Alix Earle’s Reale Actives is making its debut to plenty of fanfare—and no shortage of anticipation. The 25-year-old mega-influencer has 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 an Instagram account, @wtfisalixdoing, and a scavenger hunt–style rollout sent to content creators to decode what she was working on.
As of Tuesday, March 24, she’s made it official: her skin-care brand, set to launch March 31, is nearly here, with a focus on supporting acne-prone skin types and beyond. The focus tracks for Earle, who first built her following while attending the University of Miami, where her candid, unfiltered content—including her acne journey—resonated widely.
In the years since, her content has expanded widely, evolving past her college party-era roots into a more adult, lifestyle-focused mix—and now, entrepreneurship. “After I graduated from college, I knew I wanted to start my own company, but at that point in my life, I actually didn’t like skin care at all,” Earle told Cosmopolitan ahead of the brand launch. “I initially disliked the idea of starting a skin-care brand because I had always been skeptical about skin care. It wasn’t fun for me, I didn’t enjoy it, and I never felt like I found products that truly helped.”
“That’s when it clicked that maybe there was a white space,” Earle continued. “When you have serious acne, skin care doesn’t feel fun or cute. I could never walk into Sephora and grab the viral products because I was always worried they’d break me out. I was using prescription products from my doctor in white, clinical-looking bottles. I wanted to merge those two worlds: really great, efficacious formulas in fun packaging, with a brand the everyday girl could see herself in. It’s something I wish had existed when I was growing up.”
What’s in the Reale Actives Lineup
That’s the thinking that inspired Reale Actives, which is set to launch with four products: the Get Bare Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm ($29), which was already a suspected part of the line after Earle used a prelaunch tester in a TikTok Get Ready With Me video; the Go Deep 8% Mandelic Acid Serum Concentrate ($39); Dew More Barrier-Boosting Moisturizer ($36); and the Pore Power Exfoliating LHA + BHA Gel Cleanser ($28).
The Ingredients Behind Reale Actives
Earle worked with New York dermatologist Kiran Mian, MD to develop the line, with the goal of making acne care “fun, sexy and understandable.” As told to Cosmopolitan, Earle’s favorite product in the line is the Mandelic Acid Serum Concentrate. She hasn’t been quiet about the ingredient in recent months on TikTok while subtly teasing the line. “I keep going back and forth with my favorites, but I’m gonna go with the mandelic acid serum,” she said. “That’s probably my favorite. When I was experimenting with different skincare, mandelic acid was one of the few ingredients that really worked for my skin, and it wasn’t something I had heard much about before. I always felt like the focus was on salicylic acid.”
It’s true: salicylic acid (a betahydroxy acid, or BHA) is widely considered a go-to for clearing clogged pores and breakouts, while mandelic acid (a type of alphahydroxy acid, or AHA) offers a gentler, slow-acting alternative that’s often better tolerated by sensitive or acne-prone skin. As Campbell, CA dermatologist Amelia K. Hausauer, MD previously told NewBeauty, mandelic acid is both water- and lipid-soluble, “so it can reach deep into the pore where the skin produces sebum.”
Beyond mandelic acid, the rest of the lineup mixes pore-clearing ingredients with ones that help keep skin calm. The cleanser uses capryloyl salicylic acid (LHA)—a gentler, slower-acting version of salicylic acid—alongside willow bark extract (a BHA) to help keep pores clear without being too harsh. (Traditional salicylic acid works faster and goes deeper into pores, which can make it more effective, but also a bit more drying for some.) It’s balanced with soothing ingredients like centella asiatica, while the cleansing balm uses lightweight oils to melt away makeup without stripping the skin. The moisturizer rounds things out with hydration and barrier support, especially helpful when you’re treating breakouts but still want your skin to feel comfortable.
You can join the waitlist for Reale Actives by clicking the product links below. Come Tuesday, March 31, each product will be available to shop individually or as part of the full collection.
