Boldfacing the blemishes

Starface is a perfect example of the say-do gap in marketing.

Had you asked consumers, “Do you want to wear brightly colored stars on your face to highlight your pimples,” the answer almost certainly would have been, “no.”  But, apparently, the real answer is, “yes.”

Although pimples traditionally have been somewhat embarrassing, Starface has built an online community of people proudly celebrating their skin blemishes.

In part this may be because, as one expert argues, Gen Z and Gen Alpha simply are less self-conscious about things like this than generations past. It also helps that the brand has taken the category in a totally different direction.  It’s fun, not clinical.  The packaging is bright, the tone of their communication is playful and quirky, they have a goofy mascot, and they generate demand via scarcity, with limited edition drops in association with brands like Sesame Street and Hello Kitty.

Celebrities such as North West, Hailey and Justin Bieber, and Central Cee have gotten into the act, too.  As of this summer, there were more than 54 million posts on TikTok that mention “Starface pimple patch” and the brand’s 2024 revenue is expected to hit $90 million.