Jamie Matusow, Editor-in-Chief02.07.23
Every year, we ask you, our readers, to vote—and our new Beauty Company of the Year is Pacifica Beauty. Chosen for Excellence in Packaging, Pacifica Beauty is fueled by passion and “a rebellious entrepreneurial spirit.”
Starting with a ‘unique’ mascara along with a visionary pledge of veganism, eco-consciousness and social change, today, the accessibly priced brand is sold through Target, Whole Foods and Ulta Beauty. It can be easily identified by its pastel-hued packaging which emanates the brand’s vibe at a glance, as well as its trusted ingredients.
In addition to our exclusive interview with co-founder Brook Harvey-Taylor, and SVP Supply & NPD, Jing Zhu, here we asked
several beauty industry experts for their thoughts on the brand.
Here’s what they said:
Gina Rokose
Award-winning package designer, creative manager and adjunct professor in the beauty and consumer product goods industries.“The packaging reflects the beautiful Pacific coastal view through art and creativity, while remaining environmentally friendly and socially conscious. The plastic collection plan and 100% vegan packaging is right on trend.
“The color theme is eye catching, singular but not garish or overpowering. The use of fruits and plants in design is young and pretty, not your tired granny granola or cardboard minimalism.
“The organic colors on the skincare lines are fresh and brightly pasteled. The organic colors on the fragrance line are moody, earthy and the shapes are soft—referring to nature
It's affordable to all and so pretty -it feels dreamy and as prestigious as a luxury brand.
“It absolutely has global appeal! These "clean cosmetics" are also "cruelty free" while remaining fun and refreshing! It is not over packaged. Their website has broad diversity, natural realistic beauty of all kinds. A vacation in paradise-now that’s Universal Beauty!
“The founder/owner has been able to keep the brand’s integrity all these years and has retained its focus on its values. That’s quite an accomplishment. The name clearly tells you what the product is.”
Nick Dormon
Managing Director and Strategy Director at Echo Brand Design.“Pacifica Beauty is a brand that prioritizes its customers’ health and wellbeing first and foremost, ensuring that all of their products have underlying healthy oils and vitamins. For Pacifica, it's clear that beauty is not just surface level – it's a holistic experience, nourishing all of the senses and encouraging vitality for both body and mind. Customers are reassured that Pacifica's ingredients are 100% vegan and cruelty-free, and this is communicated in their front-of-pack messages; it aims not to be a "bolt-on" but a product that is fully integrated with its user’s way of life.
“The lighter, pastel tones of the packaging help build consumer trust in Pacifica's ingredients, as they instill a sense of reassurance and calm in the user. A brand that is clearly in touch with their consumer, the colors present a Y2K (90's) aesthetic – a clear nod to the current retro trend.
“Some of Pacifica's packaging adopts a gradient effect, eliciting a sense of progress towards an end goal, be it healthier hair, stronger nails or longer lashes. A friend of nature, Pacifica incorporates small graphic elements into its packaging in the form of butterflies, flowers, the moon and the stars, which also reassures its consumer that their products are gentle and will not cause damage to the planet. These natural motifs chosen are on trend and appeal to a Gen- Z audience. Pacifica Beauty is clearly considering their environmental impact with their product, actively getting involved with plastic collection plans, light weighting materials and use of RPET.
“Of course, every brand is on its own journey, and whilst Pacifica's packaging is undoubtedly beautiful and certainly ticks all of the ethical boxes, I worry that they try to cover too much, too broadly, which could potentially cause the skeptical consumer to perceive them as inauthentic. Perhaps the next step for them is to really nail their singular purpose and incorporate this into their packaging, considering what it is about their ethical story which makes them unique as a brand.”
Kendall Becker
Fashion & Beauty Trends Editor at Trendalytics.Trendalytics’ Kendall Becker says, “Pacifica’s branding nicely adheres to a fun, playful side through eye-catching color while remaining elevated through their font choice and minimalistic typography placement. It’s a solid balance and seems to work well for a brand at their price-point. In terms of search interest, the brand seems to see a consistent increase in the summer months.
“As of November 2022, they receive an average of 55k weekly searches. They also lean into vegan beauty which is marked as a low discount level, meaning most product within that category sell out at full price, as well as clean beauty which is currently up +22% to LY in average weekly searches. Case in point, the brand image and products seem to be aligned with where the market is moving.”
