What’s The Story With Alix Earle’s Skincare Line?

TikTok sensation Alix Earle has recently expanded her resume from Get Ready with Me videos to skincare brand founder.

Earle gained a huge amount of fame from sharing her struggles with cystic and hormonal acne, being open and vocal to her fans about the emotional toll and the pain that comes with the condition.

In a world full of filters and editing, seeing real skin and beauty is so refreshing.

Alix has struggled with acne since middle school and has been very transparent about her Accutane journey. She began taking isotretinoin to try and manage it, taking her first round in high school, then documenting her second round in late 2022.

@alixearle Ive gotten a lot of questions about my skincare journey on accutane. This is just my experience with accutane. #notapaidpromotion ♬ original sound – Alix Earle

When we see Accutane promotion online, we typically only get the before and after photos of the medication, whereas Alix decided to share the process – not just the product.

She showed the unfiltered side of the medication, sharing her extreme lip dryness, thinning hair and sensitivity to the sun.

Earle even posted bare-faced photos of her breakouts, making her audience who also struggle with their skin feel seen and embraced.

 

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A post shared by Alix Earle (@alixearle)

Since Alix’s acne has persisted, she has continued with Accutane, all before launching her own skincare line this month.

Reale Actives, launching officially on March 31, is a skincare brand which focuses on supporting acne-prone skin. According to Alix, over two years of work have been involved to create a new standard of products that are built for breakouts but made for everyone.

The brand’s initial launch includes four products: Get Bare, a gentle makeup-dissolving cleansing balm; Pore Power, an exfoliating LHA and BHA gel cleanser; Go Deep, a mandelic acid serum; and Dew More, a barrier-strengthening moisturiser.

The brand is not designed to achieve clear, perfect skin, which for many of us is basically impossible anyway. It’s designed to reshape the way people think about breakouts and acne, embracing imperfection rather than filtering it away.

“I want to prioritize clean and healthy skin over striving for a “perfect” look because honestly that’s just not reality,” she says. “We all have pores, texture, scars, blemishes, redness, and I think it’s time we embrace it rather than run from it.”

Alix worked with her dermatologist, Dr Kiran Mian, to develop the line of products which have been clinically trialled and which she says have transformed her complexion and confidence. Sounds good, right?

@alixearle Follow along @wtfisalixdoing ♬ Coconut Mall from Mario Kart Wii – MarioKart Audios

But with 8.3 million followers on TikTok there are bound to be some critics – and some questions. The products are designed to be acne friendly, but some have noticed some pore-clogging ingredients, like shea butter, that may not be good for acne sufferers at all.

Others are concerned that the products are decent but not entirely helpful to people with severe acne-prone skin, but again the brand is not deigned to get rid of acne but to help manage it.

@natalie_oneillll First impressions of Alix Earle’s New skin care line, reale actives is here ⭐️ it’s not that I underestimated her, it’s more that celebrities skin care lines are typically not the best, so I am pleasantly surprised by this one! Few things I’d try myself and a few things I wouldn’t #alixearle #skincare #skincaretips ♬ original sound – Natalie O’Neill

With the website countdown slowly counting down, other fans are concerned that there won’t be enough of the products for everyone to try – especially considering Alix’s follow count and the reasonable enough price of the products.

And then there are those asking how someone can launch a skincare brand when they have gone through three rounds of Accutane to help their skin.

@alixearle So much more to say and will walk you through each product and why we have it in the routine! @reale actives ♬ original sound – Alix Earle

In very Alix Earle style, Alix has already addressed the criticism, saying her brand has been formulated to prioritise healthy and clean skin above all else.

Alix is proud of her brand, and she should be. After all, we can’t really be critical without trying the products, can we?

Words by Nia Hayden