Fuss Pot
Powerful skincare for fussy people
Fuss Pot came about through a mission to hero hemp as a powerful ingredient for skin health. Founded by a driving force in the medicinal cannabis industry, the goal was to enter the market with an offering that expanded the perceptions of hemp-based skincare. Formulated in France to obsessively high standards to hero the benefits of hemp seed oil partnered with powerful botanicals, the high-quality range is natural, ethical, sustainably sourced, and backed by science to deliver impressive results.
In a landscape where most hemp-based skincare plays to the ‘wholesome hippy’ trope, our challenge was to break the mould: elevating hemp skincare from its traditional image, into something sophisticated, solutions-focussed and fun. In exploring the brand’s point of difference, we found that the combination of safe and natural, yet highly efficacious products resonated with a particular type of audience: female skewed, mid to high disposable income who are seriously fussy. Fussy about what they put on their skin, fussy that it’s safe, natural and ethical. And fussy that it works.
And so, Fuss Pot was born. With a strategy that turned the negative connotations of a fuss pot on its head, it made brand’s collective fussiness into its superpower. Its obsession with ingredients, infatuation with efficacy and nit-picking over the smallest detail. A bold tagline of ‘powerful skincare for picky people’. And a brand personality that’s sophisticated, neurotic, picky, and playful – just like its consumer. The brand message became a rally cry: “Isn’t it about time you got fussy too?
When it came to design, much of the market utilised dull, muted colours and minimalist graphics to reflect the hemp origins, resulting in a sea of sameness that defined the category. Our challenge was to break this mould, with a design programme that reflected the product’s natural origins, whilst communicating the contemporary, performance-focussed features that made it so unique.
In a humorous nod to the nostalgic lava lamp that many of our customers once owned, organic abstract shapes were developed to represent the products’ natural ethical properties, with a vibrant colour palette conjuring up the sassy, playful nature of the Fuss Pot personality. Uncoated stock provides a natural texture, with the branding and flower icon embossed and varnished to create an additional tactile experience. Inside, sleek black bottles contrast the bold box packaging, to sit stylishly in any bathroom.
Language plays key role in setting the brand apart from competitors. Bold brand statements are sophisticated and tongue in cheek. Brand copy inside the packaging is playful and inviting, elevating the unboxing experience. Expressive product names and descriptors emote the user experience. The product architecture is designed with its busy user in mind, numbered into steps of the skincare regime – both for usage clarity, and to encourage cross-selling across the range.
The results of developing the bold, unique brand were seen swiftly: it has piqued interest from some of the world’s leading department stores and beauty chains, and will be launching in France in September, with a view to move into the UK and Asia the following year.
