The Way We Glow

Naomi Osaka's skincare line - KINLÒ - has a long list of notable attributes: a celeb founder, accessible pricing, eco-conscious, informative, reef-safe, and the list goes on. But every differentiator can't get equal billing in brand communications. In preparation for a website relaunch and looking to secure a retail partnership, we stepped back to streamline the brand story.

At its core, KINLÒ's products are formulated for people of color (POC), an audience the beauty industry has long disregarded. Being excluded by big beauty has meant more to the audience than just poor product offerings. Being left out of the conversation has resulted in harmful misinformation about POC skin health and long-standing beauty standards that exclude.

After productive tissue sessions with all brand stakeholders, we reprioritized the brand's architecture. KINLÒ came into view as a much-needed mission-driven brand. The mission: to elevate the value of POC beauty, protecting melanin-rich skin. A streamlined brand architecture evolved from that focus. But importantly, our brand work wasn't built as a one-time exercise. It continues to be revisited for creative inspiration and used as a lens to prioritize product and brand extensions.

"The Way We Glow Campaign" was featured in major news outlets and beauty blogs, from Harpers Bazaar to HypeBae. The campaign secured the brand's first retail partnership with Walmart, and KINLÒ's product line became available offline in over 2K stores.