We’ve all seen them. You’re scrolling through your feed and a pair of photos stops you in your tracks. On the left: "Before"—dull skin, redness, perhaps a few blemishes. On the right: "After"—radiant, poreless, glowing skin. Often, there’s a bold claim attached: “Results after just 14 days!”

It’s a visually enticing marketing tactic. It strikes a chord because it highlights an insecurity you might be feeling and offers an immediate, easy solution: Buy this product.

But at SBK, we want to talk about what happens behind the lens. Because the reality of these ads is often wildly misleading—and, quite frankly, we think you deserve more respect than that.

How the Magic Happens (And Why It’s Fake)

In the world of big-budget skincare marketing, a "Before and After" is rarely a fair fight. It is incredibly easy to manipulate these images:

• The "Before" Edit: Brands often tweak the contrast to make skin look more pale, or boost the saturation to make redness look like an angry flare-up.

• The "After" Edit: Filters are applied to blur texture, lighting is warmed up to create a "glow," and blemishes are digitally erased.

• The Missing Variables: Even if a photo isn't "Photoshopped," you aren't told about other variables like the lighting, other products the person has been using or any treatments the person has had. 

A Case Study in Context: My Own Skin

To show you how easy it is to tell a half-truth, I want to share two photos of my own skin.

The "Marketing" Version: If I wanted to sell you SBK using traditional tactics, I’d show you this post:

• Photo A: My skin looks dull and dry. There is visible redness in my cheeks and pigmentation coming through. My skin is dry and you can see this at my lip margin. 

• Photo B: My skin is plump and radiant. The redness has calmed significantly, and the pigmentation is less pronounced. I’m also smiling!

I could tell you that SBK is the sole reason why I’m now smiling, and that smile is all because my skin is now just as I want it to be!  I could go on and tell you if you just bought SBK too, you could have skin like mine and also be happy.  Why would you not buy SBK!?

And while I truly believe SBK is the reason my skin is now the healthiest it’s ever been, telling you that SBK products are the only reason my skin is so great and I’m happy would be a half-truth.

The "reality": What the above Photos Don't Tell You

When we look at the full photo, not a zoomed in crop, and consider the context, you can see the story changes:

• The "Before" (June 2018): This was taken eight days after I gave birth to my son, Mateo. Prior to giving birth, it had been 9 months of feeling sick everyday and I had endured profound stress as my career crumbled in front of me simply because I wanted to have a child (that is an entirely wild story for another day!).  There were also complications with my pregnancy that made the end arrive sooner than expected and that end involved laboring for hours before Mateo arrived via the ‘sun-roof’ exit.  We then spent the next 8 days in hospital as I recovered and he tried to decide if he wanted to feed or sleep.  All that to say, this ‘before’ photo was taken when I was at the most exhausted and empty I have ever been in my entire life. 

• The "After" (October 2020): Mateo was now two and a half.  Yes, I had been using SBK morning and night for several months, and yes my skin was much more robust. But, I was also back in my routine of using skincare morning and night, I was sleeping more, I was no longer sick every single day, I had not just had surgery and I was no longer in the postnatal fog.  By this photo, I had also been diagnosed with an autoimmune inflammatory condition called spondyloarthrits that explained my chronic pain and I’d started treatment - both of which was a relief.  Plus Mateo was (and still is!) a hilarious child to be around - always finding the joy and fun in situations that you just are happy in his company. 

I can look at these before and after photos and believe that my skin is less red, more hydrated, even toned and robust, but telling you that my SBK products is the sole reason this is the case would just be unethical.

Why Integrity Matters to SBK

I understand the pressure brands feel to use these types of graphics. We live in a scrolling culture where scientific data and clinical p-levels aren’t exactly "snackable" content. It is incredibly difficult for a brand to break through the noise of a congested industry and get you to truly see them. In that desperation for attention, context and or integrity, is often the first thing to be sacrificed.

But here is my truth: Marketing tactics built on half-truths are not a path I will take.

I don’t want SBK to be a "one-hit wonder" in your bathroom cabinet. I want you to feel a sense of trust when you decide to add an SBK product to your basket and if they end up not being the right products for you, it won’t be because I mislead you. 

Integrity isn't just a buzzword for me, it is the core of who I am and what I want SBK to represent.

The Truth of How SBK Changes My Skin

SBK wasn't born out of a marketing meeting or a desire to make money; it was born out of my own skin-related frustration combined with a career altering health diagnosis that pushed me to re-think how I could use my knowledge and experience.

My skin has always been sensitive - even as a child.  As an adult I fluctuated through episodes of facial dermatitis, papulopustular rosacea causing patches of red, raw and sore skin on my face, and rounds of painful peri-oral dermatitis.  I saw doctors and got treatment each time, but that was not preventing the next issue/episode.

As I progressed through my medical career, I began to bridge the gap between what I was seeing in the mirror and what I was learning about skin physiology. I started to understand why my skin was reacting the way it was and what the likely triggers were.  I slowly moved away from the latest ‘it’ skincare products my friends raved about and towards a more intentional approach.  I hunted for products that contained ingredients I wanted on my skin and avoided any product with a known skin irritant - which sadly was most skincare products!    

My reality was that the ideal products I had created in my mind did not exist.  They did not exist in Australia and they did not exist anywhere that I could find - and I did look!  Eventually I decided to research how hard it would be to create my own products and that was the beginning of SBK. 

SBK products have definitely changed the trajectory of my skin.  Since I began using SBK, I haven’t had a single outbreak of dermatitis, rosacea or peri-oral dermatitis.  My skin is calmer, less red, more hydrated, and significantly more robust.  I can even use vitamin A derivatives every now and then without my skin having a royal hissy fit! 

While this has been my experience, I will never promise that it will be yours in exactly the same way.  There are just too many individual variables that can impact how your skin will respond to any skin care product. 

What I can promise you is that SBK products are formulated without known skin irritants and are packed with ingredients designed to support your skin’s natural function. 

If you are looking for skincare products that support your skin to function as it should, then SBK would definitely be worth a try. 

Kara.

xx