New Clean Skincare Brand Supernal’s Packaging Is So Eye-Catching Shoppers Will Be Nonstop ’Gramming It

Melissa Medvedich has such luminous skin she could be a spokesperson for the glass skin trend. The Long Island native’s Chinese-Irish genes certainly play a role in it, but she also regularly applies sunscreen, dutifully goes for monthly facials and thoroughly tests beauty products to identify those that give her just the right results.

“Skincare has been my passion and hobby, and people have always asked me what I use on my skin. I’ve been the unofficial aesthetician in the office,” says Medvedich, a graphic designer who’s held creative director posts at Stylecaster, XXL Magazine and Slam Magazine. “All of the things they asked me led me to wanting to create a single product that would be great for everyone’s skin.”

She’s now created that single product—Supernal Cosmic Glow Oil, a vitamin- and omega-rich mixture of camellia, baobob, squalene, marula, alma, blue tansy, sacha inchi and chamomile oils—to help others achieve the radiance she exudes. Priced at $108, the hand-blended oil marks the beginning of a brand that’s bringing Medvedich’s uber-cool editorial sensibilities to the upscale clean beauty segment.

Supernal
Supernal has launched with a single product: Cosmic Glow Oil.

“I spent two years perfecting this one product. I’m starting this brand as one person, so I really wanted to put all my energy into the one product and see how it’s received,” she says. “Some retailers might look for a more developed line, but, if you look at a brand like Vintner’s Daughter, which is wildly successful, it had one product for five years before its Active Treatment Essence. A lot of the brands I gravitate toward are pretty edited down.”

Out of the two years Medvedich, an aromatherapist certified by the New York Institute of Aromatic Studies, spent perfecting the product, she was simultaneously figuring out the brand name during one of them. She assembled a mood board to guide her that was bright and edgy, and incorporated the terms “minimalist,” “celestial,” “astrology,” “glow” and “luxury.” Supernal means celestial or relating to the sky, and it captured the transcendent qualities she sought for her brand.

“I spent two years perfecting this one product. I’m starting this brand as one person, so I really wanted to put all my energy into the one product and see how it’s received.”

The aesthetic was easier for Medvedich to establish. The type of dresser not afraid to sport bold accessories, she didn’t think Supernal should be subtle. Its exterior cylindrical packaging features emerald green, yellow, peach and white, and its heavy glass bottle allows the product’s greenish formula to shine through. As Supernal’s assortment expands, Medvedich plans for each product to have an individual color scheme. She says, “The brand’s design is a continuation of my style. I love graphic shapes and distinct color combinations.”

Medvedich invested $10,000 to get Supernal off the ground, and her financial goal for the brand is profitability in its initial year on the market. She knows full well it’s entering a fiercely competitive field, but believes it can appeal to beauty enthusiasts curious to try new lines. “Hopefully, people will relate to my story and the packaging will catch their eye,” she says. “I have seen so many women in the same position as me doing it and gaining momentum.”

Supernal founder Melissa Medvedich
Supernal founder Melissa Medvedich

Even prior to Supernal’s launch last week, retailers contacted it via Instagram, although Medvedich says she’s still getting a feel for the brand’s feed. “Not everything can be a perfect image. People need to associate with a person behind the brand, and that’s something I’m still working on because I’m a little bit shy, but I’m going to get there,” she shares. “You have to work on building your community and being present. I’m trying to respond to every comment and email, and I hope to do that as the brand grows.”

For its first year, Medvedich aims to place Supernal in a prestigious retailer to raise its profile. She’s pursuing green beauty stores and high-end specialty beauty destinations. In its second year, a sophomore product, possibly a balm, could join Supernal Cosmic Glow Oil, but Medvedich isn’t in a huge rush to determine her brand’s merchandise direction. She says, “I want to provide a product that people really want and need, so I’m going to listen.”