 unique targets that it aims to hit by 2030. These include switching to 100% renewable electricity, using 100% recyclable, compostable or reusable plastic packaging and reducing waste by 10%.

The company believes product innovations such as the new Schick Intuition Bamboo razor will propel Edgewell nearer these goals. “These new razors are a great example of how we are innovating and expanding our product offerings in the market, embedding sustainability into our product and packaging design and bringing even more joy to consumers," said Amy Knight, vice president of global sustainability at Edgewell, in a statement shared upon the product's launch earlier this month.

The new campaign could also help Edgewell drive Schick sales, adding to strong performance reported in early February in the company’s Q1 report. Per the filing, sales across its portfolio grew 2.7% in the first quarter, to $463.3m.

The new campaign launches today on both Shick’s and Behr’s social channels.

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