A self-directed concept case study built around Haus Labs by Lady Gaga — not real client work. The Triclone Skin Tech Foundation turned #hauslabsfoundation into a near-10-billion-view TikTok phenomenon in the US, and Haus Labs launched exclusively in the UK via Sephora in June 2023. I imagined picking up social media and content strategy for that UK launch: adapting a proven US format into a creator programme, content calendar and measurement framework built for UK TikTok and Instagram.
In the US, the Triclone Skin Tech Foundation didn't just sell out — it became a genuine TikTok phenomenon. #hauslabsfoundation has racked up close to 10 billion views, and a single launch post for the brand's "Foundation Challenge" drove 9.7 million views on its own, with a roster of US creators amplifying it within days. When Haus Labs launched exclusively at Sephora UK in June 2023 — in-store at Westfield White City and online at sephora.co.uk — the brand faced a different problem: UK beauty TikTok has its own creators, humour and trend cycles, and a US-built campaign can't simply be reposted into a new market. For this concept project, the brief was to design a UK-specific content and creator strategy that borrowed the proven format — challenge-style UGC, ingredient storytelling, high-glam brand voice — while building credibility with a UK audience from day one.
Adapt the Foundation Challenge format — UGC, trending sounds, the duet mechanic — for UK creator culture, rather than reposting the US campaign's assets.
Plan a launch-month content calendar across TikTok and Instagram that balances always-on brand content with creator and UGC spikes around the Sephora UK launch date.
Define a measurement framework — views, engagement rate, UGC volume, earned media value — that shows whether the US virality could plausibly repeat in a new market.
In this concept role as social media & content strategist, I'd own the UK content strategy end-to-end: defining content pillars rooted in the brand's "high-tech, high-pigment" identity (the Triclone formula's fermented-arnica skincare story, its 51-shade range, and Lady Gaga's "Haus" aesthetic), building a launch-month content calendar across TikTok and Instagram, briefing a UK creator roster for a localised Foundation Challenge, and setting up the measurement framework to track what worked.
Together they cover education, inclusivity, community and brand voice — the mix that made the US launch work, rebuilt for a UK audience.
Reframe the Triclone formula's skincare-meets-makeup story — fermented arnica, lightweight buildable coverage — as fast, visual "science bit" content, not a clinical explainer.
Turn the 51-shade range into an inclusivity story: shade-match try-ons and UGC that show the range working across a wide spread of skin tones — a UK audience expects to see itself represented.
Localise the US "Foundation Challenge" format — UGC, trending sounds, the duet mechanic — with a UK creator cast and UK-relevant audio, rather than reposting the US campaign.
Carry the brand's high-glam, futuristic "Haus" aesthetic through the UK brand account's own voice and behind-the-scenes content — without relying on global channels to carry a single-market launch.
| Day | TikTok | Pillar | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | GRWM: "your skin but better"30-second get-ready-with-me using the Triclone foundation, built around a trending UK audio. | Same GRWM cross-posted to Reels, with a carousel breaking down the look's products. | Skin Science |
| Tue | Shade-match duetUK creator finds her match across all 51 shades and duets the brand's shade-finder demo. | Story poll — "which of these 6 shades is closest to you?" linking to the full 51-shade range. | Shade Match |
| Wed | The science bit, ep. 145-second explainer on fermented arnica and what "Triclone" means for skin. | Carousel — ingredient breakdown infographic, saved to a permanent Highlights tab. | Skin Science |
| Thu | #HausLabsUK Foundation Challenge — launchBrand account posts the challenge with a UK-cast soundtrack, inviting duets. | Reel teaser + link-in-bio to the Sephora UK product page. | Foundation Challenge |
| Fri | Creator response waveFirst wave of UK creator duets/responses to Thursday's challenge go live. | Brand Stories repost the strongest creator clips as they land. | Foundation Challenge |
| Sat | Launch night, behind the HausBrand-voice clip from the Sephora Westfield White City launch night — black, chrome, high-glam. | Static carousel of in-store launch photography. | Gaga Energy |
| Sun | Week one round-upStitch/duet recap of the best #HausLabsUK posts from the week, teasing week two. | Reel recap + Story countdown to the next content drop. | Foundation Challenge |
An 18-creator UK roster — a mix of micro (10K–100K) and mid-tier (100K–500K) skincare-led and "get ready with me" accounts — briefed to duet the brand's Foundation Challenge post within 48 hours of launch, using #HausLabsUK and a consistent shade-match call-to-action.
Covering three of the four content pillars — skin science, the Foundation Challenge, and brand voice.
These figures are illustrative projections for this concept project — modelled on what a UK creator-led launch could plausibly achieve, calibrated down from the US campaign's global scale to a single-market launch month. Not Haus Labs' or Sephora's real results.
TikTok & Instagram, 28-day launch window
vs ~2.1% category benchmark
Across the launch month, brand & creator combined
From the 18-creator UK programme
Localising the Foundation Challenge format — the UGC, sound and duet mechanic — for UK creators mattered more than translating or repurposing the US campaign's actual creative.
A UK creator cast leaning toward "is it worth the hype?" honest-review framing felt like a better fit than pure excitement, which is how the US market responded to a celebrity-led launch.
The Triclone / fermented arnica story needed a recurring "science bit" micro-series to land, rather than one explainer buried in a launch-week calendar.
Brand and creator content sharing one tag (#HausLabsUK) from the first post made UGC volume and earned media value measurable from week one — a lesson that'd apply to any creator-led launch.