This past month, social media influencer Alix Earle launched a skincare brand called Reale Actives. As a marketing major and an Alix Earle fan, I have been glued to my screen, looking at the content she has been producing about the brand and the feedback she has been receiving from fans. Many fans were confused by the brand’s name, especially due to the word “active” being included. Many were expecting Earle to be launching an activewear brand due to her previous appearance on Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars, as her influencing content started revolving around all of the work she was doing for the show. Once the confusion was cleared with the launch of the product line, fans still had mixed opinions on why Earle chose to launch a skincare line, forgetting about the influencer’s own struggles with acne through her adolescent years.Â
The Reale Active’s product line consists of four products: the Get Bare Cleansing Balm, Dew More Moisturizer, Pore Power Gel Cleanser, and the Go Deep Serum Concentrate. Therefore, you are able to get all your skincare needs from the Reale Active brand. The brand’s overall design follows the same rule of thumb as the product’s simple but effective design, with its minimalist green and silver packaging, while also telling users exactly what they’re putting on their skin. The brand’s overall image seems to align with Earle’s own personal brand since these products are simple and easy to use, whether you are getting home at 4:00 a.m. or are rushing to get somewhere at 9:00 a.m. Earle even used this past weekend at Coachella to capitalize on getting her brand’s name out and in the public eye. She had her and her friends’ Coachella house be Reale Actives themed, from the goodie bags left around the house to the pool floats, everything had the Reale Actives labeling on it.
Since the skincare line has been out for a little over a week now, fans were able to truly start using the products, and let’s just say those who got these products in PR packages are reacting a little differently than those who had to purchase these products on their own. The top complaint that I have seen circling around TikTok is that the pump on the Dew More moisturizer hasn’t been working for many users, and they have taken their grievances to the internet and are still waiting for a response from the brand. Earle has only been acknowledging the positive feedback by reposting many fans’ TikToks on her personal account. Some fans even speculate that she is trying to distract potential customers from the negative feedback by giving a storytime on the horrible mental state she had been in during the same time as the launch. The influencer went online telling this very ominous story about a secret man taking her out and how it felt so eerie, but stumbled over many of her words and claims that she was “shocked” she didn’t run into fans despite being on this so-called horrible date for a minimum of five hours. The influencer has also chosen to shade fellow influencer Alex Cooper over this past weekend, causing that to take over the focus on the Reale Actives feedback as well.Â
Although there are some kinks that need to be worked out with this product line, I do see many people enjoying the products, saying that their skin has cleared up immediately. There was even one video of a woman walking in on her boyfriend using the products, having no idea what they even do. Personally, I have not tried these products out since they were immediately sold out on launch day, but I do think that launching a skin care brand for any public figure is something that can be a gamble. They will always be criticised on the science they used to compose the products, but also skincare isn’t a product that can work on every person. Everyone’s skin is different and not every product line can cater to every fan.Â
Even though Earle can’t compose products that work for every single one of her fans, I think she does need to take the time to address some of the packaging issues customers have been having, because not communicating with your consumers will never have a positive look on the brand.Â