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Good morning,
Founded in 2020 by beauty entrepreneur Jenna Meek and influencer Jess Hunt, REFY launched with a now cult-favorite brow product and quickly became a viral sensation with Gen Z.
Its product lineup fueled impressive momentum. In 2024, REFY was reportedly tracking toward £100 million in sales (≈$130 million USD), a roughly 60% year-over-year increase driven by surging U.S. and U.K. demand and a 159% jump in brand searches.
REFY’s strength lies in its clean, minimalist aesthetic and its authentic founder story, both of which help it stand out in a crowded beauty market.
But when it comes to paid social, that same restraint may be holding performance back.
The Pilothouse Meta team shares how REFY’s paid social ads could perform even better with a few simple tweaks.
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:
💄 Analyzing REFY’s Meta Ads
Is there such a thing as “too minimal?”
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💄 When Minimalism Meets Paid Social: REFY’s Opportunity to Go Bigger
1️⃣ Meta Ad #1
This is a visually striking shot from REFY.
It highlights its diverse concealer shade range and prominently displays the brand name on its minimalist packaging.
Running a paid ad like this carries some risk.
It assumes the audience already knows the brand and its key benefits, which may not hold true for colder or new-market audiences.
If viewers already know the brand and its benefits, it might be better to redirect budget toward creative that reintroduces or expands on the product story.
💡 Pilothouse Tips:
✅ Provide Product Education: This image would shine on REFY’s site or organic channels.
For paid, consider a grid layout where educational copy lives in the negative space.
Add short, curiosity-driving text that helps viewers understand what sets the product apart.
2️⃣ Meta Ad #2
This lip gloss swatch image does a great job of showing off color range and the unique metallic applicator.
REFY’s signature minimalism works beautifully for brand consistency, but that same approach can make ad copy feel too sparse to drive clicks.
There’s valuable negative space here that could be used to introduce context. Even subtle copy, such as shade names or a short tagline, can make the asset more engaging without disrupting the visual style.
Because beauty is one of the most competitive categories, being this minimal makes it harder to stand out.
Sleek photography alone isn’t enough to differentiate. The brand personality and product innovation need to shine through.
💡 Pilothouse Tips:
✅ Add Light-Touch Copy: Develop short, memorable lines that capture REFY’s voice while hinting at the product’s edge.
The goal is to balance visual minimalism with enough context to motivate action.
3️⃣ Meta Ad #3
This creative does a great job of selling the complete system rather than focusing on a single product.
For other brands that have a huge product assortment, this wouldn’t work as well, but REFY is in a great position to do this with their current SKUs.
REFY’s positioning around simplicity makes this approach a natural fit, showing how a few key products can create a full look.
However, like the previous examples, the creative relies mostly on visuals with minimal context or supporting copy, which can make it harder for viewers to connect the dots.
💡 Pilothouse Tips:
✅ Clarify and Connect: Add light overlay text or a short caption that names the featured products to make the video more shoppable.
REFY could also test messaging around intentional consumption and simplicity, which aligns with its “less is more” philosophy.
4️⃣ Meta Ad #4
Like the other piece of CGC, REFY is selling the system and the brand instead of individual products, but with a travel angle.
The co-founder, Jess Hunt, is shown applying these products on the go while she is on the plane to show they are travel-friendly essentials.
Featuring the co-founder gives the content authenticity and a built-in trust factor.
While featuring the co-founder adds authenticity, applying a full face of makeup mid-flight feels less relatable and shifts focus away from the product benefits.
The ad misses a chance to build narrative through Jess’s perspective and connect viewers more deeply to the brand story.
💡 Pilothouse Tips:
✅ Test Other Angles: This is a very niche use case, and the travel angle doesn’t really work here. Unless your product is specifically meant for travel like Summer Friday’s Jet Lag Mask, then test out other angles instead.
If REFY does want to work the travel angle, either highlight why the product is good for travel (other than it being a mini) by emphasizing how these products pack light or help you stay fresh on the go.
Otherwise, this type of content is better suited for organic channels. Fans of REFY who are interested in travel will naturally gravitate toward the minis.
✅ Shift Focus to Founder Storytelling: Have Jess speak to her routine or the inspiration behind REFY’s “less is more” approach. This builds connection while staying on brand.
✨ Conclusion
REFY has built a beauty powerhouse rooted in minimalism and authenticity.
In paid social, the next step is pairing that simplicity with storytelling and education to create differentiation and turn awareness into action.
By layering storytelling, education, and context onto its already stunning creative, REFY can transform brand awareness into measurable growth.
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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.
Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content.
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