There are so many things to consider when you’re searching for a new skincare product. Does it work? What are the ingredients? Where are they sourced? Who makes the product? How are the factory conditions? Does it smell good? Do I like the packaging? If you’re lucky, you get to answer about half of these questions for any given product, and usually it’s the more superficial questions that make the cut.
PLANT Apothecary founders Holly and Bjarke want to make sure you can answer all of those questions – and actually feel good about the answers. Based in Brooklyn, New York, PLANT Apothecary combines organic ingredients, great design and ethical production to create high-quality, natural bath and skincare.
Despite that impressive brief, the duo have a sense of humor, giving their products names like “CALM DOWN” for their ginger and lavender body care, “GET IT ON” for their (apparently aphrodisac) sandalwood and cedar body care. The name on the bottle isn’t the only way in which PLANT thinks about their packaging; everything from the material (recycled) to the typography is highly-designed with both beauty and sustainability in mind.
“It was natural to us to consider design when we were working on PLANT, because that’s part of our background. Being Danish, it’s something I was trained to see in everyday objects from a young age, but it was important to both of us,” Bjarke explains. With a background in architecture (Bjarke) and journalism (Holly), it’s no wonder that functionality, aesthetic and word-choice are interwoven so gracefully.
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Because the typography is the first thing you notice when you look at the products, it’s important that it catches the eye and holds your attention. The combination of silly but descriptive names, capitalization and stark black lettering against a white background makes sure that’s the case.
But with beauty products, good font choices will only take you so far. You have to deliver on the actual product, and PLANT Apothecary does. Their organic, paraben and silicone-free formulas smell great and work well, whether you’re cleaning or moisturising.
And as for the ethically-made aspect? This is my favorite part. For the first few years, all PLANT products were made in Brooklyn by adults with disabilities at the BKLYN UNTLD workshop, part of the nonprofit Brooklyn Community Services. Though PLANT’s production needs have grown too large for them to continue producing all products there, they continue to use the workshop for packaging, sample making and other jobs.
So what are you waiting for? Literally everything you’re looking for in a skincare product is right there at PLANT Apothecary. Products you feel good about buying and then feel good when you’re using. It’s so many wins, it’s practically a Yankees season (sorry Mets fans).
See more about PLANT Apothecary.