Essence
Natural cosmetics e-commerce with a sage palette, against the bright beauty-industry aesthetic
Context
An online shop for natural cosmetics — creams, serums, cold-pressed oils; premium at 40-150 $ per item, audience — women 28-45 already tired of the "clean beauty" template. And that template is crammed with clichés: pastels (pink/peach/mint), a handwritten font, "before/after" photos, "with hyaluronic acid!" instead of an explanation. These people read the INCI and tell marketing from formula — they want a brand that's a "botanical reference", not a confectionery.
The solution
Palette — cream background and sage green: botany at once, not candy. Each card shows the ingredient's source (a photo of the plant, not a packaging mockup) — "we know what's inside, and we'll show you" instead of "trust us, it works". A "find your routine" quiz is a soft entry for a new audience: four steps → 2-3 products for a skin profile; for a brand with no recognition a 30-SKU catalog can't be grasped cold, while the quiz leads by the hand.
The outcome
HTML/CSS + a little JS for cart and quiz; hero — a cream among leaves, not studio packaging; images in modern formats sized per screen; quiz and cart work with the keyboard and a screen reader (a common audience in cosmetics). A shop that doesn't look like a natural-cosmetics shop: people disappointed by the clean-beauty template read the calm tone as "they're serious here".