‘Massive increase’: Real-u Skincare sees demand for acne products rising amid COVID-19

Real-u Skincare is a brand that specialises in skin care products that help to tackle acne. It was founded in 2015 by Ebony Ilsley, an experienced skin care professional with over 20 years’ experience.

As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic progressed in recent months, Ilsley has observed a rising demand for its acne products.

With increased use of protective face masks, many people are experiencing acne breakouts on the lower half of their faces.

These mask-induced breakouts, also known as ‘maskne’, is what Ilsley believes is contributing to the growth the company is seeing.

“Maskne is definitely a challenge we’re all dealing with at the moment, not just here in Australia but all around the world. We have seen a massive increase for our type of product as our range deals with maskne without the harsh drying side effects of most acne brands.”​

This phenomenon has also prompted the brand to launch face masks with 100% silk lining to cater to this skin issue.

The company claims the silk masks can are gentle on the skin, can help decrease skin’s moisture loss and has antimicrobial properties.

In the next 12-months, Ilsley said the firm is working to ensure it can keep up with demand as COVID-19 progresses.

“As our products are currently in high demand, we are working on making sure Real-u is easily and readily available to everyone who needs it, no matter where they are in the world.”​

At the same time, the company is also eyeing opportunities to expand further overseas.

“Every country around the world has thousands, if not millions of people, old and young, of all races suffering with acne and pimples and we have a great, easy to use effective solution for them. We are currently working on developing relationships in most major parts of the world to make real-u products easily accessible to everyone who needs it,” ​said Ilsley.

Exclusive compound​

Since its launch, the brand is now stocked in pharmacies across Australia and New Zealand and shipping to 67 countries.

Ilsey told CosmeticsDesign-Asia​ that she conceived the company to fill the gap in the acne market with products that target the root cause of acne without causing skin damage.

“The acne market had longed missed an effective product that didn’t come with a long list of harsh side effects. Real-u fills that gap and consumers are loving it. Our signature 3-Step program works with your skin to gently and effectively deliver four key benefits to help break the acne cycle, which makes our range truly unique in the acne space.”​

The company utilises a nature-identical marine-complex salt that is exclusive to the brand.

According to Ilsey, this patented compound allowed the company to formulate products that can avoid ingredients which it believes can be damaging to the skin.

“Our hero ingredient has revolutionised the way we deal with oily and acne prone skin. Our patent marine-complex salt means we can avoid harsh chemicals like benzoyl peroxide and salicylic acid that are known to strip, burn and damage the skin,” ​said Ilsley.

Aside from its products, the company also places emphasis on education, which Ilsley sees as a crucial part of the brand’s offerings.

“We hear so many times from our customers that they simply had no idea how to look after their skin or what to do when they started experiencing breakouts. One area in particular that we’re looking to develop is providing people with access to high-quality skin care information and advice.”​

As such, firm has a put together a team of skin care experts to offer consumers access to skin care information and advice.

“A lot of the time people make their acne worse by doing the wrong thing or using the wrong products. Because of this, we have a team of skincare experts on hand to answer, support and advise all real-u customers with their questions and concerns. For us, being able to provide this level of education and support is just as important to the brand as our products.”​