For one week in February, South African social media timelines were quietly hijacked by a question no one could quite answer. Who is “V”?
Creators began sharing unboxing videos filled with flowers, handwritten notes and carefully curated gifts. TikTok theories spiralled, Instagram comments turned into full-blown investigations and searches for “Who is V?” climbed fast. What started as a modern-day Valentine’s mystery soon revealed itself as something bigger and more intentional.
The reveal came at the end of February when Vaseline stepped forward as the brand behind the intrigue, officially launching its Soft Glow campaign and culminating the online courtship with an intimate real-world gathering, The Soft Glow Affair.
Rather than centring romance in its traditional sense, the campaign reframed Valentine’s month as a celebration of care, connection and softness shared between women.
From Secret Admirer to Soft Glow
In the days leading up to Galentine’s Day, “V” sent creators three surprise deliveries, mirroring the rhythm of a classic love story while shifting the focus toward friendship, self-love and community. Each drop was designed not just for the recipient, but for the audiences who followed along, turning the experience into a shared digital moment across TikTok and Instagram.
The final delivery revealed the full picture. An invitation to The Soft Glow Affair, hosted at Shepstone Gardens, where the softness that lived online was brought into a physical space.
“Soft Glow is about making care intentional and shared,” said Navini Ramsamie, Marketing Lead for Vaseline Southern Africa. “Women already create these supportive spaces online. This was about celebrating that energy together.”
Inside The Soft Glow Affair
The Soft Glow Affair translated the digital narrative into a sensorial experience rooted in sisterhood and ritual. Creators, media and guests moved through a carefully curated environment designed to slow things down and invite presence.
The experience featured interactive beauty moments where guests explored Vaseline Soft Glow textures and routines, styled content corners built for soft visuals and shared rituals that encouraged affirmation, reflection and connection. From toasts to photo moments with friends, the event leaned fully into the idea of softness as a collective experience.
The romantic, feminine aesthetic that had shaped the online rollout carried through the space, reinforcing the message that softness is not passive. It is intentional, communal and powerful.
Rethinking Valentine’s Month
By the end of the evening, the message was clear. This was not about waiting for love to arrive. It was about recognising the care women already give themselves and each other, every day.
Through Soft Glow, Vaseline is cultivating a new language around beauty and care, one where glowing, nourished skin is tied to confidence, community and emotional well-being. It positions skincare not as a routine to perfect, but as a ritual to share.
In a month often dominated by couples and grand gestures, The Soft Glow Affair offered something quieter and more resonant. A reminder that softness can be chosen, celebrated and multiplied when shared.