How StarFace Turned Skincare Into an Internet Sensation For Gen Z Audiences 

The idea that a face pimple patch sticker brand could reach $90 million in revenue might sound like a miracle. 

But the miracle is not the product. It’s the brand positioning and clear well-executed strategy.

Starface didn’t promise perfection or sterile science. It launched with something far more powerful in the age of TikTok: bright, star-shaped pimple patches, celebrated with pride, and shared in selfies online.

What might have seemed like a novelty in 2019 has since become a Gen Z icon, a viral sensation, and a brand with serious staying power. And it’s not just because of what they sell, it’s because of how they sell it, and who they’re selling it to.

As a team that lives and breathes digital-first strategy here at House of Marketers, we see Starface’s marketing success as more than a fun coincidence. It’s a living case study in how to build a brand for the internet.

If you’re building a brand for a Very Online audience, this is one playbook worth studying.

Let’s break down what Starface is doing right and what we, as marketers, can take from it.

StarFace Marketing: From a Quirky Idea to a $90M Brand

Let’s start at the beginning.

In 2019, Starface co-founders Julie Schott and Brian Bordainick launched a direct-to-consumer skincare brand with a product that felt more like a sticker pack than a treatment. 

The idea? Hydrocolloid patches reimagined as bright yellow stars.

Hydrocolloid patches themselves were nothing new. What was new was the idea that they could be visible, collectible, and even fun. And more importantly, Starface gave users permission to treat skincare as fashion, something you style, not just apply.

It was a playful, slightly absurd rebrand of something previously designed to be invisible. And that’s what made it click.

Most skincare brands focused on making acne vanish. Starface flipped that idea and leaned into visibility.

In a category long dominated by clinical language and shame-based advertising, Starface stood out because it invited people to have fun with their flaws. Acne wasn’t a problem to be erased. It became an opportunity for self-expression.

We’ve seen this mindset in other breakout brands. For example, Fenty Beauty challenged decades of shame and exclusion in makeup by normalising wide shade ranges and making inclusivity the default, not a niche. And where Fenty tackled invisibility in representation, Starface focused on breaking the stigma surrounding acne by leaning into humor, irony, and internet-native identity from day one.

To us as marketers, this kind of reframe is marketing gold.

If you’re stepping into a crowded market with a product that feels familiar. No worries! Position it in a way that makes it unique instead.

Speak TO Your Audience, Not AT it

It’s no secret that Gen Z approaches identity differently. They’re more open about mental health, body image, and appearance than any previous generation. And they’re more likely to reject traditional beauty ideals in favor of what feels authentic.

The brand’s choice to make pimple patches more visible was exactly the kind of rebellious, wink-to-camera move that Gen Z loves. 

It signaled that Starface understood the deeper cultural moment. They weren’t just selling a skincare fix. They were validating the experience of having skin that isn’t perfect 24/7, and making that reality feel cool.

If you’re building a brand in 2025 and beyond, this is the bar: don’t just sell into the market, meet your audience where they’re at.

When your audience feels seen by your product, adoption accelerates. Because people don’t just use the product for utility, they use it to signal something about their identity. To be part of a conversation.

Build a Brand That Your Audience Wants to Share

So, how do you capitalise on that moment when your audience is using your product to say something about themselves?

Simple. You make sure they can say it LOUDLY, on social media!

This is why Starface’s social presence is quintessentially Gen Z. Their content doesn’t just appear on TikTok; it belongs there. It’s weird, playful, chaotic, and low-effort on the surface, but it’s also strategic.

We would describe their social media marketing tone as “calculated brain rot”. The kind of content Gen Z scrolls past and then instantly sends to friends.

Whether it’s sharing memes, duetting creators, or dropping product updates that feel more like inside jokes than announcements. Because they know exactly how to tap into trends without feeling forced.

Source: Instagram 

Starface understands TikTok’s ecosystem, like the back of their hand. That’s why a low-effort product video of a collaboration with Hello Kitty hits almost 13 million views. 

@starface now in stores 🎀🌟 @hellokitty and friends x starface !! my limited-edition friends r avail at select @CVS Pharmacy @Walgreens, n @Urban Outfitters ♬ original sound – STARFACE

 

No branding needed. Just cultural fluency.

This kind of success isn’t guaranteed, but it is buildable when you design your content, tone, and creative direction around the actual behavior of your audience.

Social media success is only one part of Starface’s magic. The deeper impact comes from community,  something that’s built into the very core of the brand.

Since Starface’s product is inherently visual, it invites user-generated content.

 People want to post their stars. 

Source: Instagram 

Starface is constantly reposting creators, engaging with fans, and even featuring customers in campaigns.

Source: Starface

They’ve also tapped into drop culture, gamifying skincare the way streetwear brands do. Limited editions. Collectible launches. Strategic collabs.

As Starface President Kala Brothers explained in an interview:

“Wearing our Hydro stars is signaling that you’re part of a community; when you see somebody else wearing them, you say, ‘This is someone who’s kind of going through the same thing that I am,’ and they don’t care [that they’re showing acne in public]. It’s not just an item to heal and soothe your pimple, but also an accessory and a part of your everyday life, making you feel great.”

As marketers, we often talk about the difference between “audiences” and “communities.” Audiences watch. Communities participate. Starface’s genius lies in designing a product and a brand ecosystem that requires participation.

Starface didn’t build a customer base. It built a subculture.

That’s the power of designing with your community.

When we help brands grow their TikTok presence or influencer campaigns, one of the first questions we ask is: How are you setting yourself up to have a community visible, active, and proud to be seen with your product?

For Starface, that visibility is a default. 

Earned Intimacy Beats Forced Relatability (And Starface Proves It)

Starface doesn’t just target Gen Z like they’re a persona pinned to a marketing board; it embodies them.

From the way the brand looks to the way it speaks, every detail is deliberately crafted to feel native to a generation raised online.

The copywriting is playful. Filled with emoji shorthand, brain-rot slang, and phrasing that feels like it came from a group chat, not a marketing deck. 

Source: StarFace

 

Even the web design tells the same story. Their site leans into bright, candy-colored visuals, lo-fi GIFs, and a layout that feels more like a Tumblr moodboard than an e-commerce storefront. 

For anyone familiar with Gen Z’s internet habits, it’s spot on.

If we were auditing this for a campaign, we’d call out the brand voice and visual identity as critical growth levers. Not because they’re trendy, but because they’re consistent, strategic, and 100% committed. There’s no hesitation in tone or identity. Starface knows exactly who it’s talking to and how they want to be spoken to.

And perhaps the most impressive part? They don’t overdo it. There’s a kind of restraint at play, no forced hashtags, no inauthentic voice shifts, no heavy-handed branding. 

As marketers, we’ve seen time and again that earned intimacy outperforms performative “relatability” every time.

Starface understands this. And their audience rewards it.

House of Marketers Insights: What Starface Teaches Us About Brand Building 

Plenty of brands have tried to “do Gen Z.” They roll out playful packaging, post memes, maybe even launch a TikTok account. But most of them fizzle out. That’s because audiences can tell when a brand is simply imitating versus actually adding something to the conversation.

Starface’s branding was never performative. It didn’t just talk to its audience. It spoke their language, understood their humor, habits, and emotional currency. That is why it worked.

As marketers at House of Marketers, this is the shift we urge brands to make. Moving beyond polished content into real participation, where brand identity is shaped with the community, not just broadcast to it. 

1. Reframing Is More Powerful Than Reinventing

Starface didn’t invent pimple patches; it reframed them. It turned a clinical, shame-filled product into a joyful form of self-expression. If you want to stand out in a saturated category, look for what culture tells people to hide, and give them permission to show it off.

2. Brand Voice = Growth Lever

From the copy to the packaging to the memes, Starface speaks like its audience, not at them. Their brand voice is consistent, weird, and unmistakably Gen Z. 

3. Social Fluency Beats Virality

One-off viral moments are overrated. Starface built a system that thrives on creator reposts, trend participation, and inside-joke energy. Their success is proof that being fluent in a platform’s culture will always beat being loud on it.

4. Community Is Built Through Visibility

From UGC reposts to drop culture, Starface rewards people for showing up, not for being perfect. The product is designed to be seen. The community is built by celebrating that visibility. Ask yourself: Does your product invite your customers to be part of the brand?

5. Strategy Doesn’t Have to Be Serious

There’s a misconception that good strategy must be clinical or complex. Starface shows us that silliness, play, and absurdity are good strategies. You can grow fast by being fun, as long as you’re also clear and committed.

Starface did not go viral because of one good campaign. It built a system.

So the question for us as marketers should never be: how do we make this trendier?
The better question is: how do we become part of the language our audience already speaks?

Answer that with clarity, then back it with a creative strategy built for the platforms that matter most.

Read More House of Marketers’ Brand Social Media Case Studies

How TirTir Used TikTok to Achieve Viral Success: K-Beauty Case Study

How ‘The Ordinary’ Uses Simple Social Influencer Strategy for Extraordinary Results

Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty Social Media Strategy Case Study

At House of Marketers, this is the work we do every day. We are a social media influencer agency and we help brands find their voice, their niche, and their most authentic entry point into culture using User Generated Content and TikTok Influencer Campaigns. Whether it is shaping your TikTok presence, launching an influencer campaign that actually converts, or rethinking your product’s emotional positioning, we help you show up where it counts, in a way that sticks. 

 Get in touch with the team at House of Marketers and let us help you find success in this dynamic space.