After years of struggling with cystic acne, founder and CEO Erin Schmidt of luxury skincare line Bella Vida Santa Barbara decided to craft a line of products like cleansers and serums that could naturally help acne sufferers. Bella Vida means “Beautiful Life,” and on the company’s website, they tout that their passion is to help everyone feel beautiful and love themselves, a lofty goal that the cosmetic industry often ironically misses.  

The font-focused logo for Bella Vida Santa Barbara went through three rounds of designs in-house by Schmidt, who was inspired by luxury designers Chanel, Gucci, Yves St. Laurent and Christian Dior. Schmidt tried several fonts she had on hand and went to a group of fellow entrepreneurs for feedback.

“While I wanted a Luxury feel, I also wanted to communicate a sense of freedom and a laid back vibe while still getting across that we’re a company passionate about sustainability,” said Schmidt. “Santa Barbara is my home, and I love that it perfectly combines a sense of Luxury mixed with a very calm, peaceful, laid back vibe, so it was important to me that my logo communicated that feeling to my customers.” Eventually, she went with a bold serif font and a stunning cursive face to bring the brand to life. 

For the most recent round of re-designs on the cartons for the jars and bottles, Schmidt hired Italian artist and designer Roberto Calbucci. 

Roberto helped to design the beautiful cartons Bella Vida Santa Barbara have for their skincare line, which Schmidt notes helps to highlight the natural ingredients in the formulas.

Most importantly, the company’s goal is to eliminate plastics and waste within their company. For shipping, they’ve enacted a lot of processes many other brands have to utilized to cut corners on waste like reusing shipping materials other companies send them and using plastic-free materials when possible; they're continually striving to become a true, zero-waste brand.

They’ve also introduced a Zero-Waste Refill Program. Now, customers can ship back their empty jars, and Bella Vida will refill them for 40-50% off the original price. Once they’ve walked you through the return process and you send back the packaging, they boil and sterilize the jar, refill it, and ship it back free of charge.

It’s a bold move, but one that ushers in a new ideology emerging for beauty brand as consumers demand more sustainable practices, and it begins with their core packaging; the glass with screen-printed labels and laser engraved wood tops were thoughtfully crafted to highlight the ethos of the company. 

Zero-Waste refills in cosmetics are nothing new, but more and more brands are latching onto the idea, and with a market fatigued by the constant influx of new skincare lines, sustainable packaging can set you apart from the rest of the pack.

And if you can clean up your skin in the process, even better.