Reddit is leaning further into shopping at a moment when beauty discovery is being reshaped by how consumers search, ask and validate information online.
At Shoptalk 2026, the company introduced new tools tied to its Dynamic Product Ads business, including Collection Ads that combine lifestyle imagery with shoppable product tiles, as well as Reddit-specific overlays that highlight signals like “Redditors’ Top Pick” or surface discounts. The update follows a sharp rise in commercial activity on the platform: Reddit reported a 40% year-over-year increase in high-intent shopping conversations, while 84% of users say they feel more confident in purchases after researching there.
“Especially among Gen Z and millennials, intent has become something new when we’re drowning in this sea of content,” said Anna Haffner, who oversees retail and beauty partnerships at Reddit. “They’re actively de-influencing themselves, if you will, and using Reddit threads as the final sanity check before buying.”
That behavior is particularly pronounced in beauty, where purchase decisions depend on nuance. Reddit says beauty-related conversations tied to shopping have increased by about 60% year over year, driven by users asking highly specific questions about product performance, ingredients and results across different skin and hair types.
“I think that’s really emblematic of the type of intent you find in the mindset of the user on Reddit, versus other feed-based environments where they might be more passively scrolling,” Haffner said.
Some brands are starting to adapt their marketing to match that behavior.
Haffner pointed to an example from MAC Cosmetics in January, when the brand posted a simple prompt asking Reddit users which discontinued products the brand should bring back. The post generated close to 1,000 detailed responses, surfacing specific product feedback and emotional connections that later informed campaign creative and messaging.
At the same time, these types of conversations are extending far beyond Reddit. As AI-powered search tools become a more common entry point for product research, Reddit content is increasingly shaping the answers consumers see. Industry analyses over the past year have shown that large language models like ChatGPT and Perplexity frequently cite Reddit among their top sources, alongside platforms like YouTube, publisher sites and forums, because of its depth, specificity and conversational tone.
That dynamic is not limited to Reddit. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok and long-form reviews on publisher sites are also feeding into AI-generated responses, particularly for tutorials, demonstrations and expert-led content.
That change has not gone unnoticed by brands.
“We do know that this a feeder for LLMs,” said Emily Barfoot, head of Dove U.S. hair and skin care. “When the consumer is searching for content, [ChatGPT] is also pulling from sources like Reddit.”
Dove’s recent “r/eal reviews” Reddit campaign, launched in February in the U.S., was built around that insight. The brand identified an existing Reddit conversation about its Intensive Repair 10-in-1 Serum Hair Mask and chose to amplify it rather than introduce a new campaign narrative. It invited users to test the product and committed to publishing the first 50 reviews on its website and social channels, regardless of sentiment. It then amplified those comments through out-of-home placements in New York’s Flatiron District, social posts and product mailers.
“We really wanted to go deliberately, building on what was already happening and letting the consumer [feedback] take the lead,” Barfoot said.
The campaign generated hundreds of pieces of user-generated content, more than 100,000 UGC impressions and over 20 million views, while contributing to triple-digit sales growth in the brand’s hair treatment segment within the first month. It reflected Unilever’s broader social strategy, focused on community-led content and transparency.
“The whole shift of social-first marketing demands that you’re leveraging the voices of others and putting your brand in the hands of others,” Barfoot said.
One of the strongest underlying themes from the conversations with Barfoot and Haffner is that Reddit is increasingly factoring into decision-making and AI strategy.
Haffner’s framing of users “de-influencing” themselves and looking for a “human answer,” combined with Reddit being “the largest collection of human conversation,” according to Haffner, positions the platform as uniquely valuable in an LLM-driven search environment. At the same time, Barfoot highlights the tradeoff for brands; leaning into Reddit requires giving up some control, while also unlocking product insight and credibility.
For categories like hair repair, where consumers are actively researching compatibility and results, that volume of real-world feedback plays a role beyond a campaign itself. It feeds into how products surface in both traditional search and AI-generated answers, reinforcing visibility at the moment of decision.
“It’s something that people want to go and search and read about: ‘Does it work for my hair type or my hair porosity level?’” Barfoot said.
For Reddit, the goal is to translate that behavior into a more direct commerce opportunity without disrupting the way users engage. The new ad formats are designed to sit within conversations, not interrupt them, pairing community validation with clearer paths to purchase.
That approach comes with risk. Across threads in communities like r/technology, r/gamedev and r/AskReddit, users have repeatedly pushed back on ads that mimic organic posts too closely, calling out formats that blur the line between genuine discussion and paid promotion. For a platform built on perceived authenticity, that tension raises questions about how far brands can integrate into conversations without eroding the trust that makes those conversations valuable in the first place.
“At the end of the day, [customers] are really looking for a human answer [when shopping],” Haffner said.
