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Case Study — Lion Pose

Building a category-defining skincare brand from the ground up.

Brand CreationStrategy · Naming · Packaging · Creative Direction · Events
Lion Pose campaign shoot with Mindy Kaling

The challenge

Two Harvard Business School founders set out to create skincare formulated for underrepresented skin tones. They needed complete branding — strategy, positioning, visual identity, and packaging — fast enough to meet Sephora Accelerate deadlines, while the product was still in development.

The insight

Clinical skincare manufacturers weren't conducting trials on diverse skin tones.

Fitzpatrick types 3–6 remained largely absent from clinical testing and medical literature — leaving people to use products designed for lighter skin, with ingredients unsuitable for deeper complexions. This was both a product void and widespread industry negligence.

What we created

  • Complete brand strategy centered on the insight: Clinical Formulas for Diverse Skin, with the rallying cry “Raise the Tone.”
  • Award-winning packaging with a distinctive ridged design and bold orange palette, breaking from the neutral clinical aesthetic.
  • A distinctive brand voice with messaging architecture, brand narrative, and a “Nemesis” positioning against neutrality.
  • An ongoing partnership spanning multiple re-sprints, creative direction for shoots featuring investor Mindy Kaling, and event and product launch concepts.

The language

Raise the Tone.

Treatment-focused formulas clinically tested on diverse skin tones.

Lion Pose Unspotted serum on an orange pedestal
The Work
Lion Pose campaign — model portrait against orange
Lion Pose serum trio on acrylic pedestals We know that skin tone makes a difference in skin care — Lion Pose brand copy Aloe vera ingredient story
Mindy Kaling with the Lion Pose lineup Lion Pose serum on acrylic against an orange curtain
Launch event florals WWD announces the Lion Pose debut Lion Pose ingredient trays on blue tile
The founders and Mindy Kaling walking the Sephora floor Lion Pose cream swatch on pink
Lion Pose founders with the Unspotted serum Orchids against the Lion Pose orange
Guests striking the lion pose at the launch event Serum poured onto a petri dish on blue Lion Pose arch installation at the rooftop launch event
Treatment-focused formulas clinically tested on diverse skin tones — Lion Pose social grid Lion Pose Unspotted serum in hand
Mindy Kaling at the Sephora SoHo meet-and-greet Applying Lion Pose serum
Lion Pose social system — press, clinical results, and Sephora launch The founders and Mindy Kaling at the #RaiseTheTone launch wall People — Mindy Kaling was so impressed she invested
Lion Pose High School pep talk flyer Lion Pose High School — Science Is the Mane Thing Lion Pose locker installation
Mindy Kaling and the founders at the Pep Talk event The yearbook superlatives wall
Allure Best of Beauty 2024 Award Winner
The Impact

From business-school pitch to half of Sephora's U.S. doors.

Accepted into Sephora Accelerate before the product was even finalized. Currently profitable, with the partnership still evolving.

Half of U.S. Sephora Doors
At launch
Allure Best of Beauty
Award winner, 2024
Dieline Award
For the packaging design
Mindy Kaling
Investor and brand ambassador
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