Rethinking the Beauty Industry

  • Ellie Graham

This project was inspired by the BBC documentary, War on Plastics. The amount of single use plastics alarmed me, and I was inspired to see if there was a way of creating a mainstream, accessible solution for the beauty industry, one of the most polluting industries in terms of plastic packaging. The project explored a number of different options, and I used The Ordinary as a case study to create a mock campaign for the launch of the solution I came up with. This project was all about making sustainability accessible to all, no matter what disposable income you have. Something that struck me in the early stages of research was how expensive the sustainable alternatives out there are. I wanted to create a solution to this huge problem, that is affordable for all.

This was the initial moodboard for the aesthetic of the project outcomes. I wanted to focus on fresh greens with hints of colour. The use of glass was important - as it is an easily recyclable or refillable material. I decided early on to focus on skincare rather than makeup, but I would like to develop the project further to include this aspect of the beauty industry too.
I wanted to include lots of imagary throughout, but I completed this project in the midst of the Corona Virus Pandemic, meaning I had no acess to studios or photographers. To overcome this I used Procreate on my iPad and Adobe Illustrator to create various illustrations to add interest and colour to the various assets.
Using The Ordinary as a case study, I created a lot of mock campaign assets. This included Instagram and Facebook ads, email marketing, changes to the website and PR packages/ press releases. I created a small zine to send out to influencers, explaining the changes to the brand, how they are becoming more sustainable, and how to access the new product offering.