Vaseline wants to protect your nipples

Vaseline took its “safe from the chafe” positioning quite literally at the 2026 TCS London marathon, held on 26 April, stepping in as the "Official nipple protector" for one of running’s most awkward pain points.

The campaign, created by Ogilvy Singapore, sits under the brand’s global initiative “The nipple sponsorship” and supported more than 100,000 nipples across race weekend, as tens of thousands of runners took to the streets of London.

As part of the activation, Vaseline distributed its petroleum jelly products at the TCS London marathon running show from 22 to 25 April, alongside designated “Nip stops” along the 26.2-mile course on race day to help runners manage friction mid-run. The idea was simple: reduce chafing, reduce bleeding, and keep runners focused on the finish line rather than uncomfortable wardrobe friction.

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Nipple chafing, often referred to in running circles as “runner’s nipple”, remains a widely experienced but rarely discussed issue. Research cited by the brand shows that around 92% of marathon participants experience chafing during a race, with 67% reporting bleeding. Around one in three runners experience irritation specifically in the nipple area.

With marathon participation continuing to rise globally, Vaseline is positioning the issue as a preventable but overlooked part of race preparation, often secondary to training, hydration and nutrition.

The campaign forms part of a wider global rollout of “The nipple sponsorship”, which has been activated across running communities and events in cities including Singapore, Barcelona, Madrid, Rotterdam, Sydney and Hong Kong, with further expansion planned through the 2026 running season.

Beyond on-ground activations, Vaseline also extended the campaign into creator partnerships, “sponsoring” running influencers to share nipple care and skin protection tips alongside marathon training content. Participants include content creators Johnny Morillo, Andrew Wheatcroft, Gregor Macdonald, Lee Roberts, James Thomas, Calum Harris, Adam Moriarty and Jordan Izzett.

Ogilvy Singapore drew insights from the brand’s “Vaseline verified” platform, where community-submitted skincare hacks were tested and validated. Among them, nipple protection for runners emerged as a consistently effective but under-discussed use case for Vaseline Jelly.

The platform previously highlighted how real-world skincare hacks could be validated at scale, with this campaign extending that idea into one of the world’s most visible endurance events.

"'The nipple sponsorship' recognises a hack trusted for decades. This isn't about one race or one city. It's about Vaseline showing up for every runner, on every course, at every distance, and making sure no one suffers a pain that was always preventable. We're here to protect nipples, globally, and we're not shy about saying it," said Nathalia Amadeu, global brand director, Vaseline, Unilever. 

In tandem, Nicolas Courant, chief creative officer, Ogilvy Singapore said, "The moment you say 'Vaseline is sponsoring nipples,' you've already won the room, but the idea runs deeper than the laugh. This is a brand claiming ownership of a real, universal runner's truth that nobody else had the courage to name out loud. Runners across the world already rely on Vaseline for this, and now we're making it official, everywhere, not just at a finish line."

Aanchal Sethi, Asia managing Unilever at Ogilvy Singapore, noted the idea stemmed from insights surfaced through Vaseline’s “Verified” platform, which highlighted how closely communities share and validate everyday skincare hacks.

Among the most consistent themes was runners discussing nipple protection as a practical but overlooked use case. She added that the campaign builds on this behaviour-led insight, turning an existing community-driven solution into a broader brand platform by amplifying a truth already being used at scale.

The campaign builds on earlier efforts from the brand to turn community behaviour into structured innovation. Earlier this month, Vaseline rolled out “Vaseline originals (OGs)”, a global campaign developed with Ogilvy Singapore that transforms viral skincare hacks into actual product formats.

The initiative expands on the “Vaseline verified” platform, however, instead of stopping at verification, the brand is now moving into co-creation, translating user-invented shortcuts into shelf-ready products while crediting the original creators behind them. The launch draws inspiration from early digital beauty creators, including Jen Chae (@frmheadtotoe), who popularised a Vaseline brow-taming hack in 2008, and YouTube creator Lauren Luke (@laurenluke_panacea81), known for a Vaseline-based primer hack that made pro makeup techniques more accessible.

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