Dermalogica, creator engine

Ten creators, one number to protect

A first roster for Dermalogica: creators who show Daily Microfoliant and Stabilizing Repair Serum in use, paid by a cap, judged on cost per 1,000 views.

creators live by week six: 10
creator videos a month at the full roster: 303
weeks from the first creator to the full roster: 5

The serum I reach for on reactive days

A creator holds Stabilizing Repair Serum by the sink, reads the recommended-for line (reactive, irritated skin) and ends on free shipping on orders $20+.

Illustrative post

Part 1 of 15

Summary

Creator engine summary
Roster	Ten creators live in six weeks	Two creators go live each week, from 0 up to 10. Ramp and roster size are my proposal.
Who	Routine-first skincare creators	Real routines on camera, matched to a Dermalogica product they would actually use.
Production	Seven videos per creator per week	At ten creators that is 303 videos a month, shot on phones from five repeatable formats.
Pay	Three bands, $300 to $1,500	Starter $300 fee and $600 cap; Standard $500 and $1,000; Premium $800 and $1,500.
Bonus	$50 flat past 100,000 views	One bonus per creator per month, organic views only. Bonus at the cap: $300, $500 or $700.
Compliance	Claims sheet before any video	Creators quote only your site's own wording. A draft that breaks the sheet is sent back.
Category rule	No skin-condition promises	Skin outcomes only in the brand's own words. No medical talk, no guaranteed results.
Goal	$1.00 per 1,000 views	The simulator lands at $5.74 today. The gap closes with reach, not with higher pay.
Report	Every Monday, one page	Cost per 1,000 views, hooks that won, losers killed, and what we test next.
Decision	Day ninety: keep, cut or grow	Judged on cost per 1,000 views against $1.00. Monthly ceiling is $15,000, bonuses excluded.

Part 1 of 15, continued

The program in numbers

Creators live at full roster: 10; Proposed
Videos per creator per week: 7; Proposed
Creator videos a month: 303; Calculated
Base pay per creator: $1,000; Proposed
Bonus past 100,000 views: $50; Proposed
Bonus at the top cap of the highest band: $700; Calculated
Program cost a month, bonuses included: $10,050; Calculated
Views a month at the assumptions: 1.8M; Calculated
Cost per 1,000 views: $5.74; Calculated
Target cost per 1,000 views: $1; Proposed

Part 2 of 15

Track record

Former COO of Tabs. I built its creator program to 100M monthly social impressions, and the paid ad engine alongside it. The numbers below come from videos that program produced.

At Tabs I built the creator program and the paid ad engine beside it. Same playbook here: a small roster, one brief per format, losers killed early, winners moved to paid. The category is different. I have not run professional skincare, so your claims sheet and your team's review come first.

monthly social impressions at Tabs: 100M+
views on one reel: 17.7M
views on one video: 8M
views on one video: 6.5M

Part 3 of 15

Why now

6223
Reviews on the pro picks set
The pro picks set (2 full-sizes) shows 4.8 from 6223 reviews. Creators start from a set people already rate, not from a cold product.
Published
4417
Reviews on the Daily Microfoliant duo
The duo, full-size plus free travel size, carries 4.8 from 4417 reviews. A pour-on-camera format has proof to point at.
Published
200
Reviews on Stabilizing Repair Serum
The serum page shows 4.9 from 200 reviews. It anchors the reactive-skin format without any health talk from the creator.
Published

Part 4 of 15

Principles

One number to protect
Cost per 1,000 views, target $1.00. The simulator lands at $5.74, so the work is raising median reach and finding breakouts, not paying creators more.
Ramp two creators a week
Two creators go live each week until ten are live in six weeks. Seven videos per creator per week gives 303 videos a month at ten creators.
Pay capped, bonus on reach
Fee plus cap per band, and a flat $50 once a video passes 100,000 views. Monthly ceiling with all ten at the top cap is $15,000, bonuses excluded.
Claims sheet before camera
Every creator gets approved lines taken from dermalogica.com. Anything outside the sheet goes to the claims channel first, never straight into a draft.

Part 4 of 15, continued

One channel for everything

#briefs

Briefs, drafts, reviews and the weekly numbers

Illustrative

MarisolMon 8:30 AM
This week's brief: Daily Microfoliant in hand, pour on camera, say where exfoliation fits in your routine in your own words. One variable per test: the first three seconds.
TiagoMon 11:10 AM
Can I say Daily Microfoliant brightens skin? The product page says polish and brighten skin, but I don't want to overpromise.
Yes, use the brand's line as the brand's wording. No promise about your results or anyone else's.
Report botAppFri 5:00 PM
Weekly report ready. Seven videos per creator logged, cost per 1,000 views tracked against the $1.00 target. Two hooks kept, the slowest openers cut.
MarisolTue 9:15 AM
Draft sent back: the clip promises a result on a skin condition. Reshoot without it and use the recommended-for line instead: reactive, irritated skin.
Report botAppThu 2:40 PM
Cleanser routine video passed 100,000 views, organic only. Flat $50 logged for Ana. One bonus per creator per month, so the next one waits.
MarisolWed 10:00 AM
Check before posting: free shipping on orders $20+ is in the caption, and the paid-partnership tag is on. Reply here once both are done.

The messages illustrate the working channel, with invented people: briefs go out on Monday, claims questions get an answer the same day, and nothing posts without the check.

Part 5 of 15

Formats

Brief 01
Microfoliant pour
“My daily exfoliation essential, in thirty seconds.”
Powder into the palm, close-up in daylight, one take. Say where it sits in your routine, no result promises.
Brief 02
Eye serum close-up
“Smart Eye Density: what I'd tell a friend first.”
Tight shot of the undereye area and the bottle, natural light. Describe texture and routine placement only.
Brief 03
Cleanser night routine
“Soap-free, foaming, and my first step every night.”
Sink shot, lather on camera, rinse. Say the step in your own words and keep it under one minute.
Brief 04
Moisturizer shelf tour
“The one step I never skip: my moisturizer.”
Shelf or vanity, one product in hand, apply on camera. Read the product name from the label.
Brief 05
Toner step explained
“Where toner goes in my routine, and why.”
Talk to camera mid-routine, show the toner in the order you use it. One idea per video.

Every product line in a video comes off the claims sheet word for word, for example “Polish and brighten skin with Daily Microfoliant, our best-selling powder exfoliant”, “free shipping on orders $20+”, “professional-grade skin care designed to treat all skin types and concerns”. Product names are said as printed.

Part 6 of 15

Recruiting

Four sources in

Reviewers of the best sellers
People who already rate the pro picks set or the Daily Microfoliant duo. They know the product and write in their own words.
Routine-first skincare creators
Creators who film full routines and show products in order. Format fit comes first, follower count second.
Skin professionals who disclose
Estheticians and skin-health voices, given the site's professional expertise angle, who tag partnerships and avoid outcome promises.
Affiliate or ambassador page
I did not find one on the site. Recruiting starts from outreach and open applications, and a public page would become a fourth source.

Five filters, fewer each step

1Routine on camera
Posts real routines with products in use, not unboxings only.
2Concern fit
Talks about a concern the site lists, such as dullness or sensitivity.
3Clean claims history
No past posts promising medical results or guaranteed outcomes.
4Adult audience
Audience and creator are adults; no teen-targeted content.
5Seven a week, steady
Can hold seven videos a week without quality dropping.

Part 7 of 15

Who we want

Routine minimalist
Shows a short evening routine and where exfoliation fits in it.
Likely product: the pro picks set (2 full-sizes, HSA/FSA eligible)
Reactive-skin voice
Talks about skin that reacts, in her own words, with no medical language.
Likely product: stabilizing repair face + body serum
Breakout-focused adult
Documents a breakout routine step by step, without promising outcomes.
Likely product: banish breakouts kit (3 full-size)
Eye-area close-up maker
Shoots tight, honest close-ups of texture and application.
Likely product: smart eye density undereye serum
Gift-set shopper
Reviews kits as value picks and explains what is inside each one.
Likely product: the expert lift set (3 full-sizes)
Acne-care explainer
Explains a four-step acne routine and keeps to the brand's wording.
Likely product: acne essentials set (4 full-size)

Left off, every time

Never minors, anyone who posts before-and-after promises, doctors or nurses presented as endorsing, or accounts with a history of medical claims. Skin outcomes stay in the brand's own wording, or they are left out.

Part 8 of 15

First twenty

Evening-routine creator who films the same five steps every night
Esthetician who explains skin concerns without outcome promises
Creator with sensitive, reactive skin who keeps claims careful
Adult acne creator documenting a routine step by step
Gift-set reviewer who compares what is inside each kit
Close-up creator who shoots texture and application
Skincare-for-beginners explainer with a simple shelf
Mature-skin routine creator, honest about what she uses
Creator who reviews cleansers in side-by-side clips
Powder-exfoliant fan who films the pour on camera
Travel-size and carry-on routine creator
Holiday gift guide creator with a skincare angle
Creator who talks through ingredients, not results
Body-care routine creator who also shoots face
Eye-care creator who posts close, well-lit clips
Dryness-focused creator with a winter routine
Oily-skin creator who films a morning routine
Dullness-and-tone creator who keeps claims on the sheet
Creator who reads product pages aloud and explains them
Subscription-minded creator who shows a refill routine

Part 9 of 15

Claims sheet

Approved, word for word

Quoted exactly as the brand publishes it.

“Shop Dermalogica for professional-grade skin care designed to treat all skin types and concerns.”
Opening line of a brand-intro video
“Polish and brighten skin with Daily Microfoliant, our best-selling powder exfoliant”
Microfoliant pour format
“free shipping on orders $20+”
Caption or end card on any format
“Never run out—set your frequency and enjoy stress-free skincare.”
Refill and routine videos
“*Overnight results obtained during independent clinical testing of 35 people, 1 application/day for 8 weeks.”
Only with the full footnote on screen
“*Results after 30 minutes. Based on a consumer perception evaluation within a clinical study, 33 subjects, 2 applications/day for 4 weeks.”
Serum video, footnote kept whole

Never said

Each one with the reason it stays out.

Never say it fixes eczema
A medical promise about a skin condition.
Never say it beats another brand
A comparison the site does not make.
Never say results are guaranteed
A guarantee nobody at the brand has given.
Never say dermatologists recommend it
An endorsement that does not appear in the brand's wording.
Never say the study applies to every skin
A study figure stretched past its footnote.
Never say the free gift is always on offer
An offer claim; gifts and shipping terms change on the site.

To confirm with the brand

Held until someone on the brand side signs off.

Whether creators may quote the best-selling line in paid ads
Organic use is clear, paid use needs your team's sign-off.
Whether study footnotes can appear in captions
A study figure that needs your regulatory read first.

Part 10 of 15

Pay

Starter
$300–600
a month, by band
Starter: newer creators on one format, with a modest fee and a low cap while we learn their reach.
Bonus at the cap: $300
Standard
$500–1,000
a month, by band
Standard: proven routine creators on several formats, with a higher fee and cap for steady output.
Bonus at the cap: $500
Premium
$800–1,500
a month, by band
Premium: top performers whose clips keep breaking out, with the highest fee and cap.
Bonus at the cap: $700

Under 100,000 views
$0
The base pay covers the work.
100,000 views
+$50 flat
Whatever the band.
1,000,000 views
Top-up to your cap
Bonus = band cap − base pay.

One bonus per creator per month, no matter how many videos pass the threshold.
The bonus is per video: one clip past 100,000 views earns the flat $50.
Organic views only. Paid boosts of the same video never count toward the bonus.
No bonus on a video that broke the claims sheet or the skincare category rule.

Starter: $600 cap − $300 fee = $300 bonus; Standard: $1,000 cap − $500 fee = $500 bonus; Premium: $1,500 cap − $800 fee = $700 bonus.

The bonus pays for reach after the work is done, never instead of it. One bonus per creator per calendar month keeps it an incentive and keeps the program cost predictable.

Part 11 of 15

Simulator

On these inputs cost per 1,000 views is $5.74 against a $1.00 target. To get there, 4.2% of videos must go viral or the median video must reach 21,711 views.

Program facts

Dermalogica creator engine, per month

Monthly cost: $10,050
Base pay: $10,000
Est. bonuses: $50
Videos / month: 303
Est. views / month: 1.8M
Cost per 1,000 views: $5.74

Above the $1 target at these inputs.

To hit $1, the roster needs about 10.1M views a month. That means about 4.2% of videos going viral, or a median near 22K views per video. That is why the day-90 gate exists: keep the accounts that clear it, replace the rest.

Proposed, not measured. Views = videos × median, breakouts at 10× the median, viral at 750K. Bonus: +$50 for a viral video, one per creator per month.

Part 11 of 15, continued

What moves the result

Cost per 1,000 views by median views per video
If the median is	Views / month	Monthly cost	Cost / 1K	Hits target
750	1.4M	$10,050	$6.96	No
1,500	1.8M	$10,050	$5.74	No
3,000	2.4M	$10,050	$4.24	No

Cost per 1,000 views by share of viral videos
If the viral share is	Views / month	Monthly cost	Cost / 1K	Hits target
0.3%	1.2M	$10,000	$8.44	No
0.5%	1.8M	$10,050	$5.74	No
1%	2.9M	$10,150	$3.52	No

The math. Videos a month = 10 creators × 7 a week × 52 ÷ 12 = 303. Views per video = (1 − 4% − 0.5%) × 1,500 + 4% × 10 × 1,500 + 0.5% × 750,000 = 5,782.5; 303 videos × 5,782.5 = 1.8M views a month. Cost = 10 × $1,000 = $10,000 base + 1 bonus × $50 = $10,050. Cost per 1,000 views = $10,050 ÷ 1.8M × 1,000 = $5.74 against a $1.00 target. To hit the target, either 4.2% of videos go viral or the median video reaches 21,711 views, other inputs held.

Move the sliders and the label recalculates. The result is only as good as the guesses behind it, so the median views, the share of breakouts and the share of viral videos are marked as Assumptions until the first month of posts replaces them.

Part 12 of 15

Phases

Creators live by week (proposed): 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10

0Wk 1
2Wk 2
4Wk 3
6Wk 4
8Wk 5
10Wk 6

Creator ramp by week
Item	Wk 1	Wk 2	Wk 3	Wk 4	Wk 5	Wk 6
Creators live	0	2	4	6	8	10
Videos a week	0	14	28	42	56	70
Base pay a month	$0	$2,000	$4,000	$6,000	$8,000	$10,000

Warm-up
Claims sheet and briefs signed off
Weeks 0 to six: two creators go live each week until ten are live. Your team approves the claims sheet and five format briefs before the first video.
Month 1
Ten creators, 303 videos
Seven videos per creator per week. Hook library starts, one variable per test, losers killed early.
Month 2
Close the reach gap
Cost per 1,000 views against $1.00. Median reach must climb toward 21,711 views, or 4.2% of videos must break out.
Month 3
Promote what works
Top performers move up a band. Bonus only on organic views. Winning videos are handed to paid for testing.
Day 90
Keep, cut or grow
Review cost per 1,000 views against $1.00, the simulator's $10,050 base cost, and which creators and formats earn a bigger share.
Monthly ceiling
$15,000, bonuses excluded
The ceiling with all ten creators at the top cap. The simulator starts lower, at $10,050 with one bonus.

$15,000 Monthly ceiling, all 10 creators at the top cap, bonuses excluded Proposed

The roster grows by two creators a week, so hook performance can be read week over week instead of by anecdote.

Part 13 of 15

Weekly report

Every Monday: cost per 1,000 views against $1.00, hooks that won, losers killed, and the next test. You never have to ask.

Creator engine, last 4 weeks

Target $1 per 1,000 organic views Illustrative

Creators reporting: 5
Posts last week: 32
Avg cost per 1,000 views: $8.94
Bonuses owed: $0
Keep / Watch / Replace: 1 / 1 / 3

Per-creator results, last four weeks, sorted by cost per 1,000 views
Creator	Band	Format	Posts	Median	Best	Cost / 1K	Bonus	Flags	Call
Creator A	Starter	Microfoliant pour	7	2.1K	25K	$3.37	$0	None	Keep
Creator B	Standard	Eye serum close-up	7	1.4K	8.4K	$9.83	$0	Claim check	Replace
Creator C	Premium	Cleanser night routine	6	1.8K	54K	$7.94	$0	None	Watch
Creator D	Starter	Moisturizer shelf tour	5	900	3.6K	$12.99	$0	Over cap?	Replace
Creator E	Standard	Toner step explained	7	1.2K	11K	$10.59	$0	Release missing	Replace
All creators	not applicable	not applicable	32	1.5K	54K	$8.94	$0	not applicable	not applicable

Illustrative rows with invented creators, coherent with the pay bands above. Keep means the cost per 1,000 views is at or under the program average, Watch is up to half again over it, and Replace is anything higher.

Part 14 of 15

Organic to paid

From organic to paid

Pick the winner
A video that passes 100,000 views organically is flagged in the weekly report.
Get the rights
The creator agrees in writing to paid use before anything is boosted.
Test one variable
The winner runs against its own recut hook, one variable per test.
Scale or kill
If cost per 1,000 views holds near $1.00 it scales. If not, it is cut early.

From the video to the checkout

Send product videos to the product page, not the home page.
Kit videos can point to skin kits and sets, such as the pro picks set.
Mention free shipping on orders $20+ only in the words the site uses.
Mention HSA/FSA eligible only on products whose names carry it.
Never promise a gift. Gifts and samples change, so confirm on the site first.

Part 15 of 15

Skincare rules

Professional skincare: what creators must follow

This is skincare sold as professional-grade. Creators describe routines and products, never medical outcomes.

Brand wording only
Outcome language comes from the claims sheet. If a line is not on the sheet, it is asked in the claims channel before filming.
No promises about conditions
No creator says a product fixes eczema, acne or any skin condition. Recommended-for lines are quoted as the brand's own wording.
Study footnotes stay whole
A clinical figure appears only with its full footnote on screen: subjects, applications, duration. No trimmed numbers.
Disclose every post
The paid-partnership tag goes on every video, in the first line of the caption and on screen at the start.
Adults only
Creators and the audience they target are adults. Teen-acne content is out of scope for this roster.
Offers in the site's words
Free shipping on orders $20+ is quoted as written. No invented discounts, no promised gifts, no implied deadlines.

The brand’s legal team sets the final rules. This is the operating floor I’d start from, not legal advice.

Want to see the first briefs?

Grab a time here

Reviews on the pro picks set

Reviews on the Daily Microfoliant duo

Reviews on Stabilizing Repair Serum

One number to protect

Ramp two creators a week

Pay capped, bonus on reach

Claims sheet before camera

Microfoliant pour

Eye serum close-up

Cleanser night routine

Moisturizer shelf tour

Toner step explained

Four sources in

Five filters, fewer each step

Routine minimalist

Reactive-skin voice

Breakout-focused adult

Eye-area close-up maker

Gift-set shopper

Acne-care explainer

Left off, every time

Approved, word for word

Never said

To confirm with the brand

Starter

Standard

Premium

Claims sheet and briefs signed off

Ten creators, 303 videos

Close the reach gap

Promote what works

Keep, cut or grow

$15,000, bonuses excluded

From organic to paid

From the video to the checkout

Professional skincare: what creators must follow

Brand wording only

No promises about conditions

Study footnotes stay whole

Disclose every post

Adults only

Offers in the site's words

Want to see the first briefs?