i'm going to be on a podcast 😳🎙

Thoughts on Alix Earle, Cardi B. launches; the Salt + Stone acquisition and more news

Slutty Founder is a weekly-ish newsletter about the business of beauty.

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I’m not a perfect person. Apparently, I can’t concentrate or engage with my work in any meaningful way when I have something big on the agenda.

Did I ever tell you about the guy I matched with on Raya and he was like what brought you out to LA and I said “my fame” and he unmatched me? He wasn’t that hot anyway.

I do want to be very clear that despite how comedic and verbally expressive I am, I am actually extremely uncomfortable with my inevitably growing fame and my inner propensity towards fame.

Anyway, I canceled my ADHD appointment this week to instead film a guest spot on one of my favorite podcasts because I have a commitment to saying yes to things that are aligned—even if they may at first make me deeply, deeply uncomfortable. Plus, I’m sure you guys find me enjoyable off meds????

I always think I’ve mostly outgrown my fear of being seen until the opportunity gets bigger. I almost psyched myself out about this, because this pod is kind of a big deal, but I did a bunch of EFT tapping to help manage the doubt and anxiety and you know what else? I took this moment off the pedestal! I feel like a huge piece of recognizing the source of my anxiety (when it shows up) has been noticing when things start to feel ‘end all be all’ — as if I only have one shot. Never! You’ve gotta think that everything you do is the start to that much more excellence, even if it bombs. Who cares!

The taping ended up going really well (obviously) and I had SO much fun.

I can’t wait for you guys to see it!

It will be out everywhere you get your podcasts next week.

Point is, I’m glad I moved through the discomfort even if that left me with a lot to catch up on this week.

SO much beauty news. Acquisitions, launches, celebrity stuff, etc. Let's get into it.

COMING NEXT TUESDAY!

On Alix Earle’s launch of Reale Actives, I don’t think there’s much to overthink.

Personally, I’m surprised we aren’t seeing this brand a lot sooner, especially given how central acne has been to her personal narrative. Beauty is usually a top of mind money grab and she’s documented her acne journey so prolifically.

I won’t dedicate too much to analysis here because it’s only been two days and the topic of Reale Actives has already been discussed at length. I simply don’t find Alix or Alix discourse that interesting, although I’m not mad at her!

Dare I say….(sigh) I loved the ‘wtfisalixdoing’ campaign. The marketing + content strategy really got my attention. I was also pleased with how she seeded a diverse group of creators from what I saw. This is where my praise starts and ends.

Some thoughts summed up:

• What's surprising is how unproven the launch feels for a brand that is literally rooted in acne. No testimonials, no before-and-afters, no visible proof of efficacy — not even with this brand having took so long to launch!!!

• I visited the website in search of some kind of before and after moment and sank into immediate disappointment once I got to a collection of social media acne journey videos ALL OF ALIX.

  The only time the website features anyone else is for professional imagery. There are no examples outside of Alix. Am I to trust it works because Alix’s acne journey has been so public? Even though the only thing that cured her was Accutane?

• Is this to replace Accutane or be used alongside Accutane? We need clarification in the product use messaging here.

• Sex doesn’t sell like y’all think it does. The hyper-sexual tone feels excessive and honestly, a bit tired. Why am I looking at a photo of Alix in her bra and panties on the landing page? It’s kind of like Sydney Sweeney’s SYRN in this way where I feel the creative feels disconnected from the actual product promise and audience need aka what female consumers actually want. Acne is vulnerable, emotional, and often rooted in deep insecurity. If I’m a chick with acne, I don’t need to see Alix standing in front of a medicine cabinet half naked to sell me on acne treatment. We already know the body is cute + skinny and trust that the boobs are done, girl! I DO however, think this visual messaging would work if there were currently spots of acne on her face, because it gives people a sort of — she has this thing on her face where she would otherwise be perfect, so because there’s a flaw I can point out, I feel less insecure with my own self, and can hate her less and buy in.

  This was the psychology behind her rise to fame, btw and why her followers conflated her accessibility with “relatability.”

  

  why is she holding her phone instead of some product :(

• You know I always get on the name thing with celebrity brands. I genuinely think celebrity teams overestimate how much a celeb's name elevates a project. Are we allergic to creativity? Reale Actives reads more activewear to me than acne. Hate.