Exclusive: Fenty Beauty launches WhatsApp AI Advisor, making messaging the beauty industry’s next commerce channel

“We have always wanted to partner more deeply with Meta,” said Nanette Wong, Fenty’s global vice president of marketing and communications. “WhatsApp is so widely used around the world, and community and accessibility are important to us, so we’re always thinking of new ways to connect with them.”

The brand has spent the last few years experimenting across digital platforms, including activations on gaming platforms. But messaging introduces another layer of interaction.

“What I really liked about this product is that you can have more of a one-on-one connection,” Wong said. “It feels more intimate and conversational than looking at a site or digging through Reddit. It’s very tailored to what users are looking for.”

Within the chat, users can ask questions about their skin concerns, take quizzes, and explore products from Fenty Beauty, Fenty Skin, and Fenty Hair. The assistant returns product suggestions along with creator videos and customer reviews. Wong said the focus on highlighting community content is intentional.

For Meta, the partnership reflects a broader push to expand how businesses use messaging.

A WhatsApp spokesperson said: “We’re excited to partner with Fenty Beauty to bring ‘Rose Amber’ to life on WhatsApp.” “We saw an opportunity to help them do what we do best: start conversations with their loyal customer base.”

“In many places around the world, WhatsApp has become a way of life,” the spokesperson added. “Every day, people have more than 1 billion active threads with businesses across Meta’s messaging platforms, and nearly 80% of people worldwide message businesses at least once a week.”

In some markets, these conversations go far beyond customer service and extend into in-app transactions. In Delhi, users can buy metro tickets to the airport and check-in for flights on WhatsApp. In Brazil, more than 20% of L’Oréal’s direct-to-consumer online sales are done through conversational commerce on its apps, where the company uses chat-based interactions to guide purchases and answer questions in real time, The New Yorker reported. The company also found that WhatsApp was six times more effective than email at converting abandoned carts.

And across beauty, WhatsApp is accelerating as an engagement channel.

Beauty Inc. reports that L’Oréal will extend its AI-powered generation tool Beauty Genius to WhatsApp in early 2026, allowing users to send messages to the Assistant “just like you would talk to a friend.” The tool has already hosted over 480,000 conversations in beta, providing personalized routines, ingredient education, and product recommendations, helping to increase conversion rates and average order value for its users. The goal, executives said, is to position the brand as a trusted source of beauty expertise while meeting the growing demand for conversational commerce.

WhatsApp leans into these existing behaviors. “WhatsApp already provides solutions for millions of businesses of all sizes to reach and engage with their customers,” a company spokesperson said. “What makes this unique is that Fenty Beauty is one of the first prestige beauty brands to use WhatsApp as a direct storytelling channel.”

For Fenty, the launch is also a test of how far its channel can reach. Wong explained that the experience is an ongoing effort, with plans to improve it based on user feedback. And long-term ambitions extend beyond the United States, Wong said. She pointed to the potential to expand the service globally, integrate messaging more deeply into customer communications, and facilitate in-app purchases.

At the same time, she positioned WhatsApp as part of a broader marketing mix. “We used to think of consumers as being on a single, linear journey, but now we know that consumers are everywhere at the same time,” she said. “It really complements all the angles we’re working on.”