Alix Earle Launches Reale Actives, Her New Acne-Focused Skincare Line

After three separate bouts of Accutane and years of persistent breakouts, Alix Earle, now 25, took her skincare journey into her own hands and created Reale Actives, a line catered to acne-prone skin. The brand, developed with Imaginary Ventures and led by CEO Andrea Blieden, an alum of Kiehl's and the Body Shop, launched on March 31 exclusively at RealeActives.com.

Roughly 400,000 people were curious enough about Earle's newest venture that they followed her new teaser account, @wtfisalixdoing, over the span of a week. The 25-year-old had been teasing the launch across social media, at times subtly, hinting at hero skin-care actives in the formulas like mandelic acid, and at others more overtly, including a scavenger hunt-style rollout sent to content creators to decode what she was working on. After lots of guesses from her loyal fan base, Earle introduced Reale Actives to her 5.5 million Instagram followers with an exciting first look at the brand.

The lineup includes a Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm ($29), Exfoliating LHA + BHA Gel Cleanser ($28), 8% Mandelic Acid Serum Concentrate ($39), and Barrier-Boosting Moisturizer ($36), with the complete routine also available as a kit for $118. Reale Actives debuted at RealeActives.com with all four products. The acne-friendly formulas are housed in pastel-green bottles, with the mandelic acid serum in a sleek chrome bottle designed to sit confidently on a bathroom shelf rather than disappear into the medicine cabinet. Earle serves as the brand's chief brand officer and is featured in the main launch campaign.

Earle worked with New York dermatologist Dr. Kiran Mian to develop the line, with the goal of making acne care "fun, sexy and understandable." The project had been in the works for nearly two years, and it started with one ingredient Earle refused to compromise on: mandelic acid. She has cited the Go Deep serum as her personal favorite, noting that mandelic acid was one of the few ingredients that really worked for her skin, and not something she had heard much about before.

The brand's "acne-first" positioning is deliberate, but the strategy is aimed at a wider audience. As Blieden put it, "These are still ingredients that are so important for everyone's skin and the health of everyone's skin, and if we take the stance of acne first, I think that naturally you're hitting a much broader demographic. Alix's skin is an evolving journey, there's not a one-size-fits-all approach to overcoming acne, and so it's making sure that we have those ingredients that are going to be great for when you're not breaking out."

For Earle, the brand is rooted in acceptance as much as it is in actives. Earle knows the line won't be a cure-all, but that's kind of the point. "'Real you is perfect you' is our mantra," she says. "That's really how the brand's name originated. You have to learn to love your real skin. If that means you have some imperfections, redness, texture, or pores, that's a beautiful thing. Be patient with yourself. I've found that the moment I truly accept those imperfections is often when I start to see the most improvement."

Imaginary Ventures partner Kelly Dill noted that Earle and Blieden are in the process of building out the team and product road map. The venture capital firm, which similarly invested early in Mikayla Nogueira's POV Beauty, also counts Skims, Westman Atelier, Glossier, and Kosas among its investments. Earle already has products planned through 2028.