In this new blog segment, I’m coining “OBSESSED”, I’m excited to share brands that I personally advocate for, tell all my friends/family about, and flaunt proudly. They stand out for their innovation, brand mission, or creative messaging, and connect or influence my beliefs. What are your OBSESSED Brands?
I first learned about NOTO Botanics while listening to Well Made, a podcast by Lumi about the people and ideas behind different innovative brands. During the episode, founder Gloria Noto talks about her personal journey as a makeup artist and the inspiration to create her own cosmetics brand. Captivated by the NOTO’s mission to provide wellness products that are natural, gender-fluid, sustainable, and affordable, I began following the brand on Instagram and that’s when my obsession really took off.
As someone who is a bit intimidated by the skincare and cosmetic category, I found NOTO Botanics to be an incredibly welcoming brand that completely transformed my perspective on the beauty category. Now I own like half of their catalog.
Obsession #1: A Brand to Believe In
Let’s be real, some brands spend loads of money to do audience research and produce campaigns telling their consumers “we believe what you believe”. Once the trendy CSR campaign expires, they throw some money at a non-profit, then they move on to the next socially-relevant cause.
Then there are some brands that establish themselves from the start on a foundation of principles that an audience will gravitate towards because they believe in those things too.
I believe NOTO is the latter, a brand focused on representation, clean vegan products, activism through identity, and sustainability. They authentically bring diversity and inclusion into every facet of their brand from content, to giving, to product development. I feel good about purchasing and using their products because I believe in the brand’s mission, I support where they give back, and I am proud to feature their products prominently on my counter as a symbol of my aligned beliefs.
Obsession #2: Bold Branding
From the bold-typed labels to the striking brand communications, NOTO was created to stand out. They take their laundry list of promises and break them down into bold message statements, acknowledging that not every piece of communication needs to tell you everything about everything. They’ve been able to master inclusivity, expressing that you can “be for all” without creating a brand that’s watered down for the masses.
They give powerful meaning to the phrase “NOTO is: uncomplicated”, using it to express that their products have simple, clean ingredients, and are straightforward to use. The statement also can relate to the user, identifying with an uncomplicated regimen and preference a more natural approach to cosmetics.
Obsession #3: Products That Deliver
As important as it is to be a strong brand, without a solid product to back it up, you’re likely not going to garner positive reviews or have many returning customers. Well, that’s no problem for NOTO, their range of products exceeds expectations.
I was a little nervous using what I’d purchased for the first time, not knowing how to incorporate them into my routine or if I’d like them at all. That’s the risk of purchasing something online without getting to test or try ahead buying it. But the directions on the packaging made it easy to understand how the range of products work well together or serve multiple uses in some cases.
Now I use the Resurface Scrub after every shower, and both The Wash and Deep Serum daily. I couldn’t imagine my routine without them.
Obsession #4: A Community I’m Proud To Be A Part Of
As a straight cisgender female who presents as feminine, I love and respect the gender-inclusive community NOTO has built. I admire the spectrum of users and feel as beautiful using their products as the women, men and nonbinary models they feature.
Being a fellow consumer of NOTO Botanics means that I too care about challenging universal beauty standards, I care about sustainability and the ingredients that make up the products I use, I care about how a brand gives back to organizations help their local and national community and I care about my personal wellness.
What are your OBSESSED Brands? Share in the comments.
Marissa Osowsky 