After facing major international trademark issues when looking to go global, tbh skincare has announced a complete rebrand, now known as – the breakout hack.
"At the beginning of 2025, five years on from launching tbh skincare into the Australian market in 2020, we were ready to start seriously entertaining international growth for the brand," said tbh skincare co-founder and York Street Brands CMO, Rachael Wilde.
"There was one key consideration before expanding internationally for the brand. Our existing tbh skincare brand trademark - the biofilm hack - wasn’t going to work in the US."
"We ended up receiving an objection for our trademark in this region and had to cease and desist sales to the region altogether. We always knew this was a challenge we would face at a later date when looking to take the brand global," said Wilde.
Image: Rachael Wilde
The brand had the opportunity to keep the original trademark of the biofilm hack in the UK and Australia and opt to enter the US market under an entirely new brand, but Wilde said that didn't align.
"We’d be fragmenting our brand equity across multiple markets, needing to create a whole new website, social channels, packaging - everything - just for the US," she explained.
"Even though it was going to save us short-term pain, I knew that wasn’t the right way to do things."
"So, we thought, let’s just make this change now. Let’s do an entire, globally consistent rebrand that will roll out seamlessly as we launch into each international market."
The core of tbh skincare's brand mission has been providing skincare solutions for "spotty hotties, no matter where you are on your skin journey" and Wilde said the hardest part was coming up with a new name to encapsulate that.
"We worked with a market research company to get insights into what the Australian market, the UK market, and the US market would think of our new brand, the breakout hack," she said.
"We also asked Australian customers whether they were more likely or less likely to buy from a brand called the breakout hack, vs a brand called tbh."
The data showed:
- 36% of people said they were more likely to buy from a brand called the breakout hack
- 32% said it wouldn’t change anything for them
- Only 15% said they would be less likely to purchase from us
In terms of the UK and US, data showed a positive response to the breakout hack branding, and the desire and purchase intent was "really, really high."
Image: the breakout hack rebrand
From August, the newly rebranded products will roll out in Australia, then into the UK in September. And now with a trademark that is approved in the US, the brand will eventually launch there.
"This was not an easy decision to make. Rebranding is time-consuming, expensive, and scary," said Wilde.
"We had to purchase stock with new branding in every single product, which cost us about $500,000 upfront. It was a huge risk, yet one I knew would eventually pay off."
So, while it's time to say goodbye to the 'old' tbh, you won't have to farewell the formulations you've come to know and love.
"The formulas, the fun tone of voice, the bright packaging, the people behind it, the mission. Our brand essence will remain exactly the same – we just have a shiny new name," said Wilde.
You can shop the breakout hack online here, and via Coles, Woolworths, Priceline, Atomica and Adore Beauty.
Image credit: Supplied/the breakout hack
