Batiste has launched a new campaign from Humanaut that draws on relatable moments when wash day feels inconvenient, from hectic mornings to post-workout touch-ups and getting ready away from home. The campaign launches in July across Peacock, YouTube, Spotify, TikTok, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat and Reddit and follows Humanaut’s appointment to the project in March 2026.
The agency deliberately moved away from the highly polished look common in traditional haircare advertising in favor of a more social-native style built around familiar experiences and understated humor. The campaign centers on three everyday scenarios, including a chaotic morning routine, refreshing after an unexpectedly intense workout and getting ready in a boyfriend’s sparsely stocked bathroom. In each case, the women have already packed Batiste with them, reinforcing the idea that dry shampoo is something they planned to use, not something they borrow in a moment of panic.
Humanaut also paid close attention to how the product itself appears on screen. Alongside the spray, the films linger on the familiar moment of working the product through the hair, or, as the campaign describes it, the “zhuzh.” Rather than inventing a new phrase, the agency drew on language already circulating in culture to spotlight a step that had largely been overlooked in category advertising. By making the “zhuzh” a recurring creative device, the campaign celebrates the moment people work the product into their hair, the point at which the instant refresh actually happens, while giving Batiste an opportunity to build stronger associations with a word that already resonates with consumers.
The campaign launches with a 30-second hero film supported by three 15-second films, three six-second cutdowns, static social assets, digital out-of-home creative and point-of-sale materials for Ulta stores.
“We wanted these stories to feel more real than traditional haircare advertising. That meant choosing relatable situations, embracing a little humor and actually showing the product working. The ‘zhuzh’ became an important part of that because it’s a genuine part of the experience and something we felt the category had largely skipped over,” said Bethany Maxfield, Executive Creative Director at Humanaut.
Humanaut also handled production for the campaign. Tessa Greenberg directed the films, with Daniel Andrade serving as director of photography.
