Projected to reach $580 billion by 2027, skincare remains the beauty industry’s most lucrative segment, valued at over $115.56 billion in 2024, and expanding rapidly with consumer shifts toward wellness and science-backed formulations. At the heart of this surge lies a category that’s both underserved and in high demand—acne care. Affecting more than 50 million Americans annually, acne is no longer a teenage rite of passage but a chronic concern that spans all ages, ethnicities, and genders.

This gap has created fertile ground for innovation, and Clearstem Skincare has surfaced as one of its most compelling disruptors. With a hybrid approach that merges clinical results with “clean” beauty and external treatments with internal healing, Clearstem is not just capitalizing on a market opportunity, but reimagining the entire acne care experience.

Founded by health practitioner and nutritionist Kayleigh Christina and clinical esthetician Danielle Gronich, the 100% self-funded brand has grown from a treatment room breakthrough into a multimillion-dollar business rooted in science, education, and community. Fast forward to today, Clearstem is on track to close 2025 with $50 million in revenue, a significant leap from its modest beginnings in 2018.

The Acne Crisis That Sparked a Skincare Revolution

Christina’s journey began over a decade ago, triggered by going off birth control. What followed was an aggressive episode of hormonal cystic acne that not only ravaged her skin but also her confidence and mental health. “I tried every clean skincare product, every DIY hack, and every clinical recommendation out there,” Christina, co-founder and Chief Growth Officer of Clearstem Skincare told BeautyMatter. “Nothing worked. I felt invisible—until I found Danielle.”

Gronich, known affectionately as “The Acne Guru,” had been fighting her own battle with acne since college. With grade-four cystic acne running in her family and a medical system that offered only prescriptions and no real answers, she abandoned her plans for medical school and instead trained as an esthetician. “I realized what I wanted didn’t exist—a true acne specialist who addressed internal and external triggers. So I became that person,” she recalled to BeautyMatter.

The two met in the treatment room at San Diego (SD) Acne Clinic, where Danielle cleared Kayleigh’s skin in under two months. Lying on that treatment table, the idea for Clearstem was born, not just as a product line, but as a movement.

Clearstem's core premise is simplicity: combine science-backed skincare with anti-aging ingredients and ditch everything that clogs pores. However, executing that idea was anything but easy. “It’s not just what’s in our formulas; it’s also what we leave out,” said Gronich. “We avoid over 200 pore-clogging ingredients, many of which are still rampant in ‘clean’ beauty.’”

Every Clearstem Skincare product is packed with barrier-repairing actives like peptides, magnesium, zinc, plant stem cells, and growth factors. “We were among the first to create an acne-safe ingredient checker, which we initially handed out as printed sheets,” Kayleigh added. “Now it’s integrated into our digital experience, helping people audit their routines.”

Their “Goldilocks” product, HydroGlow Moisturizer, remains a bestseller. Designed to hydrate without greasiness and safe for both oily and dry acne-prone skin, it exemplifies the brand’s balance between performance and purity. Other fan favorites include CellRenew, a serum that lessens scars, and BounceBack, a peptide-based corrective treatment.

On the internal front, the MindBodySkin supplement, formulated after analyzing loads of blood panels from acne patients, addresses internal triggers like inflammation, hormone imbalances, and liver congestion. It’s a best-selling example of Clearstem's belief that true skin health requires a 360-degree approach.

Growth Without Compromise

Despite the brand’s surging success—up from $1.5 million to $50 million in just a few years—the founders have remained fiercely independent. “We intentionally held off on outside funding,” Gronich explained. “We wanted to maintain control over our formulas and how we speak to our community.”

Clearstem's distribution strategy is equally deliberate. While 95% of its revenue is generated through direct-to-consumer channels, the brand has a selective retail presence at Erewhon and Wolf & Badger, with discussions underway for broader partnerships. “We want every retail experience to reflect the care we’ve built online,” Christina added. Internationally, Clearstem ships globally, although they admitted that customs can pose challenges. Still, their cult following in markets like the UK continues to grow, thanks to content creators, pop-up events, and word of mouth.

Where many brands stop at marketing, Clearstem Skincare begins with education. “From day one, we knew we wanted to give people the knowledge we wish we had,” said Christina. “Skincare isn’t just about the bottle. It’s about lifestyle, diet, stress, and even what time you work out.” Their acne masterclasses held online and across 12 US cities last year are as popular as their products.

These sessions delve deeply into root causes, covering everything from food sensitivities (such as eggs and dairy) to ingredient audits, while offering practical solutions. “We never tell people to give something up without offering an alternative,” Gronich said. “We want them to feel empowered, not restricted.” That deep educational commitment extends to the brand’s website, which prioritizes self-diagnosis tools, ingredient education, and personalized regimens, with the goal of equipping consumers with the power to understand and heal their own skin.

“People kept telling us, ‘You changed my life,’” Christina said. “So we turned that into our tagline—Clear skin changes everything.” The brand’s podcast presence, with over 350 interviews, leans into root-cause education before mentioning any products. Their ambassador program, comprising over 3,000 affiliates, thrives on community, with WhatsApp groups for TikTok creators to trade ideas, hooks, and content strategies.

From influencer collaborations like the matcha eye patches with Alyssa Lynch, to commercial spots on platforms like Mountain, Clearstem's  message remains unchanged: clarity, not hype.

With innovation labs, global demand, and a customer base that feels more like a movement than a market, the future is clear. Christina summed it up best. “We want to be the #1 internal and external clear skin solution. But more than that, we want people to feel seen, heard, and safe in their skincare journey.” Gronich agreed. “When someone discovers Clearstem, we want them to feel like, ‘Finally—this brand was made for me.’ Because it was,” she said conclusively.