How Pimple Patches Made Acne Fashionable
From the dawn of rom coms and chick flicks alike, the recurring trope of the main character waking up for a once in a lifetime event, only to be met with a big zit smack-dab in the middle of their forehead remains a prevalent theme in media. In the film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, protagonist Toula wakes up with a zit on the corner of her mouth on her wedding day. On the way to the reception, Toula complains to her groom about her blemish. He admits that he awoke with a pimple as well, but treated it with a spritz of Windex, Toula's father's cure-all. While Windex is a bit of a reach as an acne suppressant, a modern-day alternative has mended this times-old conundrum.
Pimple patches began hitting the U.S. markets in 2012, around the same time Korean skincare started taking off in the western hemisphere. “Charlotte Cho, the founder of K-beauty e-commerce site Sokoglam, was one of the first retailers outside of Amazon in the US to carry CosRX’s patches. She recalls first being exposed to pimple patches when she worked in Seoul in the early 2010s as an expat, where she saw people wearing them out in public (Wischhover). Pimple patches are made out of hydrocolloid, a squishy wound healing material. It’s been around since the 1980’s and first became popular in ostomy care. They’re also utilized in blister care bandages, as it absorbs fluid from the wound, forming a gel that gets trapped in the bandage, turning the area of the bandage white. Hydrocolloid pimple patches act as a barrier from picking at acne, as well as absorbing the puss from an oozing legion.
Brands like Mighty Patch make acne practically invisible when covered by their patch. Whereas others such as Starface fulfill your inner childlike wonderment of putting pretty stickers all over your face. However you want to conceal your zits through making them imperceptible, or sporting colorful stars as a statement, the acne patch market has all consumer psychographics covered.
Since the mid-2010’s, pimple patches can be found in most large-retail stores. Their rise in popularity coincides with the surge of social media. Celebrities and influencers can be seen sporting concealed or colorful patches on their platforms, or in candid shots out and about. Justin Bieber has been seen wearing Starface brand pimple patches both on social media, and through tabloid shots. Throughout the years, he has been open about his struggle with acne. Reclaiming the “acne is ugly” narrative, he now exemplifies it by pairing his patches with his street-wear outfits. Social media influencers such as Peyton from PamperPlace on TikTok has a partnership with Hero Cosmetics, in which she uses their clear pimple patches on her acne prone face. With her top video having over 74 million views, she is de-stigmatizing the reality behind acne skin care.
Through the creation of both practical and fun alternatives to standard acne medication, pimple patches and their popularity on social media have made Gen-Z more receptive to the inevitable hallmark of growing up and having facial blemishes. [Starface] de-stigmatizes and distracts and makes having a pimple fun,” says Starface co-founder Julie Schott, a former beauty editor at Elle magazine. Pimples patches are putting a fun, colorful twist on the perils of acne.
Bella Kiessel is a junior studying public relations, minoring in photography. She came to Northridge from Chicago, Illinois in pursuit of an education in a field that combines both creativity and corporate communication in the entertainment capital. She hopes to pursue a career in advertising, with an emphasis in marketing design. She wants to utilize her knowledge in public relations to support her passion for live music and emerging artists.