Starface is revolutionizing the acne care industry with first-of-its-kind decorative pimple patches and innovative products that transform breakouts—an experience historically thought of as negative and isolating—into moments of confidence, self-expression, and connection.
Acne is the most common skin condition in America and 95% of people experience it at some point in their lives. Despite the normality and near universality of the experience, it has historically been positioned—by society and the beauty industry in particular—as an isolating and shameful experience that can only be “solved” with aggressive products that eviscerate breakouts or hide them entirely. This problem-centric approach, paired with the perfect skin that’s consistently shown in pop culture and mainstream media, greatly affects how consumers view themselves—especially young people. Studies show that having acne can cause lasting psychological distress among teenagers and make them more vulnerable to what messages they receive (directly or indirectly) from society and brands.
Starface was created to revolutionize the acne space and to build a future where having a pimple presents an opportunity for self-expression and positivity (instead of a reason to stay home from school or cancel a date). Whether it’s through highly anticipated, demand-driven product launches, nostalgic collaborations, or user generated content and campaigns that spark joy, Starface has fostered a new and authentic acne experience that’s rooted in optimism, inspiring a wide range of consumers (Gen Z in particular ) to reimagine their relationship with their skin.
Starface came onto the scene to pioneer a new approach, one that would glamourize and celebrate pimples with a first-of-its-kind patch designed to be worn as a decorative accessory. Today, the impact of their concept is clear—it’s difficult to scroll through social media without coming across someone wearing Starface, and it’s becoming commonplace to see people (including celebrities like Justin and Hailey Bieber, Bella Hadid, Dua Lipa, and Willow Smith) wearing them in public.
With an authentic and on-the-pulse approach to marketing, collaborations, and social media, Starface has built a unique and immersive universe that fosters connection and community amongst their customers.
Nostalgic Drops and Product Ethos
Starface has continued to create exciting ways for their customers to participate in the brand, including through viral collaborations with Sesame Street, SpongeBob SquarePants, and Hello Kitty. Each of these playful, nostalgic initiatives has been met with excitement from customers eager to add limited-edition items to their Starface “wardrobes.”
Taking cues from the streetwear and sneaker worlds, Starface has become one of the first and only brands to bring "drop culture" to the skincare category—as a result, many of the brand’s limited-edition launches garner significant waitlists and sell out within days.
Campaigns and Partnerships
Following a landmark Supreme Court decision to allow college athletes to receive education-related compensation, Starface became one of the first brands to partner with NCAA student athletes—most recently, #5 NFL Draft Pick Kayvon Thibodeaux—to continue their mission of amplifying younger generations.
Starface aims to meet their community where they are and launched an industry-first campaign inside select DMV locations, targeted toward young adults waiting to get their license. The campaign brought a fresh and playful spirit to an environment thought of as serious or unpleasant.
Starface partnered with makeup artist Fara Homidi to incorporate the brand's upcoming Black Star patches (launching Fall 2022) in the Puppets and Puppets NYFW 2022 fashion show—the first pimple patch to ever walk a fashion week runway and a clear example of the cultural shift in embracing acne as a moment of self-expression and personal style.
User Generated Content and Social Media
To celebrate the ingenuity and humor of their customers, Starface launched a billboard contest, giving people the opportunity to have their user-generated content turned into viral billboards in LA and NYC. The most popular piece of content featured was a customer Tweet that read “the Starface pimple patch stays on during sex,” which has since become a playful slogan of sorts among the Starface community.
To launch their limited-edition collaboration with SpongeBob, Starface partnered with meme accounts like @afffirmations (the account’s first beauty partnership and second sponsored post ever), driving a 3% increase in Starface’s Instagram following post launch.
As customers find their way to emerging platforms, Starface continues to be one of the first brands to experiment with new apps before they’re proven. For their first launch activation on the BeReal app, Starface leaked early access to the relaunch of their Hello Kitty collaboration, gaining over 1K followers in 24 hours.
Starface’s mission has proven to be incredibly resonant across a wide range of audiences and inspired a totally new set of behaviors when it comes to acne care. The brand regularly hears from its community members that they’re actually looking forward to their next breakout, and are even wearing Starface when they don’t have a pimple out of pure excitement to be part of the experience. Starface customers are also extremely comfortable and proud to wear their Hydro-Stars in public and frequently share anecdotes about making new friends and connections through Starface.
Sharing some success metrics on the brand’s loyal following below:
In a recent customer survey, 71% of Starface consumers said the brand helps them feel less stressed about having a breakout or acne.
Starface also sees immense customer loyalty, with its repeat customer rate surpassing 55% on launch days.
Starface receives hundreds of pieces of user-generated content every month, a testament to the brand's highly engaged community and their excitement to incorporate Hydro-Stars into their daily lives.
Starface continues to see an average of 10% growth in followers month over month.
The brand has reached 210k followers on Instagram, with over 691.2M impressions and 444.2M reach on the platform.
Starface surpassed 1.4M followers on TikTok, accumulating over 160.7M views with 24.6M engagement. Across 1,165 videos, Starface's average engagement rate reached 15.11% with 76.8K shares.
