This profile is part of the Glossy Pop Guide to Influencer-Founded Brands, covering the fashion, beauty and wellness companies started by people who built their careers on social media. More from the series →
Using Instagram to document her acne journey from 2016 to the present day has boosted Natalie Smyth’s influencer status. In 2017, she built her skin-care brand, Deviant Skincare, with $2,300 and no outside investment. Four years later, the brand reached $1.1 million in revenue, according to Smyth. Deviant Skincare’s mission is to deviate from gender-specific, age-specific and trend-driven products and marketing. The products cater to acne-prone skin and are made up of plant-derived ingredients from biodiversity conservationist suppliers. The tissue paper, postal boxes and postal tapes used in its shipping are also mostly biodegradable and made from recycled materials.
Who: Natalie Smyth (Deviant Skincare)
Platform: Instagram
What are you known for & how did you get your start?
My Instagram was a daily documentation of my journey with acne, as well as skin positivity and educational skin-care content.
What’s the brand: Skincare
Find it: deviantskincare.com
Why did you decide to bring a brand into this crowded marketplace?
Deviant Skincare was born out of my frustration with the lack of products that catered to acne-prone but sensitive skin types. Most products were either too aggressive or not effective enough at targeting breakouts. We wanted to create and share formulas that struck the perfect balance of efficacy and boosting skin and barrier health.
Ad position: web_incontent_pos1
What makes the brand different?
Because we are consumers first, we challenge the conventions of the beauty industry, and we have a deeper understanding of what our community wants. It’s not about passing trends or satisfying retailers, but instead out formulas are based on real feedback — our products are obsessively tested through focus groups during the development process. Our formulas are developed by the community — really! We’re also pretty transparent and love to get our community involved in the behind-the-scenes process on social media.
Fun fact: Every wax seal on our product packaging is hand-stamped in-house.
Best seller: Cleansing Concentrate
To read the rest of The Glossy Pop guide to influencer-founded brands, click here.
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