The peel is the proof: turning a 10-second removal clip into a scaling template.
Peace Out Skincare: Acne Dots · Creative strategy & iteration · May–July 2023
The problem
Hydrocolloid patches were everywhere, from Mighty Patch and Starface to cheap Amazon packs. Shoppers saw them as all the same and bought on price. The real doubt wasn’t “what is it.” It was “does it actually work, and is it worth more?”
The insight
The best ad on the account was a 10-second phone clip: tweezers peel off a cloudy, used dot. Between May 2 and May 21, 2023, it held attention, with a 54.9% 3-second-view rate, 7 seconds average watch time and a 2.07% CTR, but returned only 0.32 ROAS. The peel proved the patch works. It gave no reason to choose Peace Out over cheaper patches. Keep the peel, add one reason to buy, and the same hook starts to convert.
The approach
I flagged the peel clip as the account’s real template, then briefed the two iterations that made it convert.
- Protected the template: opens on the payoff, uses the used dot as proof, looks native, stays short.
- Briefed Iteration A, the ingredient reason (launched June 5, 2023): the same peel with “pov your pimple patch actually has Salicylic Acid in it…”. It answers “why pay more” in about 8 seconds and goes to everyone at the top of the funnel.
- Briefed Iteration B, the person and the result (launched June 12, 2023): a creator talks over the peel with a before and after. At about 27 seconds, it retargets people who watched half of A. It launched a week after A so that pool of viewers could build up.
The outcome (June 5 to July 2, 2023)
Same hook, one new reason to buy. Cold traffic went from 0.32 to 1.4 ROAS.
Attention barely changed, but buying did. 3-second view rate went from 54.9% to 58% and CTR from 2.07% to 2.3%, while add-to-cart per click more than doubled (4% → 9%). The hook was never the problem. The missing piece was a reason to buy.
The warm layer: Iteration B retargeted people who watched half of A and hit 1.9 ROAS at $24 per purchase. Across both stages combined, ROAS came to 1.5 at ~$30 per purchase.
1 template, two funnel stages, ~$19,600 spend and 658 purchases across both ads.
See the full numbers
| Metric | Original (May 2–21) | A: Salicylic POV, cold (Jun 5–Jul 2) | B: Creator reaction, warm (Jun 12–Jul 2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-second-view rate | 54.9% | 58% | 46% |
| Avg watch time | 0:07 | 0:06 | 0:11 |
| CTR | 2.07% | 2.3% | 1.8% |
| Add-to-cart / click | ~4% | 9% | 12% |
| Cost per purchase | ~$140 | ~$32 | ~$24 |
| ROAS | 0.32 | 1.4 | 1.9 |
Spend breakdown
| Ad | Spend | Purchases | Cost per purchase | ROAS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A: Salicylic POV (cold) | ~$15,380 | 479 | ~$32 | 1.4 |
| B: Creator reaction (warm) | ~$4,260 | 179 | ~$24 | 1.9 |
| Combined | ~$19,640 | 658 | ~$30 | 1.5 |
Source: Meta Ads Manager export. Iteration B ran only as retargeting to people who watched 50% of Iteration A, so its results reflect a warm audience and are not a cold-traffic comparison.
Tools used
- Meta Ads Manager
- TikTok Creative Center
- CapCut
- Foreplay
- Claude
The winning ad — tap to watch ▶
Iterations built on the winning format
ROAS by creative
The peel earned attention, and the reason to buy earned the sale.
