Make your brand look flawless with the right skincare logo and branding

While we were all debating over natural beauty and cosmetic surgeries, skincare brands took the argument to their own advantage. The beauty industry saw an opportunity and they shot right at it – for anyone who wants to be beautiful naturally, a skincare regime is the most harmless solution – or at least that’s what they say!

As the world becomes increasingly “beauty” conscious, launching a skincare brand is a bet you cannot lose, provided you know what to do?

I won’t lie to you. The competition is intense and skidding your way into the skincare industry is no piece of cake. Men and women alike do not compromise on their skin or scalp for that matter! They’ll switch to your brand from their current one, only when you give them, not one but several reasons to do so.

Literally, there’s like a skincare brand emerging by the hour – perhaps I’m being dramatic here but that’s just how frequently I see a new skincare logo/brand on my newsfeed.

With digital marketing leading the world’s purchases and marketing industry, skincare branding has become even more essential to let people know “you are worth it.”

You caught my pun there, didn’t you?

Did you just see the logo in your head?   

That’s really what a well-positioned skincare brand with a good logo is capable of doing: staying in your recall compartment.

Coming back to branding for your skincare brand, the first thing you need (of course) is a great skincare logo that can represent your brand and be almost anywhere that you can think of.

Now, you need to pay close attention because I’m about to dish out some really fun skincare logo and branding inspo to give your skincare brand a head start in the world of beauty – throwing in some tips too of course.

Skincare logos – Mastering your Brand identity

I can’t emphasize enough on this point: your skincare logo is what can make or break your brand’s first impression and we all know how important that is. You’ve got your logo right, you’ll probably have a smooth ride ahead since almost everything from your packaging to website will get some guidance from your logo – not to mention it’ll stick around with every aspect of your branding.

I didn’t even care to add “almost” there.

Before I give you some do’s and don’ts on skincare logo branding however, let’s have a look at the logos of the masters at work –only to learn what is it that they did (and do) right!

1. DOVE – Finding the pain point

Got a little shocked there? What is a soap brand doing in a skincare logo blog? Those who know Dove may also know that this brand was the first to revolutionize the “soap” industry and introduce itself as a skincare soap – the brand has now extended its range to multiple skin and hair-care products but I’m not endorsing brands here, I’m endorsing logos.

A true depiction of how a skincare logo or any logo for that matter is in fact a reflection of a brand’s persona, Dove entered the soap market in 1957.

Bear with me because this little bit of information is quite important to understand, not only how brand identity is visualized but also how effective branding looks like.

So, in a world of “harsh” yet popular soap brands, Dove captured consumer interest by creating a distinct brand identity: it chose “moisture” and “gentleness” as its unique selling proposition. Before Dove’s branding, soaps had a reputation to dry out skin – yup Dove was the very first that got skin all smoothened up!

Well, brands can’t become leaders without followers. It had to happen and it did. Soap brands with moisturizing and multiple beauty promises took the world by storm, but Dove flew way ahead of them.

In 2004 the brand took a wild step and repositioned itself as a skincare brand (not just soap) that promotes natural beauty – it was one of the first to adopt and market the idea of self-care and owning ones looks with pride!

A skincare logo that looks gentle

Do you see what I see? Apart from the name that speaks for the brand’s nature itself, the Dove skincare logo is an inspiration you cannot miss.  

A calligraphic, slightly italic font that looks as smooth as the lather of its products, is a perfect depiction of “gentleness” and care – a trait that the brand has owned since its inception. The skincare logo has seen evolution, but nothing too drastic.  

The cursive font has been there since forever and so has the deep blue color that symbolizes trust and tranquility. The golden dove was once white over a blue background but the brand went for a simpler feel with a soft, golden gradient. Notice how smooth the illustration of the dove itself is – no doubt to emphasize more upon its identity as a moisturizing, skin-loving brand.  

Branding lesson: Work on your consumer’s pain points before launching a brand and design your skincare logo accordingly. Dove recognized two pain points: the first was the need for a moisturizing soap that was gentle to skin. The second one had more to do with ideology than the product itself. The brand saw how Photoshop and Filters were making people question their own natural beauty and wham! They hit the right mark.

2. Aveda – Natural branding

You read Aveda and you can make the link with Ayurveda immediately.

Founded by Horst Rechelbacher in 1978, the brand has been amongst the pioneers of organic beauty/skincare. The inspiration for Aveda came from the heart of nature’s bounties, India where Horst worked closely with some Indian herbalists to create cruelty-free personal care products and salons for Ayurveda therapy.

They started off as salons and the product range has been adopted by Estee Lauder. Ahan! You read that right and I’ll be coming to Lauder as well once I’m through with this.

The logo represents the brand’s image of being simple with a traditional touch. Since Aveda has its roots in Ayurveda, the dots instead of straight lines between the A’s represent balance and harmony – the two goals that Ayurveda therapy and Aveda products aim to achieve.

The logo exudes energy with its all-capital letters and sharp font. Notice how each “A” looks like an upside down V – literally. All these elements ensure that the skincare logo exhibits the brand’s identity and vision of promoting natural, simple beauty and self-care.

The contemporary font though, tells a contrasting story. It tells people that Aveda welcomes innovation and modernity whilst it maintains its “nature-loving” identity.

Got a brand that’s all-natural? Contact me for a skincare logo that can tell your brand story to the world.

Branding lesson: your logo and branding should represent the “nature” of your brand. That’s the whole point of a skincare logo – it depicts your brand’s identity. It’s always a good idea to visualize your beliefs or the foundation of your brand through your skincare logo.  

An Important read for you: 9 Reasons why I think your start-up will fail without a professional logo?

3. Estee Lauder – branding in style

We all know it, (at least) 90% of us love it but have you ever observed the skincare logo for Estee Lauder that lives up to its luxurious personality?

Once blue, the skincare brand logo has tasted the black ink – and once a brand goes black, they seldom go back. Anyone who is aware of this extensive (and somewhat expensive) product range knows that Estee Lauder is all about a luxurious skincare experience.

Hence, this is precisely what they communicate with their script-font emblem and sleek word mark.

The simple sans-serif font with the slim variant depicts the elegant persona of the skincare logo while the emblem picks the “luxury” and “power” trait from the brand’s characteristics and exhibits that through the initials of the brand, swirling stylishly within.   

Branding lesson: When opting for a luxurious yet stylish look, go for a logo that can have an emblem and a word mark. Let the curves do the talking.

4. Yves Saint Laurent – owning luxury

Just pronouncing that name makes me feel all fancy!

The cosmetic and skincare brand from Paris is home to the dream collection of any mademoiselle and has a logo that breaks the clichés adopted by some of its competitors like Dior and Chanel that use minimalism in more or less similar ways.

Instead of going after the much-used technique of a simple word mark with nothing “special” the YSL skincare logo makes sure it captures attention and looks ravishing on the packaging with their word mark.

Let’s rewind a few years – until 2012. I really want to give my two cents on the prior YSL logo. I believe it’s an exemplary minimalist logo that newbies can really learn a thing or two from.

Lo and behold, the iconic YSL logo that maintained its original design till 2012.

See how the small and the big (letters) merge subtly in the word mark – in a smooth, delicate flow. The logo keeps the majesty of the brand in-check. It has been the symbol of luxury for decades now and the skincare logo for YSL makes sure you witness an elite appeal.

Even though the logo adopted the less is more approach in 2012 and cutout Yves (the founder’s name) from the word mark, the interlocking YSL letters that create a distinct emblem stay intact on packaging designs and everything else.

Even though the new skincare logo features a more contemporary and in-trend look, there is a touch from the older version – you’ll see what I mean.

The N and T gracefully touch at the same points in both Saint and Laurent. The spacing between the letters for Paris is much more than that of the original word mark thus drawing more attention to the skincare logo.

So, what’s my point? The Saint Laurent logo teaches us to enter minimalism with style.

You can see the emblem has retained its position. Once your skincare logo sees popularity it could come as quite a shocker to people if you make drastic change, hence the straight word mark was adopted for digital platforms and YSL’s core identity but consumers got their favorite logo on the packaging just like they want it.

Branding lesson: It’s alright if you want to be minimal yet different in your approach. A little style goes a long way and once your logo becomes everyone’s favorite, it’s highly unwise to abandon it altogether.

You may find it interesting: Great Logo And Branding Are Essential To A Cosmetics Business – 19 Reasons Why

5. Nivea – right on target

You just saw a lot of blue, right? There can be no better example of a brand that has owned a color and lives right in our mind’s pockets. Nivea is quite ancient in its years yet there’s nothing obsolete about the brand.

The brand that started its journey in 1882 by Oskar Troplowitz, is renowned for its moisturizing products – quite a close competitor of Dove actually. Nevertheless Nivea’s white cream is what penetrated every household in the 1900s.

Any millennial will remember the blue Nivea tin, hence we all quickly became accustomed to the newest Nivea skincare logo.

This logo above wasn’t introduced till 2011 and yet no Nivea fan had a tough time embracing the design. What does it look like? A Nivea tin, right?

The word mark hasn’t changed since the skincare logo came into being, however the blue hue wasn’t adopted till 2004. The typeface has slightly elongated lines and triangular edges, making it simple, responsive yet eye-catching. You can spot the logo on a white bottle amongst numerous skincare brands even if some try to imitate the brand’s appearance.

But, that’s not all. Nivea had an entirely new concept in mind – this logo wasn’t enough.

Any brand who thinks men aren’t beauty conscious needs to conduct another research.

Nivea learned this quickly enough. They knew, the men needed to be addressed as well, hence the Nivea Men branding exhibits a much deeper, darker blue that sets it apart from the original skincare logo.

Branding lesson: Catering to men’s skincare needs is a phenomenal and much-needed branding strategy. Equality really has little value when men and women have different skincare concerns and needs. They want brands to see them as being different and treat them equally in terms of providing effective skincare.

Need a skincare logo that can get implanted into the minds of customers and give your skincare brand the right identity? Just contact me and we can discuss your brand vision in detail to design a logo that checks all the right boxes.