Cle de Peau

Clé de Peau Beauté lipstick stacking with controlled metallic reflections on black

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- about this project

The Subject:

Why Clé de Peau Beauté became the perfect creative test

I chose Clé de Peau Beauté as a creative subject because they have solved a problem most luxury brands still struggle with: making science feel indulgent. Their packaging is clean and minimal, with reflective metals, jewel-like caps, and precise embossing that demand a visual approach protecting craftsmanship without tipping into clinical territory. Working from Vancouver, I wanted to explore how bold composition and disciplined lighting could translate that balance into launch-ready imagery.

The Brief:

The visual tension ultra-prestige brands face constantly

The brief I set for myself centered on a challenge luxury brands navigate every launch. They need images that catch attention in a crowded feed, but they cannot afford to look trendy or disposable. A $550 night cream requires a visual language that justifies heirloom pricing while still functioning across product pages, paid social, and retail partner launch kits. I framed the challenge this way: if a brand like Clé de Peau needed a campaign system that balanced graphic impact with restrained luxury, how would I build it?

The System:

Three image types luxury beauty teams rely on most

I built the approach around three formats that solve different parts of the marketing problem. First, clean product shots with metallic fidelity, the kind that hold up on a product detail page when someone is deciding between this and La Mer. Second, main campaign visuals with enough structure to work in multiple formats without losing their backbone. Third, macro texture shots that imply efficacy and sensorial richness without crossing into claims territory. Each type serves a different function, but they all share the same tonal language so a global team can mix and match without revisions.

The Composition:

Stacked lipsticks as the anchor for modern prestige

The stacked lipstick composition became the anchor for the main work. I used vertical arrangements against a deep black field to create bold, graphic silhouettes that read as modern without chasing social media trends. Black backgrounds are unforgiving. They show every fingerprint, exaggerate edge softness, and make color accuracy harder to control. But they deliver the kind of high-contrast authority that prestige brands need when competing for attention. The stacking itself references a current visual trend in product photography, but I kept the structure clean and sculptural so the images would age well in a brand's photo collection.

The Lighting:

Shaping reflective metallics with precision

Lighting for reflective metallics required precision I do not compromise on. I shaped specular highlights on the metal caps and tubes so they felt dimensional and moody rather than blown out or flat. The goal was to make the metallic finish part of the scene, catching light in a way that suggests weight and craftsmanship, not something that competes with the product or reads as a technical flaw. I controlled reflection angles tightly to avoid glare on the embossed logos and gradient housings, which is critical when the packaging itself communicates luxury and scientific rigor.

The Color:

Why red lipstick accuracy became a technical priority

Color accuracy on the red lipsticks became essential because high-end cosmetics photography lives or dies on hue fidelity. Reds shift easily under mixed lighting or during retouching, and if the red in a campaign image does not match the red on the product page, the brand loses credibility fast. I built my lighting setup to preserve true red saturation without pushing into orange or magenta, then locked that standard across every frame so the entire set could be used interchangeably across regions and platforms.

The Texture:

Macro photography as sensory proof without claims

For the macro and texture work, I focused on sensory proof points that luxury skincare brands use to bridge science and ritual. I captured bead-like droplets on lipstick surfaces and flawless, hydrated finishes that suggest skincare-grade formulation without making direct claims. These images work well for social content, PR materials, and detail pages where a brand needs to show richness and precision up close. The embossed logo details and micro-textures I rendered at this scale reinforce the craftsmanship narrative Clé de Peau leans on heavily: over sixty ingredients, hundreds of production steps, rare fermented extracts.

How this approach functions as a launch system

This approach would work well for a luxury beauty brand that needs a cohesive system rather than one-off shots. The images I created function as a launch-ready collection: stacked visuals with enough negative space to crop into different social formats and banners, product photos with controlled metallics that hold up on white or tonal e-commerce backgrounds, and texture macros optimized for PR kits and sensorial storytelling. Each variant shares the same lighting signature and color standards, which reduces approval rounds and keeps global teams aligned.

The operational advantage of thinking like a producer

What this demonstrates is my ability to think like a producer while executing like a technician. I understand that a luxury brand's visual needs are not just aesthetic, they are operational. As a Vancouver product photographer, I have learned that a global marketing team managing launches across regions needs images that scale, match, and deliver without constant rework. I design lighting and composition with that in mind, building systems that protect packaging fidelity, maintain color accuracy, and provide the flexibility to serve multiple channels from a single shoot.

If you are looking for a luxury skincare product photographer who can deliver prestige imagery that works as hard as your team does, let's talk about your next launch.

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