5 branding projects redefining health and beauty in October 2024

As Coco Chanel once said, "Nature gives you the face you have at 20; it is up to you to merit the face you have at 50." Today, that sentiment extends far beyond just facial care. In an era where self-care has become a priority, we're seeing an industry that increasingly promotes a holistic approach to wellness and beauty.

But with that comes a million products, all vying for attention – against both each other and knock-off versions on sites like Teemu. So, health and beauty brands face the formidable challenge of standing out while also addressing growing consumer demands for sustainability, inclusivity, and effectiveness.

This pressure has sparked a wave of innovation in health and beauty branding. Companies everywhere are now pushing boundaries by integrating cutting-edge tech, embracing eco-friendly practices and crafting compelling brand narratives.

Want examples? Below are five of the most innovative health and beauty branding projects launched this October. From New York to Seoul, they demonstrate how great branding can elevate health and beauty products from mere commodities to transformative experiences that resonate with people's values.

1. Studio Curious Circle

Location: Seoul, South Korea

Put Simply is a Korean skincare brand that caters to sensitive skin, and is designed to strip away the complexities of skincare routines. Studio Curious Circle crafted a visual identity that reflects the brand's ethos: straightforward, gentle and easy to understand. The packaging is minimalist, using soft, muted colours that evoke a sense of calm and care.

The typography is clean and sans-serif, further enhancing the brand's no-nonsense, approachable personality. The design uses clear, easy-to-read labels and minimal jargon, making it easy for consumers to know exactly what they're getting.

With skincare often feeling overwhelming, Put Simply's branding sets out to demystify the process, offering a sense of ease and simplicity. It's a refreshing take on beauty branding, focusing on transparency and accessibility.

2. BUFARMA by SoreThumbStudio

Location: London, UK

Specialising in natural skincare made with organic buffalo milk and locally sourced botanicals, Domizia needed a brand identity that reflected both its commitment to nature and its scientific expertise. SoreThumbStudio rose to the challenge with a brand concept that differentiated it from the hyper-saturated skincare market.

The brand's packaging design, now renamed BUFARMA, draws inspiration from traditional aluminium milk urns. This nods to the brand's key ingredient while offering an eco-friendly, recyclable alternative to glass.

This recyclable approach extends to their innovative single-material pump and premium, iridescent foil-blocked outer packaging, all of which are 100% recyclable. The muted colour palette and au naturel imagery give the brand an authentic, approachable aesthetic.

Another standout feature is the tactile unboxing experience, which fosters a personal connection via a tear-open strip that reveals BUFARMA's story. With the launch of this holistic branding, BUFARMA has received enthusiastic feedback at a major European trade show, secured retail listings in multiple markets, and formed a collaboration with model Kiera Chaplin as the brand's ambassador.

3. SuperBelly (Blume) by Grant

Location: Calgary, Canada

Popular health food brand Blume came to Grant to help launch an entirely new line of products — gut-building water elixirs, offered in powder form and packaged in ready-to-mix packets. With probiotics, prebiotics and superfood ingredients, this new product (eventually named SuperBelly) was inspired by Superfood Latte's disruptiveness and offered an alternative to the status quo of so-called 'health drinks', which are often filled with sugars, fillers and artificial ingredients.

Infusing a subtly twisted and blurred gradient into the package design helped Grant nod ever-gently to guts. This acted as a subliminal identifier for intestines and microbiomes without being too literal. When building the colour palette, they took direct inspiration from the vibrant colours of the elixirs themselves. The result is a bright, vibrant blend that stands out on the shelf while aligning with a product that is anything but artificial.

With so much goodwill on the market, the client requested that Grant utilise their existing logo in the new brand. From a typeface perspective, they tested hundreds of potential hierarchies to ensure they didn't compete with or clash with the wordmark. When selecting typefaces, they focused on approachability, kindness, and brand function. Utilising a soft-edge serif as a subheader brought something completely new to the visuals.

4. Crumb by White Sky Studio

Location: Hackney, London, UK

Founded by Amy from the bakery Eat by Amy, Crumb is a newly opened hatch-style service, cookie, and coffee shop situated amongst the boutique shops and eateries of London's Camden Passage. It offers chunky plant-based cookies inspired by the legendary Levain Bakery in New York.

Amy turned to White Sky to create the brand's identity. The Hackney-based studio is known for its work supporting brands and organisations that better the planet, such as plant-based content creator Gaz Oakley, eco-friendly period brand TOTM, and accessible format provider Pia.

The Crumb brand identity was taken from an initial idea through to the launch of their first cookie shop on Charlton Place, London. The project features bold and vibrant photography from Rob White to represent the joy of eating Crumb cookies alongside a playful and loud identity crafted by White Sky.

5. One Living by Derek&Eric

Location: London, UK

One Living is a drinks brand founded in 2018 by England rugby legend Jonny Wilkinson as an extension of his own journey into the worlds of gut health, living foods and Kombucha. Despite the brand's success, its rigid identity was lacking clarity and beginning to creak around the edges as the portfolio expanded, so they turned to Derek&Eric to help turn things around.

Changing the brand name from 'No.1 living' to 'One Living' provided a cornerstone for the new identity system – manifesting first as the 1L icon. Acting as the bold centrepiece, the 1L anchors the variety of executions, whilst providing a window into the world of wellbeing.

Bright, inviting colours and crisp typography demonstrate the ambition to create a world in which everyone can share in the benefits of living foods. Nuanced and natural illustrations reflect the commitment to creating drinks that provide both efficacious outcomes and delicious experiences. Together, these assets combine to create a holistic beacon of positivity, both for taste and for health.

"Derek&Eric truly understood our vision for One Living," says Jonny Wilkinson. "The refreshed branding and packaging symbolises the One Living mission to create delicious drinks that are good for body and mind. They created a bold symbol and vibrant world for our movement in wellbeing and delicious drinks."