CeraVe Signs First Film Deal With 'Dune: Part Three' for Global Push

CeraVe will enter theaters on Dec. 18 with its first film partnership, tied to "Dune: Part Three," the final installment of a billion-dollar sci-fi franchise. The L'Oréal-owned skin care brand anchored the deal in a global campaign for its Moisturizing Cream, spanning out-of-home advertising, "Dune"-inspired media, creator gifting and screening experiences in select markets.

The campaign's centerpiece, a short film titled "Precious Resource," was shot in Mexico's Samalayuca Dunes. It positions the Moisturizing Cream as the fictional desert planet Arrakis' true hidden resource, replacing the spices that drive the "Dune" plot. The product was newly reformulated to last up to 120 hours and underwent tests to prove its efficiency at strengthening the skin barrier — the dermatological claim the brand wanted to dramatize.

"The best way to showcase [skin] resistance was to put our product in the driest and hottest place — Arrakis — and that became the theme of the campaign," said CeraVe's global brand president Vincent Chauvière, who joined the company in March.

Why 'Dune,' and why now?

CeraVe calls this style of campaign "medutainment," a portmanteau of medical education and entertainment. The brand boomed at retail in 2020 and went viral again in 2024 with a Super Bowl advertisement starring Michael Cera, who pretended to have founded the brand. A spoof promotion with "SNL" followed in 2025, and CeraVe later signed a multiyear partnership with the NBA.

That NBA deal included a campaign with Kevin Durant. Chauvière estimates it delivered 82 million organic video views, four billion PR impressions and a 43 percent sales lift. He also said CeraVe posted double-digit revenue growth soon after the ad — which won at Cannes Lions and the Clio Awards — aired in February.

Chauvière hopes the "Dune" campaign recruits men, a demographic he considers untapped. "Roughly one male out of three uses a body product," he said. "Sport has been very instrumental to us, and we've been recruiting more men [to the brand] in the U.S. thanks to it."

The franchise also reaches Gen Z, which makes up approximately 40 percent of CeraVe's consumer base. Unlike the U.S.-centric Durant campaign, "Dune" takes the strategy worldwide.

Where CeraVe expects growth

"Our number-one growth driver is the emerging zones of South and Latin America, South Asia, Africa and the Middle East," said Chauvière, adding that CeraVe has maintained double-digit growth into the third quarter. "One of the key priorities is to develop the brand there and offer products that answer the needs of these countries."

CeraVe is the most recommended brand by dermatologists in the U.S., according to the company, and counts over 15 million followers across social platforms — the largest audience in L'Oréal's portfolio. The company did not disclose campaign spending or projected sales impact for the "Dune" partnership.

What comes after Arrakis

Next year, CeraVe plans to add products to existing customers' routines, including the newly launched SunCare range, which Chauvière called the company's "number one growth contributor." The brand will also assist in developing 14 publications testing "the boundaries of what we know about ceramides."

"CeraVe has to recruit [consumers]," Chauvière said, citing dermatologist-backed foundations and "medutainment" as the strategic anchors. The "Dune" deal is the first step in an expansion plan that includes other entertainment industries, among them music.

"This brand has fantastic potential," said Chauvière. "It's already the number two dermo brand in the world. But when I look at the geographic opportunities, the category opportunities, I think the brand has many untapped growth reservoirs to conquer in the future."