Clairol Marks 95 Years With Chicago Women Featured in Anniversary Film
Clairol is celebrating 95 years in the hair color industry with the launch of She Does, a short documentary film featuring four longtime customers who share their personal stories, beauty rituals, and connections to the iconic hair color brand.
The anniversary campaign revisits Clairol’s groundbreaking question, “Does she… or doesn’t she?” first introduced in 1956, when coloring hair was often considered a private matter. Nearly seven decades later, the brand is transforming its famous slogan into a celebration of women embracing their beauty choices with confidence.
For generations, women kept their hair color routines private, whether covering gray strands or maintaining a signature shade. Today, conversations around beauty and personal expression have evolved, and Clairol’s anniversary campaign recognizes the women who have trusted the brand through different stages of their lives.
“Years ago, we asked a question the world wasn’t ready to answer out loud yet,” said Caitlin Yacey, head of Clairol marketing. “She Does is for them — the woman who found her shade and never looked back, the one who dyes her hair with Clairol, just like her 104-year-old grandmother, the one whose roots are her ritual.”
Yacey added that the film was created to give longtime customers the opportunity to share their own experiences and reflect on the brand’s lasting place in their lives.
Four Women, Four Stories of Confidence
At the center of She Does are four longtime Clairol users whose relationships with hair color reflect different experiences, personal milestones, and expressions of identity.
Bettylynn Koules: After more than 30 years of using Clairol, Koules has relied on Nice’n Easy and now ColorStrong Medium Brown as her go-to shades through different chapters of her life.
Paula Leland: The youngest of three sisters and the first to go gray, Leland embraces her silver strands on her own terms while using Clairol Textures & Tones in Silken Black.
Erin Rieselman: Introduced to at-home hair coloring by her hairstylist mother, Rieselman has made coloring her hair with Nice’n Easy Soft Black a personal ritual that continues to connect her to the woman who taught her.
Debra Leland: Following a battle with cancer, Leland rediscovered confidence through her hair, incorporating Clairol Textures & Tones in Honey Blonde into her journey back to herself.
Filmed through intimate, unscripted conversations, the documentary explores the moments and memories attached to each woman’s hair color journey. From purchasing a first box of dye at 15 to embracing a new look after overcoming cancer, their stories highlight how beauty routines can become meaningful parts of personal identity.
The campaign also includes individual documentary portraits that offer a closer look at each woman’s world, her hair care rituals, and the role hair color plays in her life.
Rieselman reflected on the freedom women now have to make their own decisions about their hair, whether choosing to cover gray strands or embrace them.
“I think that women in particular have taken back some of that power to say, ‘Yeah, I’m going to dye my hair and, on the opposite end of that, yes, I’m going to go fully gray and embrace it,’” Rieselman said. “I think the beauty of the dichotomy of being able to do both as a woman without that external criticism is the goal.”
A Legacy of Beauty Innovation
Founded in 1931, Clairol helped bring at-home hair coloring to consumers through products sold in retail stores. Over the decades, the brand has introduced recognizable innovations, including Nice’n Easy, Natural Instincts, and Root Touch-Up, expanding options for consumers looking to maintain or change their hair color at home.
With She Does, Clairol reimagines one of its most recognizable advertising lines, shifting the question from a conversation about secrecy to an affirmation of personal choice. The campaign celebrates the women who have incorporated the brand into their routines and the evolving relationship between beauty, confidence, and self-expression.
The documentary will be featured across Clairol’s owned social media channels, with additional support from social and creator partners.
To learn more about Clairol and explore its hair color products, visit www.clairol.com and follow the brand on TikTok and Instagram.
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