The Challenge

These challenges became evident not just through interactions with beauty consumers, frustrated by misleading labels and hidden ingredients, but also in my own experience. As a daily beauty user, I, too, struggled to navigate clean beauty with confidence, often questioning whether the products I trusted truly aligned with my values.

My research identified several key factors contributing to these challenges-

How might we design a luxury beauty e-commerce experience that clearly communicates sustainability and transparency without compromising on elegance or ease of use?

The Solution

BeautyVerse is a luxury beauty brand that seamlessly blends clean, ethical, and high-performance beauty. Every product is organic, vegan, and ethically sourced, blending luxury with responsibility.

It was created to address the gaps in the market—misleading vegan claims, unverified cruelty-free labels, and unsustainable packaging disguised as eco-friendly.

Key Features

Efficient Onboarding

The simple and easy-to-follow onboarding enables users to sign up or sign in seamlessly with a one-time password (OTP) sent to their email or mobile, eliminating the hassle of remembering passwords. Users can easily switch between options, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free entry experience.

BeautyVerse Quiz

The BeautyVerse Quiz customizes product recommendations in just 10 questions. By sharing skin, hair, and fragrance preferences, users get a tailored shopping experience. Simple, intuitive, and skippable anytime, it makes personalization effortless.

Informative & Transparent Experience

The homepage and product detail page spotlight BeautyVerse’s expert dermatology team, feature educational videos on product formulation, provide detailed ingredient breakdowns, and showcase all earned certifications—fostering trust through transparency and credibility.

Seamless & Intuitive Checkout Experience

Adding items to the cart is quick and seamless. After reviewing the selection, users can proceed through a secure checkout and receive instant order confirmation. Every purchase earns EcoCare Points, promoting conscious shopping while rewarding loyalty.

Research

Qualitative Interviews

I spoke with regular users of ethical beauty brands to understand their awareness, expectations, and experiences with common industry claims.

“I often come across brands claiming to be ethical, but it’s hard to tell what’s genuine. I expect clear labeling, ingredient transparency, and third-party certifications if I’m recommending them to my audience.”

- Aastha Malhotra, Content Creator

“I’m aware of terms like cruelty-free and sustainable, but I look for data and verifiable practices before trusting a brand. Ethical beauty, to me, should go beyond marketing and be backed by measurable impact.”

- Saumay Khetarpal, Senior Analyst

“I’ve used a few luxury brands that talk about clean beauty, but it’s not always clear what that means. I’d love a brand that’s both luxurious and truly ethical—without compromising on quality or results.”

- Japnam Kaur, Event Manager

Insights

Persona Development

I designed a persona as a comprehensive representation of common user needs, goals, thoughts, emotions, pain points, and behaviors, based on insights gathered from the interviews.

Journey Map

This journey map captures the user’s path to discovering and purchasing ethical beauty products, highlighting key actions, emotions, and opportunities to enhance trust, transparency, and personalization.

Market Analysis

I conducted a market analysis to identify comparable beauty and personal care brands and assess their offerings against ethical, environmental, and quality benchmarks.

While many brands claim to be vegan or eco-friendly, these claims often lack transparency, like Forest Essentials and Kama Ayurveda, which use non-vegan ingredients such as honey.

Opportunity Areas

Feature relatable user reviews, testimonials, and skincare routines.

A quick quiz that personalizes products by skin type and concerns.

Clear and detailed display of product ingredients and certifications.

Showcase ethical sourcing and brand values through short, engaging videos.

Showcase the dermatology team to build credibility.

Smooth and intuitive checkout experience for faster purchases.

Prototyping

Low Fidelity Wireframes

I created low-fidelity wireframes to lay the foundation for Beautyverse’s user experience, focusing on clarity, usability, and ethical product discovery. These wireframes shaped intuitive user flows and ensured the design aligned closely with user values and shopping behaviors.

Splash Screen

Login 1 - mobile number

Login 2 - mobile number

Login 3 - mobile number

Login 4 - mobile number

Login 1 - email number

Login 2 - email address

Login 3 - email address

Login 4 - email address

Quiz 1

Quiz 2

Quiz 3

Quiz 4

Quiz 5

Quiz 6

Quiz 7

Quiz 8

Quiz 9

Quiz 10

Quiz 11

Homepage

Product detail

Customer reviews

Wishlist

Shopping cart

Checkout

Payment method 1

Payment method 2

Order Confirmation

Account

High Fidelity Mockups

I developed high-fidelity mockups to bring Beautyverse's visual design to life. I focused on clean aesthetics, brand alignment, and a seamless shopping experience. These detailed screens helped validate layout choices and ensure consistency across the interface.

Usability Testing

Usability testing with five users confirmed that Beautyverse’s design felt intuitive, visually appealing, and easy to navigate, especially during checkout. The personalized quiz was well-received, with minor suggestions like adding a skip option, social login, and clearer recyclability details. Transparency and sustainability emerged as key strengths, reinforcing user trust.

Takeaways

Transparency builds trust

Clear labeling, verified claims, and real user reviews increased user confidence — especially in a space where ethical terms are often vague or misused.

Personalization increases engagement

The quiz helped users feel seen and guided. Even small interactive moments (like the quiz) can drive deeper exploration and create a more tailored experience.

Sustainability needs simplicity

Users care about sustainability, but they want quick, digestible information — not lengthy reading. Visual cues and concise copy around eco-credentials were more effective than detailed blurbs.

Reflection

User-Centered Design is Key

Understanding user needs — such as ethical values, sensitivities, and trust barriers — shaped every design decision, from structure to tone. The result was a flow that felt as honest as it was usable.

Balancing Values with UX

Merging ethical storytelling with streamlined navigation was a rewarding challenge. It proved that purpose and usability can coexist without compromise.

Research Drives Meaningful Design

Market and user research exposed critical gaps in transparency and trust. These findings shaped design opportunities that directly aligned with real user expectations and pain points.

Empathy Drives Clarity

Talking to real users revealed that ethical shoppers don’t just want clean products — they want confidence in their choices. This shifted my focus from visual appeal to building trust through clear labeling, ethical verification, and intuitive design.

Next Steps

AI-Powered Personalization

Use machine learning to offer tailored product recommendations based on user behavior, purchase history, and preferences, creating a tailored and engaging shopping experience.

Sustainability Insights

Introduce an impact tracker that visualizes the environmental footprint of each purchase, empowering users to make eco-conscious decisions with data-backed insights.

Ethical Sourcing Visuals

Display an interactive map that highlights ingredient origins and sourcing practices, reinforcing transparency and the brand’s ethical commitment.

Community Features

Encourage user engagement through forums, skincare discussion spaces, and live Q&A sessions to build a supportive, values-aligned community.

BeautyVerse

Objective

My Role

Tools