Hero Cosmetics Mighty Acne Patch Comes to Canada

BH

You’ve started with the patch but you have a ton of products now. How did you transition to other products? What was your next product after that?

Ju Rhyu

For the first two years, we focused on patches. We launched with the Mighty Patch Original and then the Invisible Plus. Those two skus will be in Canada and then we did Surface which will also be in Canada. Next, we did a Variety Pack as we were building our expertise in the patch category. Now we have over 25 skus, and in the US we have a full assortment from baby care to treatment to aftercare. 

BH

Would you say your brand is for a specific age group?

Ju Rhyu

We have always said that it is for anyone who has a breakout. Obviously, that person could be a teenager but also we have customers in their 50s for example. Our customer core I would say is roughly 70% female, ages 18 to 35. When we founded the brand we obviously made it more inclusive so it’s not overly feminine or girly. 

BH 

Are you big on Instagram with lots of Influencers? A lot of brands start that way and turn into a bigger brand.

Ju Rhyu

We’re digitally native for sure. We’ve leveraged social media a lot. The content that goes viral is the taking off of the patch and seeing the gunk come off. A video of that on TikTok has over 100 million views so it does go viral a lot #oddlysatisfying. It’s a really important strategy for us it will be an important strategy working with influencers to talk about our products.

BH

Anyone who has acne is usually told to have a steroid, cortisol or Accutane. Your products aren’t as harsh as that.

Ju Rhyu

When we founded the brand we wanted something that was effective yet gentle at the same time.  All of our products we test on sensitive skin and acne-prone consumers. We make sure that it works by doing clinical tests to ensure it’s still safe for a person with sensitive skin. We’re not a drug you’re going to get from your dermatologist. It’s not going to dry your skin or be overly harsh. We are just simple enough to be a regular cosmetic company 

In terms of the ingredients, we purposely won’t put, for example, silicone in our product because we know that will clog pores. We try and stay away from fragrances, dyes and endocrine disruptors like parabens. We restrict over +2,400 ingredients that could cause irritation that we know are not good for acne-prone skin.

BH

The other part of the problem is that you’re trying to solve that pimple but now you’re applying something all over your face and creating other issues, especially when it comes to sensitivity and using something like Accutane that’s very harsh for your skin. I like the idea that this is literally targeted to that spot on your face.

I think this should be sold to the bridal industry because I do makeup and (the bride) is always like, “Oh figures the day of my wedding!” (points to a pimple).

Ju Rhyu

We are getting a lot of requests saying I am hosting a bachelorette and need patches as we are getting ready for a wedding.

BH

Your packaging is very cool and gender-neutral. That’s really important these days too because you want to be able to market to everybody.

Ju Rhyu

In the US we are very successful at retail.  We are the number one at Target, Walmart, CVS. I think a large part of that is due to the packaging. It communicates effectively what it is and it’s very appealing.

BH

What kind of products are you launching these days?  What’s new?

Ju Rhyu

In Canada we have four skus; The Patch Original, Invisible+, Surface, and Nose.

In the US we just launched our first patch for Fine Lines. It’s called Mighty Patch for Fine Lines and it leverages a Hylaronate patch that is infused with retinol. You put them around areas where you may find lines around your eyes or smile lines. It helps to plump up the skin.

BH

What’s really great about this concept is that you make it in different sizes for different parts of your face.  How did you discover you could do that?

Ju Rhyu

I tell this story a lot. After I launched The Original I actually wanted to do another product like a face mask. I was talking to a woman who was an investor I told her I wanted to have a one-stop face mask and she said “No. Do not do that! Stick to patches and make one for every face, every size, and every need.” I realized she was right and that’s what we did. For any area of the body, we wanted to have a patch for that. We have one for the face, we have nose, we have chin and, we have strips. We also have dots.

BH

The mask culture took off huge for self-care. Using different shapes that contour your face is brilliant. It’s a great way to hyper-target skincare with all the good ingredients in the patch itself for one-time use.  

Where can we find you?

Ju Rhyu

This is the official launch in Canada you can find us at retail channels like Walmart, Shoppers Drug Mart and Amazon Canada.  In the US we are the number one acne patch brand and that’s what I want to do in Canada.  I want to be the number one brand!