Topicals’ Growth Formula: Creators + Full-Funnel + GMV Max

Topicals didn’t just run ads on TikTok, they built a growth engine. President Sochima Mbadugha and Head of Growth Helena Youhana share how the brand tapped into TikTok’s creator community to spark awareness, opened their affiliate program to let the flywheel spin, and then used GMV Max and TikTok Shop to turn that momentum into record-breaking sales. The result: 50% month-over-month growth and ROAS that beat their goals.What makes their story stand out is how human it feels. They started with trusted experts to build credibility, then let affiliates tell real stories with before/afters and routines, and finally retargeted warmed-up shoppers with conversion campaigns. That mix not only drove efficiency but unlocked new audiences, including men who had never been part of the conversation before.What You’ll Learn in This Episode:How Topicals staged the funnel step by step: experts → affiliates → GMV MaxThe creative hooks that actually move buyers (before/afters, ingredient deep-dives, real routines)How affiliates can turn a good product into a movement—and a growth driverWhy it pays to measure beyond ROAS, from brand search to retail liftHow TikTok opened the door to new audiences, especially men, with authentic creator-led contentHow GMV Max campaigns helped Topicals surpass their 2x ROAS targets on TikTok Shop—This is a TikTok case study and is solely for informational purposes. Past performance does not guarantee or predict future performance. All claims related to brand products including, without limitation, the effectiveness, sales, or quality of such products are brand-reported and not endorsed or verified by TikTok.