Star Quality - My Interview with Julie Schott, Founder of Starface
I started learning about skincare in fourth grade, and even though I didn’t have a lot of pimples then, learning about skincare made me self conscious about the way I looked. I saw advertisements for products for perfect Glass Skin and it made me constantly degrade myself if I didn’t look perfect too. But then I found Starface.
Starface was the first pimple patch I ever tried. First I had the original yellow star patches and then I had the Glossier x Starface pimple patches and they were so cute! When I started wearing Starface I was nervous because I thought people would make fun of me for having stickers on my face. But no one did and the patches really helped my pimples heal and I was much more confident. I still use Starface today!!
I wanted to learn about the story of how the concept of Starface began, and hear more about Starface from the source directly.
I had the greatest honor and privilege of meeting the Founder and CEO of Starface, Julie Schott, and I got to ask her some questions about how and why she started Starface, and she had so many phenomenal answers!
Julie Schott did not have acne when she was young, but she did when she got older. At the time, she was a beauty expert in major magazines, but she was self-conscious about her acne. When Julie was a kid there was a brand called “Proactiv” and all of the extremely well-known celebrities like Justin Bieber and Katy Perry were on the ads talking about their pimples. But they really made it seem like you can only be happy if you have clear skin. That's why from the beginning of Starface it was really important to Julie to not send the message that you did something wrong if you have acne. Because in the real world, everyone has acne!
Julie shared with me that over 95% of people on earth have acne!! After she launched Starface, a lot of people were saying to her “I’m excited to break out” because of how unique and cute the pimple patch is. The pimple patches make you feel like you don’t have to dread breaking out.
When Julie was a beauty writer/expert she would write a lot about acne. She interned in college and later on got an offer to write at ELLE magazine. There at ELLE everyone was talking about what had been regular to report on at the magazine from the last 5-10 years but never talked about acne. She loved talking about things that would usually make people uncomfortable (like acne).
When building Starface Julie thought about the idea of a social media beauty filters and representing what it feels like to be a kid or teenager or adult with acne and not be ashamed. “Star patches should feel like a decoration” she told me.
Julie talked about how back in the day the only option was a clear pimple patch, so since that was the only pimple patch option they thought that a color and shape would be better and make people feel more confident and happy with their skin.
The idea of a star-shaped pimple patch was not at first supported by manufacturers according to Julie. Starface eventually started and came out with only one color, the classic yellow color that we all know and love, and it was a very small brand at first. The very first buyer was Hailey Williams from a band called Paramore. Julie wanted to demonstrate with Starface that you can have a whole life even if you have pimples. Acne doesn’t affect your ‘That Girl’ era or your great big life!
I asked Julie what she thought of the idea of kids having a skincare and makeup routine and Julie responded by saying that the question of what is appropriate for kids is a big topic in beauty right now. She thinks that whatever makes kids feel confident, happy, and safe (skinwise) is best, and she also emphasized to try to be easy on your skin. Julie stated that it totally depends on what you want for skincare and she recommended to have a talk with your parents about skincare and makeup and have them help you find a routine that's gentle and easy. But also, listen to your skin. AND BE SIMPLE!!!!
Julie wants people to feel like “I can do anything and I feel comfortable in my skin and in my face” while wearing the pimple patch. Always embody what makes you feel special.