Target Builds Its Natural Acne Product Assortment With The Addition Of SkinKick

The ruling triumvirate in the over-the-counter acne segment—Proactiv, Clearasil and Neutrogena—is being threatened by a plethora of pimple solution startups offering alternatives to their products, from Instagram-worthy zit-zapping stickers to natural formulas without the ingredients benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid that characterized their predecessors.

SkinKick is one of the blemish-fighting startups on the march. After launching online at Macy’s and Urban Outfitters last year, the natural brand is now making its brick-and-mortar debut in nearly 300 Target stores. SkinKick’s retail progress comes as retailers have woken up to the reality that gen Xers and millennials who turned to Proactiv, Clearasil and Neutrogena as teens are looking for other options for their pimply kids and themselves as they battle adult acne. In addition to SkinKick, Target has picked up natural acne product specialist NxN Beauty.

“More than 400 companies are using a system of benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, and those are over 60 years old. That system has worked. The issue today is that it doesn’t work for everyone,” says SkinKick founder and CEO Matty Schirle. “The market is ripe for innovation because the old technology has been out there for such a long time.”

The ingredients in SkinKick’s products include cat’s claw extract, black willow bark and dragon’s blood extract as well as a patent-pending blend dubbed the Tropical Haven Complex featuring acai, andiroba, camu-camu, copaiba and pequi. The brand’s items rolling out to Target are Daily Exfoliant Cleanser, Glow Renewal Serum, Blemish Relief Lotion, Blemish Kick Duo and Clean + Renew Kick Trio. SkinKick reduced its prices significantly for a mass audience. For instance, the Blemish Kick Duo has gone from $45 to $29 for Target shoppers, and the Clean + Renew Kick Trio from $79 to $49 at the retailer.

In focus groups, SkinKick discovered a substantial portion of consumers are wary of benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid. Half of the consumers in them reported they steer clear of the common acne ingredients due to fear they’ll aggravate their skin. Out of the remaining 50% that would consider products with benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, 25% reported they’d formerly tried them and, after initially being effective, the products ceased to be effective for their acne.

“The market is ripe for innovation because the old technology has been out there for such a long time.”

Schirle, a chemical engineer by trade instigated by an entrepreneurial itch to enter the beauty industry, explains SkinKick’s products are designed to nourish the skin microbiome. “We protect the oil on your face. We know too much oil can be a problem, but zero oil is equally a big problem. It tells your body there’s not enough oil and, then, it will plug the pores,” he says. “That’s why Proactiv will work for two weeks and, then, it doesn’t.” On top of benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid, SkinKick’s products avoid ingredients that can be drying and stripping like clay and glycolic acid.

An estimated 85% of teens get acne, and SkinKick’s core customers are them and their mothers, many of whom have switched to clean products for their beauty routines. “What I learned when I was testing this out in the field is mothers have so much anxiety about their children having blemishes on their faces. They will do anything,” says Schirle. “Moms know the pain they experienced, and they don’t want their children to experience that.” Despite the emergence of the acne positivity movement, the pressure to banish blemishes in the social media age is intense.

To reach customers, SkinKick initially stuck to a direct-to-consumer model, and sold merchandise on its website and Amazon. However, as the brand matured—it will turn 4 years old this year—Schirle says he realized the combination of physical and digital distribution is powerful. SkinKick participated in Target’s accelerator program Target Takeoff in 2019 along with Scotch Porter, Pholk, Terra Origin, SAHI Cosmetics, Allyoos, Black Chicken Remedies, Ducalm and Olive + M, another brand that’s broken into Target doors.

“With our Target partnership, we can bring clear skin to America in a very fast manner,” says Schirle. “I can’t pay for enough Facebook and Instagram ads fast enough to knock down the competitors. So, I need a partner connected to 75% of America that shares our vision.” According to the retailer, 75% of Americans live within 10 miles of a Target store. There are almost 1,870 Target stores in the country.

“With our Target partnership, we can bring clear skin to America in a very fast manner.”

Inside the massive retailer, SkinKick is placed in the complexion care and premium beauty sections. The dual placement emphasizes the brand’s acne and anti-aging positioning. To stand out on shelves, SkinKick’s packaging was recently overhauled with guidance from Monolith Collective, a design firm counting Drybar, Tenoverten, Alchemy 43, Blushington and Skin Laundry among its clients. The overhaul gave SkinKick a bold blue, white and green color palette. Also, at the suggestion of Target, the brand amplified the presence of natural ingredients on its boxes. Schirle informed Beauty Independent in October that $1.8 million was invested in SkinKick’s revamp.

With its distribution growth, Schirle forecasts the brand will hit a multimillion-dollar revenue total this year. He declines to be specific about its exact projected turnover. SkinKick has been self-funded so far, but Schirle is raising a seed round with the goal of amassing $1 million. To spread the word about the brand being stocked at Target, it’s tapping the retailer’s beauty concierges that recommend products across brands and ramping up influencer marketing. Schirle points out it will be relying on two groups of influencers: Target-centric influencers and so-called SkinKickers that have been fans of the brand for a while.

“We believe we can grab the Proactiv customer who doesn’t go into Target, and the Rodan + Fields customer that’s not buying their skincare in Target,” says Schirle. “We’re going to convert these people into Target customers, and the way we do that is through online influencers.”