Melé
Our partner at Unilever approached us with this simple brief: How can we create a new brand that speaks meaningfully to people of color, and that genuinely cares for their skin? Skincare marketing had evolved to include diverse faces, but diversity was not reflected in the products themselves. We discovered that the institutions and development processes that shaped the skincare category had historically catered to, and been formulated for, the needs of only one audience: light skin.
Being really honest with ourselves, we knew that this scientific space was one that we could really credibly own as Unilever – a massive, global skincare leader. But on the flip side of that, as a massive, global skincare company, we were faceless. And an equally important part of building this brand with a soul, we needed to ensure we were putting the melanin-rich community first by being a true reflection of the melanin-rich skin consumer – starting with representation from our client team, product dev team, agency team, and ultimately bringing in consumers to the process.
Many brands claim to understand the BIPOC consumer, but no mass brand yet understands the BIPOC consumer’s skin. Simply speaking, the biological differentiator between skin shades is the amount of melanin present. Melanin is an amino acid that gives skin, hair and eyes their pigmentation. The more melanin we have, the darker our complexion is.
Role: Creative Direction
Creative Team: Donnell Johnson, Garrett Chase, Michelle Rivera, Andrew Guirguis, Regina Park
Lifestyle Photographer and Video: Micaiah Carter
Product Photographer: Stephanie Dinkel
Date: 2019-2020
Awards: 2021 Jay Chiat Strategy Awards - Gold, Jay Chiat Bronze for Innovation in Product/Service Creation
But there are challenges unique to highly melanated skin, too. With that beautiful pigmentation also comes hyperpigmentation. This often appears as dark spots, blemishes, scarring or uneven skin tone and texture. This can come from common skin irritants - dryness, excess oil, acne - because the body’s natural response to distress is to create more melanin. Melanin would become our hero. Our north star and ambition was to build a skincare brand rooted in The Science of Melanin-Rich Skin.
Many skincare brands vie for dermatologist-certified stamps of approval. But as a brand rooted in science, we needed to collaborate with them in product development, not just communications. We worked with clients and R&D to engage a handful of board-certified dermatologists of color to co-create our products, ensure our ingredients could be clinically tested and proven, and were safe and enjoyable to use on melanin-rich skin. MELÉ would be more than a brand designed specifically FOR melanin-rich skin; we would also be a brand co-created WITH melanin-rich consumers.
Our tone needed to champion our confident consumer as much as their skin. This led to our defining tone, Science with Sass. This personality became a cornerstone for launch. It informed all communications decisions, including tone of voice, education approach, pack structures and photography style. The resulting visual system uses sleek scientific iconography and glowing talent to highlight our scientific creds and vibrant personality.
