TikTok’s Favorite Dermatologist Just Dropped a Skin-Care Line That’s Bound to Sell Out

I don’t expect everyone to share my enthusiasm for YouTube’s top skinfluencers, but when it comes to the two dermatologists behind Doctorly, there are 2.8 million of you who also subscribe to Luke Maxfield and Muneeb Shah’s content on YouTube (nevermind the million on Instagram and whopping 18 million on TikTok). There’s always something useful to learn from the Doctorly POV, be it dispelling flash-in-the-pan beauty and grooming trends, elaborating on buzzed-about ingredients, or just simplifying skin care to a few high-performance products.

In a year when big-name celebrities are launching grooming labels, I’m excited about the new brand from Doctorly’s Dr. Shah because with Remedy, his digital preachings are realized in high-performance products. I caught up with Shah ahead of the brand’s launch to ask him about Remedy, and how it might impact the way he approaches content across all of Doctorly’s channels.

GQ: In what ways are you bringing your experience as both a dermatologist and a digital personality to Remedy?

Dr. Muneeb Shah: When I started producing content, I answered the most common questions I was getting in the doctor’s office. Because if someone is asking you these questions in the office, there are probably millions of people with the same question, right? Turns out, yes. And so I think I have an advantage with the metrics I’m able to track, about where people are clicking and what they are watching over the past three years.” [Ed’s note: Over 1 billion YouTube views’ worth of metrics, to be exact.]

So I’ve been able to look at where the pain points are and drive decisions based on data into the launch. But these products fit into the world of dermatology in that we always have over-the-counter options and prescription options, and just because I came out with Remedy doesn’t mean I won’t prescribe or suggest a prescription treatment for these problems. But let’s say there’s a prescription treatment for hyperpigmentation that can only be used for three months at a time. Well, here is a dark spot OTC option that is an extension of that three-month period and a preventative treatment to get ahead of the prescription.

Obviously, launching a brand with a built-in audience is a nice advantage. But what are some of the hurdles that come with this kind of loyal following, or what considerations did you make specifically for the audience?

When you launch a brand as a creator, you have the advantage of a built-in audience; however, one disadvantage is that you don’t have a lot of time to figure it out. You almost have to assume your product-market fit because the audience will get exposed to it rapidly and make up their minds quickly. You have to do a lot of testing in advance because so many people will try the product, and if things go wrong, whether it’s a packaging or a shipping issue, they’re harder to work out.You need to be authentic to everything you’ve ever said over the past few years. For me, that centers on price point and ingredients. I can’t include ingredients I have openly disliked, like artificial fragrances. And I always recommend products in the $30 range, so I needed to be there too. I don’t want people wondering why I’m suddenly trying to sell them my products at a more expensive price than those I’ve been recommending for years. That would be very disingenuous.

The Remedy website also has a “skin encyclopedia” called Skinpedia, which spotlights ingredients, tutorials, and general dermatological advice. Why did you choose to build this as part of the brand?

When launching a brand as a creator, you really have to bring your audience along for the journey. It needs to be authentic to who you are and how you started. We have led with education for a very long time. This all started with me as a tutor, so with the brand, I felt like the first thing people needed to be exposed to was education. Now I have all this content that my videos and content can link to, and I have a little doctor’s note on the side of each product page to help build trust with customers.

Aside from sales and longevity, what do you think will be a barometer of success for this brand?

Well, my audience will be the first to try and test this brand. But my dream would be for people to buy Remedy without ever having heard of me. If word of mouth can get us to that point—like a friend of a friend is buying it and they don’t know who I am, I’d consider it a success.

What to know about the products

Today, Remedy debuts three problem-solution-oriented products that I’m quickly incorporating into my regimen. More are on the way in 2024 and beyond. Here’s a look at the lineup.

Remedy for Dark Spots

This dark spot treatment targets three stages of dark spot formation. “Dark spots are created by an enzyme, and then that enzyme transfers pigment, which is then deposited in the skin,” he says. “A lot of products only target one of those three steps—usually either the formation or the deposition, but very few for all three steps.”

This formula is no joke; as Dr. Shah points out, it took two years of research and development to stabilize 11 active ingredients. Remedy for Dark Spots has retinol for cell turnover, alpha-hydroxy acids for surface exfoliation, high-grade niacinamide for smoother complexion, peptides, and antioxidants to stifle dark spot production, to name a few of those 11 key ingredients.

Remedy for Pore Size

Then there’s Remedy for Pore Size, which reduces shine and sebum production in an effort to reduce the appearance of your pores. That’s the idea behind anything that promises to “shrink” pores: it’s actually acting to reduce their appearance, which Remedy treatment does with retinol and niacinamide, as well as oil-mitigating salicylic acid and green tea extract.

Remedy for Dry Lips

Last but not least, Remedy for Dry Lips breaks barriers in the chapstick game by repairing your lips’ own barrier. It has ceramides and peptides to reinforce the skin barrier and squalane with a petrolatum base to trap moisture.