APR Corp · APRILSKIN US

Cleansing Balm
US Launch

Turning a shelf regular into a story by claiming the niche nobody else wanted.

The US cleansing balm category was already crowded. We were launching APRILSKIN's Carrotene IPMP Hydromelt Cleansing Balm into that shelf.

Digging into competitor reviews, I found the category's two loudest complaints pointed to the same overlooked audience, and straight at our hero ingredient. That became the USP, the launch story, and the bestseller.

APRILSKIN Carrotene IPMP Hydromelt Cleansing Balm

Role: Brand lead, APRILSKIN US
Year: 2022
Scope: GTM · Positioning · Copy
Result: Brand-site bestseller · $65K launch week

01The barrier

Entering a category where someone already won.

The shelf was full

Banila Co Clean It Zero, Clinique Take The Day Off, Elemis Pro-Collagen, Farmacy Green Clean: all established bestsellers with loyal buyers. A new entrant couldn't out-brand them.

The pitch was identical

Every balm promised the same thing: melts makeup, gentle, moisturizing. No brand owned a clear differentiator. Launching with the same pitch meant being one more jar.

A reason to exist

To justify a US launch, the product needed a specific customer who wasn't being served and a story that pointed directly at them.

02The research

I read hundreds of competitor reviews.
The complaints repeated.

Sephora · cleansing balm · sorted by best-selling Competitor audit

Complaint 01 · removal

"It doesn't fully remove my mascara." Shoppers said they had to double cleanse or rub harder, and when they rubbed, it stung their eyes.

Complaint 02 · breakouts

"I have oily / acne-prone skin and this broke me out." The category is oil-based by nature, so its biggest critics were the people who need cleansing most.

The insight

Nobody was making a cleansing balm for acne-prone skin. The whole category was written off by that audience. A niche was hiding in plain sight.

The fit

Our hero ingredient, Carrotene IPMP, is an acne-calming active. The product was already built for the gap. It just hadn't been positioned that way.

03The strategy

A cleansing balm for acne-prone skin.

Positioning

Claim the niche

Lead every touchpoint with "cleansing balm for acne-prone skin." A USP no competitor was claiming, backed by Carrotene IPMP as proof.

Timing

Build up, peak at Halloween

Dropped Sept 1 to build recognition. Seeded to heavy-makeup and drag-queen influencers mid-September, putting the product at the exact moment people were scrubbing off costume makeup.

Product page

Lead with proof

Put the Carrotene IPMP ingredient story, the non-comedogenic certification, and a clear ritual above the fold, so a shopper with acne-prone skin could see exactly why it was made for them.

Promotion

Bundle with the hero line

Limited-edition Halloween set, paired with our most loved serum. Existing Carrotene fans had an instant reason to try the balm, and the bundle borrowed the serum's credibility.

04The launch · live

See the live page
I shipped.

The launch page went live on aprilskin.us and became the bestseller on the brand's US site. Visit the real product page to see the positioning, the ritual, and the ingredient story in full production.

Visit live page aprilskin.us / carrotene-ipmp-hydromelt-cleansing-balm

Cleansing BalmUS Launch