← Back to browse

Hero Cosmetics (Mighty Patch)

by Ju RhyuLaunched 2017via How I Built This
Otherviralmarket-gap
See all Other companies using viral
Growthviral

Hero Cosmetics (Mighty Patch) launched in 2017 as a single acne patch product on Amazon, inspired by similar patches founder Ju Rhyu discovered while living in Korea. Built by Ju Rhyu and co-founders Dwight and Andy Lee, the company grew from a niche offering to a cosmetics sensation, with teens and young adults across social media proudly wearing the patches. The viral popularity and word-of-mouth momentum led to a $630 million acquisition in 2022, establishing Hero as the number one selling acne treatment brand in the United States.

Why They Built It

Ju Rhyu saw acne patches being used in Korea and recognized a niche opportunity to tailor the product for the U.S. market after experiencing their effectiveness firsthand.

Similar Companies

Hive Blockchain

$2.5M/mo

Hive Blockchain is a digital currency mining company founded by Harry Pochgranti that validates cryptocurrency transactions on blockchain networks, primarily Ethereum. The company went public on the TSX Venture Exchange in September 2017, raising $17 million on day one followed by additional equity raises totaling approximately $200 million Canadian by end of 2017. As of Q1 2018, Hive operates mining facilities in Iceland and Sweden with a $30 million annualized run rate revenue.

LifeWave

$1.7M/mo

LifeWave is a health technology company founded in 2002 by David Schmidt that sells phototherapy patches to help people improve their health naturally. The company generates $20M/mo in revenue across 80 countries using an independent distributor business model, with their flagship X39 product driving record growth after its 2019 launch.

Boom by Cindy Joseph

$1.5M/mo

Boom by Cindy Joseph is a premium skincare and cosmetics brand built on a pro-age philosophy that directly contradicts anti-aging messaging from competitors. Founded by Ezra Firestone in partnership with makeup artist-turned-supermodel Cindy Joseph, the company scaled to $1.5M monthly revenue through a sophisticated content-driven sales funnel spending $15-20K daily on Facebook ads. The business leverages pre-sale content landing pages that engage prospects before directing them to e-commerce product pages, achieving a 13% conversion lift through strategic video implementation and post-purchase cross-sell automation.

Ryan Moran's Amazon Business (Freedom Fastlane)

$500k/mo

Ryan Moran builds physical product businesses on Amazon, treating the platform as a customer acquisition funnel rather than the final destination. In October, his main business generated $500,000 in monthly revenue with approximately 50% net margins, while running a separate yoga products business that he previously sold for below $500k. He focuses on extracting customers from Amazon through in-package messaging and email capture to build recurring relationships beyond the platform.

Umax

$500k/mo

Umax is a viral mobile app that uses AI to rate users' physical attractiveness and provide personalized grooming and fitness advice to help them improve their appearance. Founded by an entrepreneur who observed the lookmaxxing trend on Reddit, the app has achieved 3.5 million downloads with 5,000 new signups per day and is generating $6M ARR through a $3.99/week subscription model, capitalizing on the growing cultural shift of men investing in personal aesthetics.

Related Guides