Clean Beauty: Beyond Skin Deep

Author:

Clark, Jasmine Mailinh

Area of Honors:

Marketing

Degree:

Bachelor of Arts

Document Type:

Thesis

Thesis Supervisors:

Lisa Elizabeth Bolton, Thesis Supervisor
Jennifer Chang Coupland, Thesis Honors Advisor

Keywords:

Clean
Clean Beauty
Beauty
Natural Beauty
Green Beauty
Packaging
Cosmetics
Makeup
Skincare

Abstract:

This thesis seeks to explore the emerging clean niche within the beauty industry through an analysis of product, packaging, and company communications. In the first portion of this study, I propose a framework for clean beauty packaging based on industry trends. The clean framework includes five principles: being “free-of,” product efficacy through science, transparency, sustainability, and expression of one’s self. These principles are further explained using industry leaders: Sephora, Follain, and Drunk Elephant. In the second portion of this study, I explore clean beauty is through the lens of consumers. A total of 133 Pennsylvania State University students responded to questions regarding the difference between “clean,” “natural,” and “green.” This portion also focuses on the presence of, or lack thereof, clean beauty on the media website Reddit. These findings indicate the favorable attitudes consumers foster regarding clean beauty, however, the depth of knowledge still remains shallow. In the third portion of this study, the aforementioned clean framework is used to conduct a packaging analysis of seven different beauty brands. The brand, box, copy, and product components are all analyzed. This portion highlights how design and product driven components speak to the consumer. Overall, the findings of this study indicate that the core of clean beauty lies heavily in three of the five principles: being “free-of,” product efficacy through science, and transparency. The others are relevant, however, less definitive of the brand. The yielded insights suggest implications for other product categories, specifically those influenced by minimalism trends.