There were two things that could be all but certain when Alix Earle finally launched her brand on March 31: that it would sell out — which it did, in a matter of hours — and that it would be picked apart.
After much speculation, Reale Actives debuted on Tuesday morning with four products: a cleansing balm ($29), an exfoliating gel cleanser ($28), a mandelic acid serum ($39) and a barrier-strengthening moisturizer ($36) — all aimed at supporting acneic skin.
When Earle’s Glossy 50 profile ran in November 2023, she had amassed millions of followers in less than a year. At the time, I wrote, “Her candor about her struggles with acne and her journey taking Accutane also contributed to her climb.” That same candor helped set the stage for Reale Actives, but it also primed the criticism that would follow.
The reaction to the launch has largely fallen into a few key buckets: questions around Earle’s Accutane use and whether it undercuts her credibility in selling acne-care products; scrutiny of her access to top dermatologists and in-office treatments; ingredient debates, such as questions around the use of shea butter in the brand’s moisturizer; pushback on the brand’s goal to “make acne sexy and hot;” and the fact that, put simply, people love to get mad at an influencer starting a brand.
The discourse reflects a broader shift in which followers no longer guarantee trust, especially in skin care, where consumers increasingly expect clinical credibility, clear positioning and transparency from the outset.
Andrea Blieden, Reale Actives’ CEO, said the brand was prepared for all of it — especially the Accutane-related questions. “We were not surprised. In January, we had the whole team in the office, and we went through all the things that we thought could come up during launch: people questioning Alix’s Accutane journey, people questioning Alix’s access to a dermatologist and in-office treatments, … We all had that on our list of things to prepare for and things to just expect would happen,” Blieden said.
When such questions surfaced, Earle addressed them directly. Over a week prior to the brand’s official launch, she posted a TikTok responding to the criticism. “I can’t be launching a skin-care company because I’ve done Accutane three times, so I’m just a big liar. Obviously, I knew this question was coming, so let me walk you through my skin journey,” Earle said in the over-five-minute-long video.
In the video, Earle explained that she’d completed three rounds of Accutane between 2022 and 2023, but continued to experience breakouts afterward, and eventually went on spironolactone to manage her hormonal acne. She attributed the state of her skin now to a combination of medication, dermatological care and a consistent routine — not a single-product “fix.”
“We wanted Alix to always be super honest about her access to in-office treatments and how often she was seeing Dr. Mian [Earle’s dermatologist and now the brand’s director of clinical innovation] and doing facials and extractions and things like that, because that was all part of the journey,” Blieden told Glossy. “Alix has tried a ton of different things, and her skin has never looked this good.”
Brit Starr, co-founder of Kin, an AI-native creator platform, has followed Earle since her early days. And she described herself as “bullish” on Reale Actives. “It feels really authentic. Alix’s skin and acne journeys have been part of her journey as a creator. Even with some of the conversation that has bubbled up around the brand’s release, [she has responded with] transparency. I don’t think anybody is [presenting this] as the silver bullet to solve all problems with acne or as the right solution for everyone, but the approach of transparency is exactly what it needed to be.”
Earle has 5.5 million Instagram followers and 8.3 million TikTok followers. Prior to the launch of Reale Actives, she built her business bonafides as an investor in beverage brands including Gorgie and SipMargs, and held equity in Poppi before its sale to Pepsi.
“We are in an era where we absolutely expect people to leverage their following [to sell] products, right? There is an expectation, and there is a clear goal for people to make money [when they have a] fan base,” said Katie Martin, evp and managing director at e-commerce and marketing agency Front Row.
On Wednesday, Puck reported that Reale Actives had hit $1 million in sales in under five minutes and $5 million by late afternoon, and sold out at around 4 p.m. on its launch day. It’s a strong start, to say the least — and a reminder that commercial success can be immediate, regardless of online chatter.
The debut has already drawn comparisons, across publications and social media, to Hailey Bieber and Rhode. “This is such a personal journey of [Earle’s] that has led to the development of this brand and these products,” Starr said. “There’s a lot there that’s really strong, in terms of what we’ve seen in the past with these kinds of celebrity or powerhouse creator-led brands.”
Martin pointed out that, so far, the brand’s “proof,” so to speak, has centered largely on Earle’s own results. “From a packaging perspective, I think the whole concept of making acne sexy is confusing territory, and the before-and-afters are only really with [Earle],” she said, noting that Earle’s skin appears flawless in the brand’s marketing.
Regarding Earle’s post about Accutane, Martin added, “[Because she was] using the imagery as evidence, the dates were really good. It was really thorough, [but] the marketing for the launch was not, right? So maybe the intent was to launch fully aspirational, naked, perfect skin — you create that image. And then you get real.”
Followers, fans and detractors alike can expect Reale Actives to keep engaging directly — a notable approach in an ecosystem where brands often respond only to positive comments and ignore criticism. “We’ve been social listening since we launched [the pre-launch teaser account, @wtfisalixdoing] and listening to the community and pulling together questions, comments, things that the brand should answer,” Blieden said. “I’m on TikToks with, like, four views, one like and zero comments — that’s how deep [we’re going].”
Reale Actives is responding to specific critiques in real time: On March 27, it addressed questions about the aforementioned use of shea butter with an extensive Instagram post explaining that the product had been tested to be non-comedogenic. “We’re creating content based on what we’re seeing in the space, and leveraging Dr. Mian’s expertise and Alix’s expertise to help myth-bust some of the misconceptions around how a formula is created and what makes it comedogenic,” Blieden said. “As we continue to hear questions and comments, that series will continue to evolve and grow.”
Week in review
- Krewe and Tecovas partnered on a capsule collection of four pairs of sunglasses. The frames are re-imaginings of Krewe bestsellers, with a Western twist.
- Kizik, known for its hands-free sneakers, tapped Andrea Barber, AKA Kimmy Gibbler on “Full House,” for its first-ever TV commercial. The ad is a bid for millennial consumers who grew up with Barber on their screens.
- Cyklar is entering the tanning category with the launch of its $36 Self-Tanning Milky Essence, which comes in two shades, light-medium and medium-dark.
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