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United & Free Is Hair And Skincare For All Bodies

by Chloe Gordon on 03/22/2022 | 3 Minute Read

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Our human-centric branding process puts the soul purpose of the brand at the centre of all of our design decisions, from monogram and typography to art direction and packaging. We collaborated with United & Free to create a hair and skincare line that eliminates the amount of packaging in your bathroom by making one multi-purpose product that offer three solutions. 

Hair and skincare for all bodies. For the earth. For the ocean. 

For every 10 tonnes of sugarcane crushed, a sugar factory produces nearly 3 tonnes of bagasse waste. Made from that waste stream, we created an outer shell to protect United & Free's balm on-shelf and during shipping. The custom form of the outer packaging outlines the curvature of the bottle held within, a metaphor for transparency that is foundational to United & Free’s values. The bagasse packaging can be composted after the package is opened, closing the loop. 

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The bottle revealed inside is flooded in the brand’s signature blue which represents the ocean, the lifeblood that sustains our earth and connects us. The colour serves as a symbol of unity and a reminder of what we are working to protect. The bottles are glass which is made from sand. They are 100% recyclable. The lids are made from 50% post-consumer recycled plastic. The balm is multi-purpose, formulated to soften coarse hair, dry skin and stretch marks, reducing the number of bottles in the bathroom. 

United & Free is built on the idea that to make change, you must first embody change. You must self-explore and self-educate to grow. Then, free from what holds you back, united with your values and actions, you are in a position to unite fully with others and support them in their journey of growth. Together, eyes open, looking forward to the greater change that humanity calls upon us now. 

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United & Free's plant cellulose comb is made from wood pulp and acetic acid derived from vinegar. The blue flecked comb, debossed with the United & Free monogram, will biodegrade under the correct conditions. The comb is packed in an FSC-certified, 100% recycled paper stock pouch with blind debossed details. We created a custom dieline with a curved flap that echoes the shape of the comb held within. The pouch can be used to store the comb, or easily recycled in regular recycling streams. 

Arithmetic believes in waste-inspired brand packaging — our design process involves countless hours of research to source materials that are created from the earth and can go back into the earth, closing the loop. 

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Editorial photograph
Editorial photograph
Editorial photograph