uding skin texture, breakouts, signs of ageing and dry patches.  Additionally, 93 per cent said there is too much emphasis on having flawless skin, and almost half had cancelled a date or social event because they felt their skin wasn’t good enough to leave the house. According to Hey Bud’s marketing manager Hannah Neumann, the brand reached out to its customers ahead of Acne Awareness Month, which occurs in June, to understand their attitudes on this issue, and was shocked by how definitive the response was. “The responses that we got were beyond what we were expecting,” Neumann told Inside Retail.  “The short answer has been that, essentially, [the skincare industry] is doing exactly the opposite of what our customers are actually asking from us.” Hey Bud dropped the campaign it had been working on and instead launched a billboard that showed people’s real skin to underscore  that it is a brand for people with real skin problems.  The ‘Skin Deep’ campaign also ran across social media, and kicked off a conversation about the impact that airbrushing and photoshopping in the skincare and beauty industry has on people’s self-image.  “We’ve had a lot of positive feedback on social media from people that are glad to see a skincare brand showing acne,” Neumann said.  “One of the best ones I saw was from a woman in the UK who spoke out about how massive the conversation actually is, because people’s attitudes toward skin don’t just affect them personally, but also professionally. “Having acne or a breakout isn’t a professional look, and it can lead people to look at you negatively at work.” Photoshop is out Neumann  said that the shift away from photoshopping in fashion marketing is a positive step toward a more inclusive industry. However, the beauty industry still has a way to go. “People want clear skin, we all know and understand that. But the challenge we’re facing at the moment is that there is no representation of real skin,” Neumann said.  “Customers are seeing that change in fashion, but then are seeing beauty brands showing off people with perfectly clear skin, whether that’s photoshopped or not. We need to make sure that the beauty space is giving them reality, rather than photoshopped or airbrushed images.” As far as Hey Bud is concerned, Neumann is confident the business will take customer feedback on board, and that it will show more realistic skin conditions in its marketing moving forward. “When I look at the way this is going to impact Hey Bud, I think it’s largely about us leaning into our ethos of ingredients, innovation, and communication,” Neumann said.  “For us, photoshop is out the door. I really don’t think we can ignore stats like these. “We love our customers, and we love when they buy our products, but even more than that we want them to love the Hey Bud brand. We’re listening to them, and taking action from their feedback.”