Cosmetic treatment review platform RealSelf lays off 11 employees – GeekWire

RealSelf, the Seattle-based cosmetic treatment review platform, laid off 11 employees, or about 4.7% of its workforce this week.

Chief Marketing Officer Hailey Sullivan told GeekWire that the company restructured its marketing and brands organization.

“These changes will continue to support RealSelf’s strategy to deliver innovative value to our providers/specialists and industry brand partners, to expand geographically, and to evolve our platform to better serve our consumers,” Sullivan said in an emailed statement. “These decisions are always difficult and never taken lightly. We are grateful to our past employees and for their dedication to RealSelf’s brand purpose to empower every person to realize their most confident self.”

The startup cut 13% of its workforce, or about 40 employees, at the beginning of the year. Newly appointed CEO Jeff Kizilbash said in a statement at the time that to continue to achieve its growth objectives, RealSelf was “aligning resources and investments across our new global footprint.”

Tech firms across various industries are laying off employees or freezing hiring as a way to curb expenses amid the current downturn. Seattle-area tech startups including Redfin, Convoy, Qumulo, Flyhomes and Esper have laid off employees in recent months.

RealSelf operates a Yelp-like marketplace business that helps people learn more about cosmetic procedures including botox, Invisalign, breast augmentation, liposuction and more. Founded in 2006, the company has information, patient reviews and photos, treatment costs and ratings, and thousands of verified doctors on its platform.

RealSelf saw its business impacted early in the pandemic but bounced back later in 2020. The company acquired two international cosmetic resource platforms last year: Your New Self and Tajmeeli.