The Full Coverage: Inside Topicals' TV-Style Launch of Clearly
Diving into the GTM strategy of Topical's most recent launch and my thesis that we are reverting back to the old age of commercial advertising on social media
Hi, and welcome to Full Coverage! This is the debut edition of my newsletter—a space where I unpack the brand marketing strategies cutting through today’s noise. From product launches with outsized impact to brand refreshes that spark conversation, I’ll be spotlighting best-in-class execution and why it works.
I’m Christine Conway, a beauty marketer who spent nearly a decade at CULT Capital—a strategic partner and investor to brands like LAWLESS, Supergoop!, and Act+Acre—where I served as VP of Marketing. After working across a portfolio of category-defining brands, I’m now making the career transition to the brand side to go deep with one.
I launched Full Coverage to stay sharp on what’s new and next in beauty marketing—so you don’t have to.
I’m not just interested in beauty—I’m immersed in it. I know every brand in Sephora and Ulta, what makes them special, who founded them, and why they matter. I follow the influencers, test the products, and study the strategy. You could say I live and breathe beauty—personally and professionally.
Thanks for being here. I’m so glad you came—and I hope you’ll stick around :)
Now let’s jump into my first deep dive: a look at Topicals and their recent Clearly launch. Clearly is a two-product system and their solve for the most common skin condition there is, acne. Let’s unpack why this campaign was wildly successful at driving impressions and shares—and why I think time will tell if their launch has staying power in this ultra-competitive category. From the strategy that fueled its virality to the subtle gaps that could have made it even stronger, here’s my take. Let’s Begin!
The Short Version
The Thesis: Social media is evolving—from casual UGC to high-production, entertainment-first content. Think sound design, set styling, and scripted storytelling. Brands are becoming content studios, and polish is making a comeback.
Enter Topicals: Their Clearly acne duo launch felt more like a pilot episode than a product drop. Fully scripted, visually rich, and strategically built for shareability—it was peak Gen Z skincare theater.
The Results:
12.6M impressions
234K likes, 7.8K saves, 7.2K shares
One TikTok alone hit 6.7M views and nearly 600 comments
Shares averaged 637 per TikTok post—a gold-standard signal of true resonance
My Take: Topicals nailed the moment—but long-term success will hinge on how they follow through. Post-launch influencer momentum and educational storytelling will be key to sustaining attention in a crowded category.
What You’ll Learn: Why Clearly proves that polished, scripted content can thrive on TikTok, how Topicals built a creative engine in-house, and what it takes to turn a buzzy launch into a lasting brand story.
How I Got Here: My Current Thesis on the Resurgence of the Golden Age of Advertising
Scrolling through social media these days feels a bit like déjà vu.
Influencer content has become a blur of sameness, and while creators absolutely still have a place in the marketing mix, the magic of UGC is starting to wear off. Nearly one in four marketers are planning to spend over 40% of their budget on influencer campaigns. That’s a crowded playing field.
So, what cuts through? My thesis is we are entering a new era—one that borrows from the golden age of advertising. Think scripted commercials with art direction, sound design, and set styling. Today’s social platforms are entertainment engines, not social diaries. We’re seeing this shift from brands across the board—from Charlotte Tilbury’s splashy celebrity campaign with Kim Cattrall to Supergoop!’s comedic Chief Super Officer series. A new visual language is emerging, and it’s rooted in polish, purpose, and production value. If brands want to win hearts (and eyes), they need to think like content studios. And no one is owning that shift quite like Topicals.
Meet Topicals: The Brand Turning Flare-Ups Into a Movement
Founded in 2020 by Olamide Olowe and Claudia Teng, Topicals was born out of frustration shared by two pre-med students who couldn’t find skincare that worked for their skin tone—or for the chronic skin conditions they lived with. Olamide struggled with hyperpigmentation and folliculitis; Claudia with severe eczema.
From the jump, Topicals took a radically different approach. Science-backed formulas. Clinical credibility. But also—culturally rich storytelling rooted in fun. Topicals was built on the idea that chronic skin conditions are for life—so why dread taking care of yourself?
Their bold POV quickly resonated. With early backing from Bozoma Saint John, Hannah Bronfman, Issa Rae, and Yvonne Orji, Topicals launched with $2.6 million in funding and built a devoted Gen Z following. By 2022, they had raised over $15 million, with investors like Jay-Z’s Marcy Venture Partners and CAVU Consumer Partners on board.
While Claudia exited quietly after two years, later going on to launch her second brand, B.A.I. Biosciences, Olamide pressed forward—and then some. In April 2025, she launched CODB Holdings with Topicals President Sochi Mbadugha and acquired Bread Beauty Supply, building a platform for culturally relevant brands. It’s a clear signal: her vision goes far beyond one brand.
This is skincare that meets you where you are, with formulas that work and a brand that gets it. Their hero products—Faded, Like Butter, High Roller—aren’t just buzzy; they’ve earned their status, with over $1.4M in TikTok Shop sales alone (based on 53.8K units sold at an average price point of $26.67).
Clearly: When A Product Launch Feels Like a Pilot Episode
In December 2024, Topicals dropped Clearly, an acne-focused duo (mask + mist), and this wasn’t your average TikTok rollout. It was a fully scripted, stylized, and soundtracked campaign. It leans all the way into scripted comedy—think late-night infomercial meets Y2K skincare fever dream—with a wink that feels perfectly Gen Z and unmistakably Topicals. This choice wasn’t just aesthetic—it was strategic. Topicals is a brand built on cultural fluency and storytelling. This format let them bring their tone to life with maximal personality, while showcasing a routine-based product in a narrative format Gen Z can engage with.
The collaborators? A powerhouse roster:
Direction & Production: OnLunchBreak
Set Design: Abike Studio
Styling: Julio Cesar Delgado
Original Music: Twaankalu
All anchored by Topicals’ creative dream team:
Julia Shao (VP of Creative)
Jade M. (Creative Production Manager)
Aicha Cherif (Junior Producer + Editor)
Abiola B. (Head of Brand Marketing)
It’s rare to see a brand this size operate like a creative studio—but Topicals does. Their internal infrastructure gives them the agility to concept and execute quickly, without compromising quality. It’s part of what makes their polished campaigns feel so dialed in.
What the Numbers Say
Week one the metrics were impressive:
Impressions: 12.6M (10.9M TikTok, 1.57M Instagram)
Compared to 17k average TikTok views last 30 posts
Compared to 30k average reels views last 30 posts
Likes: 234K
Shares: 7.2K
Saves: 7.8K
Comments: 2.6K
Assets: 18 total (5 TikTok, 13 Instagram)
One TikTok video alone (below) clocked 6.7M views, 4.5K saves, and nearly 600 comments. To me, this definitively DEBUNKS the idea that only unpolished organic content works on TikTok, so take note people!
But let’s talk about shares. That’s the KPI I care about. Shares are the purest signal of resonance. You share something because it hits. Because it’s worth someone else’s time. Because it says something you believe in. And for Topicals, shares weren’t an afterthought—they were the metric, averaging 637 shares per TikTok post.
When content gets shared, it becomes conversation. And when your skincare campaign turns into dinner table chatter? That’s brand gold.
From Moment to Movement?
Clearly was a masterclass in launch strategy. It was bold, funny, culturally fluent, and visually rich. It didn’t just launch a product—it created a moment.
Still, the question now is staying power. The launch hasn’t seen major reactivation yet. Influencer buzz post-launch has been light. PR could’ve been louder. And while the content was entertaining, is the formula clinical enough to build long-term trust against acne-specific players?
But here’s the thing: Topicals already built a hero franchise with Faded. Clearly has all the makings of a breakout line if they continue investing in storytelling, education, and community. They’ve proven they can launch. Now it’s about sustaining.
Still Skeptical? Up Next: Supergoop!
Still skeptical that high-production, socially fluent campaigns are the next wave of brand marketing? Next up, I’ll continue this series with a breakdown of Supergoop!’s Chief Super Officer campaign featuring Liza Koshy. Trust me—you’ll want to read it.