Skin in the Game: Scaling a Premium Men’s Skincare Brand with 40% Lower CAC and 2x CTR Through Full-Funnel Growth Infrastructure
Jul 21, 2025
Industry: D2C – Men’s Skincare
Channels: Meta Ads, Google Ads, Pinterest, Email (Klaviyo), GA4, Shopify
Engagement Period: November 2023 – June 2025
Scope: Full-funnel growth strategy, paid media, creative systems, analytics, CRO
The Challenge
A premium men’s skincare brand—best known for its award-winning sunscreen and face masks—had built early momentum through strong product-market fit and founder-led growth. However, scaling further required transitioning from intuition-driven marketing to a data-backed growth engine.
Key Objectives:
Establish predictable and repeatable acquisition channels
Build a creative testing system decoupled from founder involvement
Engineer landing page experiences that convert cold traffic
Centralize performance analytics across platforms
Create a sustainable infrastructure for growth across lifecycle stages
🚀 Results Snapshot
Metric | Before Engagement | After Implementation |
|---|---|---|
ROAS (Meta, Avg.) | 1.8x | 2.5–3.2x |
CTR (Top Meta Ads) | ~0.8% | 1.6–2.3% |
CAC | $47–$54 | $28–$32 |
LP vs PDP CVR (TOF Traffic) | ~1.7% | 2.8–3.4% |
YoY Blended Revenue (FY24) | – | +63% |
% Revenue from New Customers | ~33% | 45–48% |
Creative Testing Cadence | Ad hoc | Biweekly Sprints |
Strategic Foundation: Systems Over Hacks
This engagement wasn’t about short-term ROAS spikes. It was about architecting a growth operating system built on repeatable workflows and measurable creative, media, and conversion levers.
1. Creative Analytics Loop
We built a creative intelligence layer that tracked 270+ metrics across Meta, Shopify, and GA4—not just ROAS and CTR, but scroll depth, LP bounce time, outbound-to-landing ratio, post-click wait times, thumbstop % vs CVR, and more.
Insights In Action:
Ads with the hook “Not Your Girlfriend’s Skincare” underperformed on CTR (0.9%) but delivered 3.8% CVR—leading us to reclassify them as retargeting assets, not prospecting hooks.
Outcomes:
Created a framework to categorize creative types: UGC, Meme, Founder-led, PAS, etc.
Defined creative fatigue timelines (7–12 days prospecting, 15–20 retargeting)
Rolled out a Top Creatives Report every two weeks to guide agile testing cycles
2. Full-Funnel Creative System
Creative was mapped to each stage of the funnel—not just produced in silos.
Funnel Stage | Hook Style | Creative Types |
|---|---|---|
TOF | Contrarian, curiosity, bold claims | UGC intros, memes, visual contrasts |
MOF | Comparison-driven | Split-screen demos, before/after shots |
BOF | Problem-solving, educational | Founder voice, testimonial mashups |
LTV | Value reinforcement, habit-building | Tutorials, post-purchase bundles, guides |
Execution:
We tested new hooks with micro-budgets, only scaling after surpassing a ROAS + CTR threshold. Each asset was tagged and tracked by intended funnel stage.
3. Landing Page Optimization & CRO
We ran systematic experiments comparing LPs vs PDPs, with LPs outperforming by nearly 60% on TOF.
Landing Pages Built:
Product Quiz Funnel (CVR: 3.4%)
Routine Builder LP for cross-selling skincare regimens
Hero Sunscreen LP (CVR: 3.1%) with high-density visual hierarchy
Optimization Loop:
Installed scroll tracking and event-based triggers. Any LP with <3% scroll-to-cart interaction rate was deprecated.
Example Fix:
Adding a “Compare SPF” module above the fold on the sunscreen LP cut bounce rates by 37% and lifted CVR by 22%.
4. Media Buying Infrastructure
Meta Ads:
Funnel-stage-specific campaigns
ABO + CBO hybrids for testing and scaling
Deboosting viral ads from prospecting once CVR declined
Google Ads:
Branded Search → ROAS 5–7x
PMax campaigns split by SKU, not catalog
Gmail + YouTube retargeting tied to creative performance
Pinterest:
Seasonal TOF ads around skincare routines
ROAS ~1.3x but contributed to multi-touch assisted conversions
5. Attribution, Reporting & Analytics Infrastructure
We built a custom reporting layer across Meta, Shopify, Klaviyo, and GA4, stitched via UTMs, custom events, and attribution models.
Features:
Weekly dashboard synced to new customer revenue
Post-purchase survey analysis linked to creative cohorts
Email triggers synced to ad click events + on-site behavior
Scroll depth and session velocity tracked for LP refinement
Strategic Levers That Made a Difference
✅ Anti-Viral Creative Playbook
High CTR creatives were only scaled if CVR held. Creatives with viral engagement but weak purchase intent were moved to middle or bottom-of-funnel.
✅ Thumbstop → LP View → Purchase Intent Funnel
We enforced a 3-metric test before scaling any ad: scroll-stopping power, landing page engagement, and post-click CVR.
✅ LTV Expansion via Bundles
Post-purchase bundles were introduced based on behavioral tags—lifting first-purchase AOV by 22% and LTV by 17% within 60 days.
✅ Cross-Channel Asset Reuse
Top Meta creatives were adapted for YouTube retargeting and Pinterest prospecting—cutting production costs by ~40%.
Final Takeaways
This wasn’t a story of “better ads.” It was a full-stack revenue system—engineered through layered creative testing, intelligent funnel mapping, and rigorous data feedback loops.
By shifting from founder-led hacks to scalable systems, this men’s skincare brand evolved from high-potential to high-velocity. Every dollar spent was traceable. Every creative test had a framework. Every landing page had a goal.
That’s what it looks like when you stop just running ads—and start owning growth.