The Brand
ILIA is the OG of clean color. Founded a decade ago with the then-impossible mission to create safe cosmetics that are high on performance, the skin-centric brand cleared a new path in the beauty industry.
Now, of course, there are scores of clean beauty brands vying for market share in Sephora’s hallowed gondolas. But few are as powerful, effective and skin-loving as ILIA. Its beloved lipsticks and foundations are known as holy grail products, top-selling favorites in the industry, not just the clean sector.
The Task
As ILIA moved into its second decade, it underwent a subtle rebrand, with a refreshed visual identity and packaging design. Still clean and calming in feel, the new look is a bit bolder and self-assured. Our goal was to create a new brand voice that solidifies the maturing company’s status as a trusted heritage brand with serious cred and the latest innovations in safe, effective beauty products with real skincare benefits. Skin first, was the order of the day.
The Execution
During a deep-dive competitive audit, we found inspiration in skin-focused heritage brands like Clinique and Laura Mercier, as well as millennial stalwarts like Glossier. Our strategy was to exude authority and achieve clarity at all costs. After all, ILIA had done its homework—the company had been developing uncompromising formulas with serious skincare ingredients since before that was a thing. We wanted to remove earnestness from the brand character to let the world know who they were dealing with at first blush. To evoke ILIA’s draconian clean standards, we insisted that every sentence be meticulously tidy. In keeping with the brand’s promise of millennial-style transparency, we kept the voice warm and honest, straight talk with a sophisticated lilt.
The Result
ILIA emerged stronger than ever from its rebrand, achieving a 400% increase in sales, year over year, in 2020. With a renewed sense of purpose and a whole new lexicon to express it, the brand went on to launch several new innovative, instant-cult products, like Balmy Gloss Tinted Lip Oil , Super Serum Skin Tint SPF 40 and Blue Light Mist. ILIA products consistently sell out at Sephora, Dermstore and on the brand’s own web site.
In early 2022, ILIA was acquired by French beauty investment firm Famille C, the owner of legacy skincare brand Clarins, signaling ILIA’s exploding success and integral role in taking clean beauty to the global mainstream.