Launch Date: September 2005
Geography: San Ramon, CA, US
Founders:
Executive Team:
Board Members:
Notable Investor: Norwest Venture Partners
2026 Full Year Projected Revenue: $50M - $75M, according to industry estimates
Primary Category: Skincare
Other Category: Retail/Service Provider
Funding: Private Equity
Primary Distribution Channel: Professional
Other Distribution Channel: DTC
Key Retail Partner: Independent Professional Businesses
Key Markets: North America
2026 Projected Offline Distribution Points: 10,000
At Face Reality, acne care is personal. Founder Laura Cooksey struggled with acne into her mid-thirties before an esthetician helped her achieve clear skin—sparking her 1990 entry into esthetics and lifelong focus on acne. Today, Face Reality is a clinically proven, award-winning professional skincare line offering personalized regimens formulated specifically for acne vulgaris. Our Clear Skin Method delivers targeted, results-driven care: after just eight weeks, clients can expect a clinical reduction in acne severity*, and by week 16, 80% report successful outcomes. As well as physical results, clients also report a positive impact on their emotional well-being. After 16 weeks, 96% say they look and feel better overall, and 100% would continue using Face Reality products.
Insights: Jeremy Soine, CEO
Why now and why you?
My goal is for Face Reality to become the #1 professional acne brand. To get there, I’m focused on three key areas:
First, raising awareness about the value of seeing a licensed skincare professional. Self-diagnosing the right treatment for skincare—especially acne—is incredibly difficult. People get better results when they have the guidance and support of a trained professional.
Second, educating those who struggle with acne on the benefits of a customized treatment approach. The one-size-fits-all model simply doesn’t work well. In contrast, Face Reality sees 89% of clients improve their acne severity within just eight weeks—because their treatment plans are tailored to their unique skin.
Third, I’m focused on being the best possible brand partner for professionals, whether it be independent esthetician practices, facial bars, medical spas, dermatologist offices, or plastic surgeon offices. That means providing best-in-class tools, resources, and operating support to grow their businesses and deliver real results to their clients and patients.
What fuels your competitive advantage?
Face Reality’s competitive strength comes from a distinct combination of focus, expertise, and reach. As one of the only professional skincare brands dedicated solely to acne, Face Reality has built a reputation as a leading education authority (recognized as Dermascope’s #1 Professional Education Brand in 2025) and excels at delivering training that reaches all the way to the end client, a rarity in the industry. Its clinically proven Clear Skin Method and expansive portfolio of 40+ products enable highly customized treatment plans for every individual, while partnerships with nearly 10,000 skincare professionals extend that impact through trusted relationships. Underpinning it all is a purpose-driven culture and exceptional team, reflected in being named one of the Bay Area’s Best Places to Work for the last three consecutive years.
What’s your proudest accomplishment to date?
My proudest accomplishment to date is growing the company by 8x in revenue and more than 15x in EBITDA during the past six years, which started within weeks of the onset of COVID, where we weren’t sure if the company would survive. Since then, we remain committed to our core company mission and purpose of focusing on the people—our employees and our customers—building a company that they love.
What is the one thing you wish someone had told you?
I wish somebody would have taught me about the importance of skincare professionals many years ago and the importance of not self-diagnosing solutions for my own skincare concerns, but especially acne. Everybody should see a skincare professional regularly. There would be a much higher level of satisfaction with skincare and beauty products!
What would you tell your past self before starting this journey?
I would tell myself a few different things, but here they are, boiled down:
What does success look like in the next 3-5 years?
We strive to become the #1 professional acne brand across all professional skincare channels by remaining committed to being the expert in acne and customer support. We’ll continue our leadership in the pro/esthetician channel by investing even more into new product and protocol innovation and clinical studies and by leveraging our expertise in education and training into even more digital tools for our accounts to be successful. We’ll leverage our 20 years of experience leading the pro/esthetician channel by launching into the medical channels—derm, plastic surgeons, medical spas, and physician accounts—bringing much needed solutions to those providers and partnering with them to enhance their current acne solutions such as prescriptions or other treatment modalities. Five years from now, Face Reality will be a household name that is the most trusted partner to treat acne and bring self-esteem and confidence to the 50 million+ people in the US who experience acne every year. We’ll also be in the midst of launching internationally to bring our trusted solutions to those across the globe who need help with acne.
What's one industry trend that is overhyped, and what's being overlooked?
For all the conveniences of social media, it’s made professional skincare more important than ever. An increasing percentage of new clients show up for their first appointment with a compromised skin barrier. When asked about their current products, those clients often mention learning on social media; self-diagnosing in skincare is becoming an increasing problem, making the job of skincare professionals even more critical. The expanded awareness of estheticians is a challenge that rests on the collective shoulders of the industry leaders. As Face Reality grows, we’re investing more of our marketing budget to target end consumers, teaching them the importance of seeing a licensed skincare professional, and directing them to our Acne Experts. It’s a more complicated message but a very important one.
How do you think the industry needs to evolve?
Honestly, the industry needs fewer me-too brands and more proven solutions that help end consumers. It’s the responsibility of beauty companies to provide scientifically proven solutions rather than bandwagon products that rely on celebrity endorsements. Transparency in results will build more consumer trust, resulting in better results and higher long-term confidence.
If you could wave a magic wand, what one wish would you make for your business?
I wish we could hire more people faster! We have so many things we want to do for the next several years. But I know it’s important to be patient and to prioritize. It’s exciting to know how much growth is ahead of us, as we have a long list of initiatives to work on that will keep us busy for years to come.