Acne Skincare made ‘Reale’ simple - not.
As of yesterday, Social Media Influencer Alix Earle launched her new skincare line ‘Reale Actives’ available to shop to all who were willing. The brand sets out to simplify acne skin care- but is it really that simple?
Prior to this, anticipation grew as Earle announced a digital scavenger hunt; fellow influencers received literal puzzle pieces that, once assembled, revealed a New York City billboard teasing the brand’s debut. Whilst Earle was overly successful with the campaign rollout behind her brand; she instigated curiosity across her community, gave them something to engage with, questions have started to rise on how people are expecting this product, made in partnership with Dr. Kiran Mian to perform.
Firstly I’m convinced that Alix Earle can sell anything because what about the campaign sold skincare? She’s naked in a pool, with a fresh face of barely-there makeup, staring at you intensively. In my opinion, the only thing that was sold was desirability; almost to say “look at how good I look using my new products”.
Do I think that’s how she wanted it to land?
Probably not, but I think it brings visibility to a slightly grey area. Something as chronic as Acne can show up differently for everyone; it can be mild or it can be aggressive, it can flare up or it can persist for a long period of time. To claim these products are for 'all type of acne, inflammation and skin types' is misleading, especially when presenting yourself as a solution-based brand.
Earle has been extremely open about dealing with her own skincare issues for many years; she herself has been through rounds of trying different products (even medication) of varying strengths to get to where she is now. The point I’m raising is exactly that; I don’t believe that acne skincare is as simple as she has made it out to be to her audience, of which some suffer with severe acne.
Although slightly grey areas are also perfect for opportunities.
If I was part of her strategy team, I would argue that she needs to push Dr Mian to the FRONT. As much as Earle is the face of the brand, this would be a perfect time to educate her consumers on how to use and make the product work for them, different ways they can incorporate this skincare into their routines. She should be answering questions straight from the comments, not replying under sponsored posts.
Either way, I’m excited to see how the product performs and the honest reviews start to flood my FYP. Until then, I got your back girl from the BACK of the queue don’t worry.
