| Category | Acne Care |
| Founded | 1960 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Listing | Private (owned by a private US consumer company) |
| Latest revenue | No audited financials disclosed |
| Hero SKUs | 2% Salicylic Acid Pads |
Brand History
Stridex emerged in mid-20th-century America as one of the first brands to turn salicylic acid into an OTC acne product. Its classic format — pads pre-soaked in 2% salicylic acid, ready to swipe — pushed the entry barrier to 'opening a jar'. That format kept it on US drugstore shelves for decades and made it shorthand for beginner acid peeling in Chinese online communities.
Its China success is a classic cross-border long-tail story: little local operation, growth driven by cross-border e-commerce, daigou and Douyin review content. At RMB 20-30 a jar with a clear active concentration and an American OTC back story, it became the benchmark product ingredient enthusiasts use for comparisons. But the pad format has almost no technical moat — domestic players have replicated the line at lower prices with finer concentration ladders.
Hero Products
Three-Year Financials
Neither the brand nor its parent publishes audited annual financials; no estimates are provided.
Brand-level：Revenue is not public. E-commerce rankings show the 2% salicylic pads consistently near the top of Tmall and Pinduoduo acne and blackhead categories, with China now among its largest single markets.
Source：Brand materials; public e-commerce rankings; trade press
Company Coverage
- 2025-11Pad category gets crowded
Domestic brands copy the pad format from RMB 9.9.
Source：E-commerce analysis - 2025-07Acid claims tighten
Cosmetic claim rules put pre-soaked pads' wording under scrutiny.
Source：Trade media - 2024-10Cross-border keeps scaling
Pinduoduo and Douyin cross-border channels are the main incremental sources.
Source：Rankings data
Editor's note: Stridex proved that stating a concentration is itself marketing — one of the few brands putting the percentage on the front of the pack. Once domestic players learn the trick at a lower price, Stridex's only defensible answer is its OTC and dermatology trust: that is where it started, and the only ground it keeps.