THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

Special Project

Special Project
From the 7th Annual Shorty Impact Awards

Starface

Winner in User Generated Content

Gold Honor in Fashion and Beauty

Audience Honor in User Generated Content

Objectives

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.

Strategy and Execution

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

Campaigns and Partnerships

User Generated Content and Social Media

 

Results

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:

Media

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Starface

Links

Entry Credits