Alix Earle has always been transparent about her life online, but it was model Kendall Jenner’s acne journey that inspired her to open up about her own struggles. The 24-year-old TikTok star is featured on WSJ. Magazine‘s digital cover, where she discussed how seeing Jenner’s Proactiv campaign years ago motivated her to normalize acne talk with her millions of followers.
“I don’t know if it was Kendall Jenner — maybe she did a Proactiv campaign or something — and I remember that resonating with me so much when I was younger,” she said.
With over seven million TikTok followers and four million on Instagram, Earle’s posts now mainly consist of “get ready with me” videos and vlogs of her daily life. However, she gained popularity through sharing her journey dealing with cystic acne, which led to her online success.
“When I started dealing with super, super bad cystic acne, as much as it was the last thing I ever wanted to post about, and I was so embarrassed and so scared at first, that’s truly what kickstarted my success,” Earle shared with WSJ. “I always try now to just be realistic about filters or photoshopping. And I just think it goes a long way.”
In 2023, Earle launched an “All Things Acne” series on TikTok, where she shared her skin journey, including moments of severe breakouts and emotional struggles.
@alixearle i hope this helps someone struggling with their skin 🫶🏼 so excited to talk more about this! #allthingsacne ♬ original sound – Alix Earle
“What you see on social media it’s all filters. It’s all edited out. It’s all fake,” she continued. “Stop picking at your skin. Stop looking in the mirror. Stop taking photos of it. Just relax. You are beautiful. Your skin does not define who you are.”
Earle’s honesty about her acne journey received positive feedback, leading her to share more videos about her experiences with Accutane and the products she used to cover her blemishes.