Almost 1 million unicorns: how we built our Instagram and TikTok community

In the beginning, there was a hand gel. Then a second one. Then 410,000 people on Instagram and more than 560,000 on TikTok who decided to follow us (and 20 million likes, we've stopped counting… okay, we count a little 🙈). Let's be honest: we didn't have a magic recipe. Just lots of trial and error, a few memorable flops and one belief: making the ordinary extraordinary, on social media too ✨

Here's what happens behind the scenes, and above all what we've learned along the way.

Lesson #1: posting products interests (almost) nobody

We started like everyone else: a pretty bottle shot, a colourful background, an “available on our website”. And… radio silence. As Johan, our social media manager at the time, put it in 2022: “Posting products doesn't interest people anymore.”

So we flipped the table: fewer packshots, more humans. Interviews, behind the scenes, the faces of the team. The product is there, but it's no longer the hero of every post. What we learned: people follow people, not bottles.

Lesson #2: create formats, not just posts

In 2022, we launched the Rainbow Studio, our in-house media. The idea: invite creators and personalities to talk about what matters to them, in formats you find week after week:

• Mirror, mirror: opening up in front of your reflection about something close to your heart (insecurities, self-confidence, acceptance…).
• My Rainbow Day: telling the story of a day that's ordinary for others, extraordinary for you.
• First Time, The Debate, The Rainbowmeter, In your eyes: light (or not so light) questions and confessions you won't hear anywhere else.

The result: The Rainbowmeter with Mariappymeal is one of our most-liked Instagram posts of all time (over 61,000 likes), and guests like Ophenya, Jeremstar, Julien Lieb and Charles Doré have stepped in front of our camera. What we learned: a recurring format creates a ritual. And a ritual creates a community.

Lesson #3: the team is the best cast

One of our most-viewed TikToks? Not a big-budget campaign. Just Noémie, our intern, and a situation everyone could relate to. Over 280,000 views. Same for our office POVs like “do you also live for the cameras?”.

And when Louis told the story of creating his cosmetics brand “at 20, not in 20 years”, more than 200,000 people watched. What we learned: authenticity beats perfection. The behind the scenes of a small Parisian team interests people more than any ad.

Lesson #4: ride pop culture (fast, and with a smile)

Star Academy learning a dance routine with us and coming to sing at the opening of our Rainbow Store? Two videos with over 250,000 views each. A nod to Dancing with the Stars, a message of support for PSG the day before the Champions League final (over 340,000 views): when the news gets going, we go for it.

What we learned: reactivity matters more than production. A video shot on a phone on the day beats a perfect edit three weeks too late.

Lesson #5: real life feeds the virtual

Our biggest TikTok hit to date is a giveaway around Ophenya's kit: over 760,000 views. Right behind it? The thank-you video after the meet-up we organised with her in our pop-up store in September 2023: nearly 585,000 views. People came in real life, and they shared online.

What we learned: an IRL event is content for weeks. And a well-run giveaway, with clear rules, makes people want to share.

Lesson #6: creators are partners (not billboards)

Since 2016, we've been giving creators of all ages, all styles and all community sizes a first look at our new launches. We don't ask them to recite a script: we invite them to create something they wouldn't usually do. And today, we also invite UGC creators to join us directly via our “Become a UGC creator” page.

What we learned: diverse profiles make a community rich. And a free creator always makes better content.

Lesson #7: have values, and own them

Our most-liked Instagram post? An XXL “Rainbow Gel”, posted for Pride Month: over 63,000 likes. The topics we explore with our guests (self-confidence, insecurities, identity) aren't there to look pretty: they're at the heart of who we are.

What we learned: a brand that says something brings people together. A brand that says nothing gets forgotten.

And the bonus: turning the community into a shopping experience

When we opened our TikTok Shop, we made… a tutorial. “How to order on TikTok Shop?”: nearly 250,000 views. Because respecting a community also means making life easier for it.

Shall we sum up?

1. Humans before products.
2. Recurring formats that create a ritual.
3. The team in front of the camera.
4. Reactivity on pop culture.
5. IRL events that feed digital.
6. Free and diverse creators.
7. Values you own.

And most importantly: you. Without the comments, the duets, the shares and the DMs full of unicorns, none of this would exist. Merci (Handy) 🦄💖

Not following us yet? Join us on Instagram and TikTok ✨

Figures as of 3 November 2026.