Your branding design will be the very first thing consumers are in contact with. Having a thoughtfully designed brand will ensure you are communicating your company’s values, intent, and unique perspective to the market. In the healthcare industry, it’s particularly important to present a unified image to customers, so they can identify your company’s values and products easily. Proper branding must reach your healthcare website design as well as social media platforms in a cohesive manner.
A logo can be as dynamic as you want, it all depends on how you use it. It can be an extension of your brand and promote a specific lifestyle or value like sustainability or transparency.
The logo design and brand image create a bridge between your company’s intent and the audience you’re trying to reach with it.
Having a well-thought-out logo design and custom brand is essential to ensure success. In this article, we’ll go through 12 skincare brands that have amazing branding and logo design elements. We hope you encounter some inspiration and guidelines to make your own.
Let’s begin!
The Ordinary
The Ordinary operates under the DECIEM umbrella of brands focused on advanced functional beauty. Launched in 2016, it has taken a lead in the market. The brand offers effective clinical technologies and is rooted in transparency and integrity for its customers. “Clinical formulations with integrity” is their tagline, which has been incorporated into their product design and marketing strategies.
Key Skincare Branding Design Characteristics
- The logo’s simplicity emphasizes the brand’s values of transparency and clarity
- The lack of accent color adds to the core message of the company
- The abbreviation of the logo design is constructed with the name’s first letter and the dot element at the end
- The bold lines offer a sophisticated and timeless feel
- The “O” is a distinct icon easily incorporated into social media content
2. Skin Ceuticals
Skin Ceuticals this brand is the go-to dermatologist recommendation. Their focus and values are rooted in being a science-backed skincare brand that caters to the professional community. Their products range from prevention, skin protection, and skin correction options.
Key Dermatologist Skincare Branding Design Characteristics
- The logo offers a professional and serious image
- The tagline, which is not always present adds to the professional audience
- The use of blue in product design speaks directly to the medical community
- The icon transfers easily into social media content, although the brand’s name is what’s mostly featured
- The use of all capital letters transmits an authoritarian image, filled with confidence
3. Drunk Elephant
Drunk Elephant with a decade in the market this brand is one of the most popular ones in the market. Founded by Tiffany Masterson as a side hustle the brand has become a favorite for high-end magazines. The brand offers skincare and beauty products such as facemasks.
Key Skincare Logo Design Characteristics
- The whole image offers a young, fun, and inviting feel
- The use of bright colors in their content caters to a young audience
- The product design, with slightly muted colors, projects the brand’s seriousness and quality
- The brand promotes a philosophy that aligns with the fun and creative way in which its platforms present the content
- The brand transfers great into all social media platforms
4. Avène
Avène began as a staple brand in France’s pharmacies. It has expanded and is available in more than 30 countries. The brand is under the Pierre Fabre Group Umbrella and has preserved an image that aligns with it. Their products, most of them, rely on thermal spring water which aligns with the company’s sustainability value.
Key Pharmaceutical Skincare Branding Design Characteristics
- As part of a pharmaceutical group, the brand offers a polished and professional feel in its logo and product designs
- The light salmon color offers a natural and trusting message
- The icon resembles a water swirling which reflects the brand’s main elements
- Overall, the brand image is polished, bold, and feels clinically approved
5. Neutrogena
Neutrogena is one of the top brands recommended by dermatologists. It’s affordable and can be found in drugstores. Its affordability does not take away from its effectiveness or quality ingredients. Their formulas are scientifically backed, and they offer a wide range of treatment options for all skin types.
Key Dermatologic Skincare Logo Design Characteristics
- The wordmark is easy to read and the subtle round edges offer a feeling of being approachable but serious
- The brand does not need a tagline or an icon to stand out
- The use of accent colors in their product designs and advertising tones down the serious feel to make it casual and accessible
- By sticking to a wordmark, the brand adopts a minimal, professional look that complements the scientifically based formulas the brand promotes
6. Alpyn Beauty
Alpyn Beauty brand was founded by the beauty industry Kenda Kolb Butler. The brand offers products that “actually deliver” and include plant-based ingredients. The brand focuses on sustainably harvesting said products from Wyoming, being the only brand that hand-harvests its ingredients. It has been an Eco-Beauty Award winner on multiple occasions.
Key Sustainable Skincare Logo Design Characteristics
- The contrast of capital and lower case letters adds a whimsical feeling to the logo, which is minimal but feels modern
- The lack of icons is replaced by a pattern image used consistently in their products
- The minimal look is enhanced by the pastel and neutral colors included in the product design and branding content
- The simple image and pastel feel add to a natural image that aligns with the brand’s values
7. Olay
Olay is one of the most recognizable, accessible, and effective names in the global skincare market. Some of the brand’s products have been categorized as better than their equivalents in luxury brands. Their products include active ingredients like hyaluronic acid that focus on making the skin look rejuvenated. With over 65 years in the market, a science-first approach, and inclusivity it is no surprise why this is one of the customer’s favorites
Key Skincare Logo Design Characteristics
- The bold font type of the watermark projects boldness and confidence, which reflects the company’s trajectory and position in the market
- The feel of the logo is minimal but timeless and offers an elegant look by incorporating colors with satin accents in their products
- The brand uses bold and bright colors in their products that make a statement, enhancing the boldness of the brand
8. Cetaphil
Cetaphil is the number one brand recommended for sensitive skin by dermatologists. The company is known for its gentle formulas, which are scientifically based and are skin safe. Its products are available in over 70 countries. The brand recently redesigned its image and products.
Key Gentle Skincare Logo Design Characteristics
- The font type of the watermark projects professionalism and seriousness
- The use of blue and green hint at the medical community as they’re colors commonly used in the industry
- The font type projects seriousness but avoids a harsh look, which aligns with the gentle formula
- The icon is replaced by the circles behind the wordmark, which can be seen in other content
9. La Roche-Posay
La Roche-Posay is a high-end brand that offers products with active formulas. It is a french pharmacy staple that embodies the European feel. It offers products for very specific skin conditions such as acné, rosácea, eczema, and sensitive skin.
Key Premium Skincare Logo Design Characteristics
- The clear tagline “pharmaceutical laboratory” makes a statement and enhances the science behind the product’s formula
- The use of blue references the medical industry
- The font type is bold, and elegant, which aligns with the brand’s french origins
10. Estēe Lauder
Estēe Lauder is a staple brand in the beauty and skincare industry. The company has over 50 years in the market and has been the go-to brand for women since it began. The company offers high-end products, that reach for innovation and renovation while keeping alive the brand’s Hungarian origins.
Key High-End Skincare Logo Design Characteristics
- The wordmark is bold with a softness to it and an elegant image
- It is minimal and sophisticated
- The wordmark does not need a tagline or icon to be completed as a full logo
- The use of gold and dark hues in their products add to a sophisticated and timeless image
11. Clinique
Clinique is a premium brand best known for offering effective, accessible products for all skin types. Additionally, their products are meant to be used as part of a full skin-perfecting routine. Its target is to offer a one-stop skincare brand for every step in your skincare process.
Key High-End Skincare Logo Design Characteristics
- The wordmark is bold and sophisticated, in some products, the C is redesigned and used as an icon
- The simple and modern look is in line with other trends we’ve seen in this high-end segment of the market
- The use of color in their products offers a fun look that caters to all ages
12. La Mer
La Mer brand is rooted in sustainability practices and the use of natural ingredients. They have created signature products that have maintained the same formula from the beginning, making them iconic. The brand was founded by Dr. Max Huber who discovered the formula, derived from the sea, that infuse the brand’s products from the beginning.
Key High-End Skincare Logo Design Characteristics
- The wordmark is soft and elegant
- The deep green offers a sophisticated look which is enhanced by the golden accents in some of their products
- The nude splash behind the name in their classic product designs references the sand and sea in line with the company’s name
- The image is timeless and creates a luxurious feel for costumers
As we’ve seen, there are different ways to create a skincare brand design, all of which can be effective if done correctly. We see a trend in wordmarks from brands that have been around for decades such as Clinique, La Mere, and La Roche-Posay.
The use of a deconstructed brand that caters to a younger audience can be seen in brands like Drunk Elephant and The Ordinary. They both play with their image, and their values in the content and product design they produce. Additionally, we can see how well-throughout website designs play an important part in branding for companies like Drunk Elephant and Alpyn Beauty.
There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to design. Be sure to consider the key elements you want to include in your brand and the type of message you seek to convey. Product design can be a complement to your branding like it is for Alpyn Beauty or Neutrogena. The use of color can be as vibrant or muted as you want as long as it reflects your company’s personality.
Best of luck!
