Debranding beauty: why we are removing labels from our products No logo, no writing, no label, just product
I don’t know if you’ve ever come across one of those videos where someone opens their beauty cabinet and everything inside is strangely organised. Not because there are only a few products, quite the opposite: there are creams, shampoos, cleansers, masks and serums. You just can’t tell what any of them are. No logos, no writing, no labels reminding us which brand they belong to. Just rows of identical-looking tubes and bottles, neatly arranged on a tray or bathroom shelf. Extremely minimalist. It’s called debranding, or visual decluttering, and it says quite a lot about our relationship with the things we buy.
Debranding beauty: why we’re removing labels from our products
Too much noise for nothing?
@jenniferparton11 Marie Kondon was right - written information is visual noise. Removing labels changed the whole feel of my space #minimalist #mariekondo #visualclutter #declutteryourlife #minimaliststyle Pulse of Progress - AtomsCraft
Packaging, especially in beauty, has always been designed to make itself recognisable. The visible logo, the colour palette, the shape of the bottle: everything is designed so you can immediately tell, even from a distance, what product you’re looking at. And it makes sense: before we even use something, a brand has to be able to sell us the product simply through what we see. The problem is that today, we’re surrounded by this aesthetic practically everywhere. We’re constantly exposed to advertising, whether we want to be or not, and it can end up making us want a product not so much because of how well it performs, but simply because of how good it looks. And that’s where de-labeling, or debranding, comes in: removing the label simply means stopping seeing the brand. Not the product, not what’s inside it, but everything else surrounding it. The bottle loses its commercial identity and becomes just another object, used solely and simply to do its job. And in the middle of a market where everything is constantly trying to grab our attention, we’re the ones letting the product speak for itself, judging it only by what it does and not by who made it. But that’s not the whole story: there’s also a second reason why more and more people are starting to embrace this mindset.
Buy less
@respunbychessie GRWM let’s talk about how removing branding from my beauty products made me deeply confront my shopping addiction and changed my life. #grwm #overconsumption #visualdecluttering #removinglabels #consumerism original sound - chessie
Another effect some people have noticed after removing labels is perhaps the most interesting one: they buy less. Especially if you’re a shopping addict, seeing the same logo-free bottles every day can help you take a step back and simply ask yourself: do I actually need it? Do I use it? Do I like it because of how it works, or because I liked owning it? Without the label, the product loses some of the appeal that pushes us to buy it even when, in reality, we don’t need it. And eventually, you start to place more value on the things you already have, the ones you actually use and know you would buy again.
No distractions
@respunbychessie Answering the top 3 questions I get asked about removing labels from my products! 1. How do I remember what products I’m using/do I forget what products are? 2. How do I shop for products/what if I forget what something is and I can’t buy it again? 3. How do I remove the labels so cleanly? Let me know if you have any other questions! #removinglabels #visualdecluttering #consumerism #debranding #beautyproducts original sound - chessie
This also leads to a simpler way of approaching your beauty routine. If you keep using the same products, the ones you know work, you’re less tempted to constantly switch things up or try the latest new thing. And eventually, you don’t even need to see the logo to know what you’re using: you already know which one is your moisturiser, your shampoo, your cleanser. Your routine becomes more streamlined, without too many products around to distract you. Just a few things, the ones you actually use and, most importantly, use all the way to the end.