The tiny, translucent disks are more and more adorning the faces of Gen Z and millennials when a pimple seems, and over 1 billion of the model’s signature hydrocolloid patches have offered so far. Producer Hero Cosmetics additionally not too long ago netted a partnership with content material creator Alix Earle.
Founder and CEO Ju Rhyu informed Fortune she got here up with the thought for the model whereas residing as an expat in South Korea whereas working for Samsung in 2012. On the time, solely two varieties of hydrocolloid patches existed in Okay-Magnificence: medical and cosmetic-oriented. The entrepreneur needed to bridge the hole and produce pimple patches to the U.S., seeing a possibility within the $3.9 billion Okay-Magnificence trade.
So in 2017, when she was 37 years previous, Rhyu launched her model together with cofounders Dwight Lee and Andrew Lee, capitalizing on their company experience and a cool $50,000 the trio had pooled collectively.
After agreeing that Mighty Patch wanted to be money move constructive and worthwhile, the trio got down to discover a producer. Rhyu compiled a listing of potential enterprise companions, and informed the Feminine Startup Membership she discovered the businesses from the packing containers of zits patches at a neighborhood pharmacy.
Of the ten producers Rhyu contacted by means of chilly emails, solely two responded. She stated the ultimate match was “luck,” and Hero Cosmetics nonetheless works with it at this time who. Rhyu says the producer makes “the very best quality patch in Korea.”
The Huge Launch
Armed with a enterprise associate and a mission to disrupt the Band-Assist aisle, Hero earned its first 10,000-unit order.
In 2017, Hero started promoting the Mighty Patch, together with on e-commerce large Amazon. However the firm initially couldn’t get the product featured on Amazon Prime, which might improve orders by 25% as members get free transport and different perks.
A breakthrough got here after some trial and error.
“The pricing really was sort of an accident, as a result of we have been promoting on Amazon,” Rhyu stated. “There have been already some gamers that have been rather a lot cheaper at round $5. And truly needed to put our merchandise at $9.99. However the comic story is we couldn’t get Amazon Prime. And we have been kind of taking part in round with various things to see how we will unlock Prime. And one of many methods was we elevated our worth [to] $12.99.”
Rhyu selected to stay with the newer price ticket after promoting out in simply 90 days. And in 2022, she shepherded a $630 million acquisition with Church & Dwight.
Breaking into the sweetness trade
Pimple patches could have solely not too long ago grow to be a magnificence staple for Individuals, however they’ve existed in South Korea for the reason that early 2010’s.
When Hero Cosmetics first entered the market within the U.S., Rhyu stated there have been just a few opponents on Amazon. Now, the sweetness trade is flooded with all varieties of pimple patches. Manufacturers like Starface have launched vibrant colours and cloud and star shapes to the sweetness aisle, whereas Neutrogena and CosRX have created their very own translucent hydrocolloid disks.
However Rhyu says Hero’s determination to maintain patches discreet permits them to succeed in a broader vary of consumers.
Rhyu additionally credit Hero’s success to their particular method, “Once they use ours versus competitors, I feel they will inform the product distinction.” She provides that Hero’s experience within the zits patch class created quite a lot of belief and is a part of the rationale why they keep primary to at the present time.
“We need to be very inclusive and accommodate everybody from the 14-year-old to folks of their 50s,” she says, including that vibrant shapes and colours could also be enjoyable for youthful generations, “nevertheless it received’t work for everyone.”
Rhyu says her success isn’t decided by her firm’s income, however by altering the narrative round zits.
She credit social media as a key consider Hero Cosmetics’ recognition, emphasizing the virality of “the peel off” when content material creators take away their Mighty Patch and reveal the “gunk” beneath.
“That sort of content material goes viral rather a lot and that virality helps with schooling,” she says. “Social media, clearly, has been so essential to the success of our enterprise.”
She says she feels “proud” when clients put on the product in public since Hero goals to make zits “extra acceptable.”
“I really like seeing folks put on them to the workplace or simply out and about,” she says. “What it means to me is we’ve accomplished our job, that we’ve actually kind of damaged down the taboo side of zits and made it okay.”
