Pacifica—Our Beauty Company of the Year—Is Still Pushing Boundaries After 25 Years

Our readers chose Pacifica Beauty as Beauty Packaging's Company of the Year: Excellence in Packaging for the cover story of our January/February 2023 issue.

Here's our exclusive interview with Pacifica's founder Brook Harvey-Taylor and SVP supply & NPD Jing Zhu—on daring to be different as they continue to innovate in clean beauty and sustainable packaging—all with speed and at an accessible price point. 

Beauty lovers gravitate to Pacifica Beauty for its breezy West Coast vibe—brought to life graphically with colorfully appealing pastel-embellished packaging—and its staunch commitment to 100% vegan and cruelty-free formulas.

But not all aficionados realize that the brand was, in fact, a pioneer in clean beauty, and is still pushing boundaries after 25 years, leading innovation in both ingredients and sustainable packaging. Compassion for the planet, animals and humans remains at its core, from net zero initiatives to social change.

Fueled by passion and “a rebellious entrepreneurial spirit,” Pacifica, which means "peaceful and calm," was founded in 1996 in Portland, Oregon by Brook Harvey-Taylor. 

Today, the brand spans a range of products in categories including skincare, hair care, cosmetics and fragrance—and is launching a new 'coco peptide' line of hair care products in January, 2023. Unlike many clean products that once exclusively existed at prestige or luxury price points and high-end retailers, most Pacifica products retail for under $30 and sell through Target, Whole Foods and Ulta Beauty.

Note: Pacifica follows Fenty as our Beauty Company of the Year: Excellence in Packaging

Experts Agree—Pacifica's Packaging Tells a Story

Before talking to Pacifica, we asked beauty industry experts what stands out about the brand's packaging—here's what they had to say. 

Gina Rokose, an award-winning package designer, creative manager and adjunct professor in the beauty and consumer product goods industries, says it’s no surprise that readers chose Pacifica as Beauty Company of the Year: Excellence in Packaging.

“The packaging reflects the beautiful Pacific coastal view through art and creativity, while remaining environmentally friendly and social-conscious. Their plastic collection plan and 100% vegan [commitment] is right on trend.”

Rokose continues with her design critique, saying:

"Pacifica feels dreamy...as prestigious as a luxury brand. The color-theme is eye-catching—singular, but not over-powering. The design uses fruits and plants in a way that's young and pretty, not 'granny granola' or 'cardboard minimalism.' The skincare lines are fresh and bright pastels, while the fragrance shapes and colors reference nature in a soft, moody, earthy way."
 

At Echo Brand Design, Nick Dormon, managing director and strategy director, says that Pacifica’s packaging plays a strong role in customer appeal.

“For Pacifica, it’s clear that beauty is not just surface level—it’s a holistic experience, nourishing all of the senses and encouraging vitality for both body and mind. Customers are reassured that Pacifica’s ingredients are 100% vegan and cruelty-free, and this is communicated in their front-of-pack messages,” he says. 

Dormon continues with his critique, saying:

“Pacifica aims not to be an ‘add-on,’ but a brand with products that are fully integrated in the user’s life. The packaging's pastel tones help build trust in its ingredients—and instill a sense of reassurance and calm. Clearly in touch with their consumer, the colors present a 90s aesthetic and a clear nod to the retro trend.”

Admirably, the strong connection with consumers that Pacifica's package design has helped to create has reigned for more than 25 years. “The fact that Pacifica has kept its integrity all these years and retain its focus on its core values is quite an accomplishment,” says Rokose. 

55k Beauty Fans Search Online for Pacifica Weekly

Pacifica excels at keeping things fresh and new via captivating launches and social media. And its fan base keeps growing, with thousands of beauty consumers searching online for its products, daily.

Kendall Becker, fashion & beauty trends editor at Trendalytics, says Pacifica’s branding “nicely adheres to a fun, playful side through eye-catching color while remaining elevated through their font choice and minimalistic typography placement. It’s a solid balance and seems to work well for a brand at their price-point.”

In terms of search interest, Becker notes that the brand seems to see a consistent increase in the summer months. As of November 2022, Becker says there is an average of 55k weekly searches for Pacifica online.

Becker adds, "Pacifica leans into vegan beauty, which is marked as a low discount level, meaning most products within that category sell out at full price, as well as clean beauty which is currently up +22% to LY in average weekly searches. Case in point, the brand image and products seem to be aligned with where the market is moving."

Q&A with Brook Harvey-Taylor—On Pushing Boundaries to Innovate

Upon being awarded the title, Beauty Company of the Year: Excellence in Packaging, we reached out to Brook Harvey-Taylor to learn more about her vision for founding Pacifica 25 years ago. She created a beauty brand that was so forward-thinking, it would remain totally relevant in the future.

Here, Harvey-Taylor shares her first big break, her obsessions—and why she believes in ‘walking her talk.’

Jamie Matusow: How do you describe Pacifica Beauty, as a brand? 

Brook Harvey-Taylor: Pacifica is an irreverent beauty brand. Our core value is compassion—for the planet, animals and humans. This is expressed in everything we do, including our packaging where we are always thinking about our footprint on the planet. 

We work with Plastic Collective on net zero initiatives to ensure that every ounce of plastic we put into the world, including our PCR, is taken back by purchasing plastic credits. We have been lucky enough to be on the ground floor of a women-run project in Ghana that supports the removal, recycling, and reselling of plastic.  

JM: What was your original inspiration for Pacifica?

BHT: First of all, I think we have to all put ourselves back in the ’90s to understand the origin story of Pacifica. It was a time when there were not a lot of “indie” beauty brands. We were in Portland, Oregon, and there was such a rebellious entrepreneurial spirit in the ’90s.

I was super inspired by scent and by the magic of experiencing beauty in a new way. I wanted to reinvent beauty. I really felt like there was too much fear-mongering around how beauty was marketed to people and I thought we could turn it into something positive and create an experience with beauty.

It was also when we were seeing the very early pushback on animal testing and we were one of the first brands to call out vegan on our packaging. When it comes to packaging, we don’t follow trends, we really push to think about sustainability at all times.  

JM: Can you tell us about Pacifica’s different product lines?

BHT: Our skincare is our core—and the skincare ingredients we use inspire our haircare and cosmetics lines.

JM: What was Pacifica's first 'breakthrough' product? How was it disruptive to the beauty industry?

BHT: One of our initial product breakthroughs was our Stellar Gaze Length and Strength Mascara launched in 2014. It was one of the first mascaras to use natural waxes and to be 100% vegan and cruelty-free. It is still one of our top sellers.

We just launched our Fluffy Lash Mascara in a glass tube, showing we are future-thinking and continuing to push boundaries.

JM: What are you proudest of achieving with Pacifica Beauty? 

BHT: We set out to be changemakers and disrupt something. I think we did that. In fact, I am super proud of how much we inspired a lot of brands that popped up later to be 100% vegan.

I am also super proud of working with the ACLU and the team there. We were able to drive a significant number of people to their site on this last round of voting and will continue to support their good work.

JM: What role does the packaging play with Pacifica products?

BHT: Our packaging plays a few roles: First, it is the love language of a product. It is often how the product gets you to pick it up in the first place. 
 
Second, it is how we can push more sustainability by being mindful of what we are using and seeing our NPD process through our Compassion Standards, which is our guidepost document for how we create products.

JM: How did you develop Pacifica's original packaging? Has the design evolved over time?

BHT: Our first packaging was all stock, but printed with gold stamping and fun colors. This eventually evolved into custom glass and aluminum.

It has taken me a long time to find someone like Jing Zhu to help bring my visions to life around packaging. (An interview with Zhu follows.)

JM: How does Pacifica maintain its brand positioning? Is there one concept that ties everything together?

BHT: As brands, we don’t have the luxury to not consider our packaging’s impact as a key component of our NPD, and there is no way as brands not to have a footprint on this planet and this needs to be considered carefully. 

First, we work to minimize packaging by using fewer boxes, and we don’t have just one type of material that we use, rather we work with a variety of things that fall under our Compassion Standards. This written document guides our team around the NPD process and keeps us on track to meet our goals.

JM: What would you say is your most innovative package, ever?

BHT: I am super proud of our glass mascara bottles.  

JM: Where are Pacifica products sold? Do you still consider Pacifica to be an Indie brand? 

BHT: We are available at Ulta, Target, Whole Foods, and Amazon. And yes, I consider us to be an Indie brand, still.

JM: How many new products were introduced last year—and which were the most innovative?

BHT: We launched a few key products in 2022—Our Kind Tint Serum, which won People's Product of the Year. I am proud of this packaging since it is PCR, but also it is on average 45% less in weight than an average foundation bottle. 

We also launched our Activist Mascara, in a glass bottle and our Fluffy Blushy Face Tints in glass jars without boxes. 

Mascara is always the most challenging product to produce since the brush and the formula need to work together for the best effect. So, this means a lot of testing both in-house and with consumers. And getting the colors perfect on the glass can also be a challenge when you use gradation as we do. But this was a successful launch so worth all of our time and efforts for sure.

JM: Which packages have remained the same over time—and which are new designs?

BHT: Honestly, we evaluate every product each time it needs to be reprinted. This is hard to do, but it allows us to improve on what we are doing constantly. I am always thinking about how we can do better. We often can’t but sometimes we can, which is incredibly rewarding.

JM: How many fans do you have on social media?

BHT: Our customers love us on Instagram and TikTok. We have 525K followers on Instagram and about the same on TikTok.

JM: What is your best-selling product?

BHT: Vegan Collagen Serum, in our skincare line, is our best-seller. 

JM: Have you had successful social media campaigns?

BHT: We have a lot of successful campaigns. I am super proud of our Activist Mascara campaign and aligning with the ACLU on getting out the vote this year and showing up to support our human rights with the Real Catwalk in Venice, CA, where we celebrated diversity, inclusivity and all bodies.  

JM: Why do you think our readers voted for Pacifica as 'Beauty Company of the Year'?

BHT: We are known for creating a wild collection of packaging that does not fit into one single mold. If you line it all up, you see easily it is one brand, but we don’t subscribe to classic rules about how we should look. This makes us playful and approachable. And also, pretty. 

At the end of the day, we all want to own something pretty. We don’t believe that our customers are hiring Pacifica just to do a job. They are spending their hard-earned money on something that brings them joy as well.

We are always true to our playful vibe while still working hard to do better for the planet. I like to think that is what gets people excited about us.

JM: Who is your target customer?  

BHT: Our customer isn’t defined by age. They are defined by a lifestyle. Our target customer is a free spirit big thinker who doesn’t care if they are the coolest person in the room, they care that they are the kindest.

JM: How do you come up with constant innovation for products & packaging?

BHT: I am obsessed with it. I think about products all the time. I think about color and scent and packaging constantly. I research new ingredients weekly and I love my job.

JM: What makes Pacifica stand out from other beauty brands?

BHT: Honestly, I don’t like to compare us to other brands. I like to think that we stand out because we are special. We don’t follow rules, we follow our hearts. We understand history but want to only move into the future. We care deeply about walking our talk.  

JM: How do you stay true to your design direction—with your packaging? 

BHT: I have found the best people to work with who want to be my partner in finding the best packaging solutions possible. And we stay true to our Compassion Standards always.

JM: What was Pacifica's first major achivement? 

BHT: Launching in all doors at Ulta, around 2014, was one of the highlights for me. The buyer at the time, Lisa Hamilton, took a risk on us. I will forever be grateful.

JM: Have you had any 'firsts' in beauty?

BHT: We launched the first-ever 100% vegan clean mascara. I will own that one.

JM: Anything else about Pacifica that we may not know?

BHT: A lot...

"People might not understand how hard it is to have done this for as long as we have. A countless number of companies have told us that we couldn’t use PCR in our packaging. We do an unbelieveable amount of testing. We are continually pushing our suppliers to do better, and work extremely hard to find good manufacturing partners. And while it has gotten easier, we still have to consider so much for every launch."   
 

JM: What's next—new SKUs? New categories? New Packaging?

BHT: Yes, yes, yes. More newness is on the way. We are super excited about the new primers that we are launching. 

JM: What is your favorite package? Most innovative?

BHT: I think our reusable face masks are innovative and one of my favorite things right now. They suction to your face so you can pull out fine lines, but they also are designed to be used with a serum to deliver maximum benefits to your skin with their vacuum effect.

JM: Where do you see Pacifica in 2023—and five years down the road?

BHT: I want to continue to push boundaries around what brands are allowed to do, how political we are allowed to be by our customers, and how much change for good we can inspire.  

Q&A with Jing Zhu—On Bringing Pacifica's Vision to Market

Next, we asked Jing Zhu, SVP of Supply & NPD, who works closely with Harvey-Taylor to bring her vision of the brand to life. 

During the following interview, Jamie Matusow, BP's editor-in-chief, asks Zhu about her perspective on Pacifica's success and its packaging, and gives us insights into the brand's design, development, and manufacturing processes.   

Jamie Matusow: What is Pacifica's approach to packaging?

Jing Zhu: I lead our small team, working closely with Brook on the packaging—simultaneously, as she is developing a new formula. Often, I will bring her a packaging concept before a formula is even conceived. We'll put it on the back burner if we like it, or feel it is innovative in some way.

We almost always work with the suppliers we have long-standing relationships with, not just because we are loyal—but because we have developed a 'shorthand' with them, so they understand what matches our brand values. That enables us to move faster.
 
I have worked with so many great companies over the years, but Pacifica is the most unique. It understands that speed-to-market is an advantage.

Brook is extremely knowledgable about ingredients and innovation, so combined with my packaging knowledge and manufacturing connections, we can bring high-quality and innovative products to market at unbelievable speeds.  

JM: What is most rewarding about working with Pacifica?

Zhu: I will say it is the people on our team, and working with Brook, who is truly behind the company’s values.

Brook only picks the packaging that truly delivers sustainability—not because it is on trend, but because she cares. She is willing to spend more on eco-friendly materials and she believes in taking risks. We are often the first-to-market with an innovation, even though we are not a large company. 

JM: Are Pacifica's products and packages sourced from full-service/turnkey suppliers? Or are formulations and packaging developed separately?

Zhu: Most of our product development is separate from our package development. So our formulations and packaging are developed separately. 

JM: What is most surprising about working with Pacifica?

Zhu: How fast we get things done. It's not that common in other companies.

JM: What is always your greatest challenge?

Zhu: Ha! I would give the same answer: How fast we get things done. It is not that common in other companies BECAUSE it is hard.

JM: Has the current state of affairs—supply chain issues—required you to be nimble to stay in production?

Zhu: We have done a decent job of keeping our packaging supply in excess of our immediate needs. This is because we are fast-growing and don’t always get our demand exactly right. So holding a bit more unfilled packaging helps us stay more nimble during times of constrained supply.

JM: Can you tell us about some of your packaging or formulation suppliers?

Zhu: I work directly with a lot of contract manufacturers and also factories all over the world. I have been in the business for a long time and have long-standing relationships.

Additionally, we work with Viva Packaging for many of our tubes. Viva has been instrumental and partnered with us years before anyone was putting PCR in tubes to test and learn about how much PCR could go into a tube.  

We have also worked closely with Robbyn Norman and her team at Wormser Group. The company is innovative in thinking about sustainability and how we holistically look at packaging—meaning that there isn’t a silver bullet. Everything has a footprint.  

Pacifica is Poised for Growth—And Primed for the Future

After interviewing Harvey-Taylor and Zhu, we have no doubt Pacifica is primed for a bright future. The brand's pastel-colored packaging and vegan formulas have inspired loyalty from thousands of consumers for 25 years.

Built around its core tenets—clean but effective (and vegan) ingredients, sustainable packaging, and a commitment to social change—Pacifica has much to offer the industry. 

We can’t wait to see what they do next.