Rollr and Mother Design Transform Deodorant into a Fragrance-Driven Luxury
Rollr, a new-to-market refillable deodorant that reimagines personal care through the lens of luxury fragrance, has partnered with branding and design studio Mother Design, part of the Mother Family, to develop the brand world including the product’s name, visual identity, tone of voice and and bottle design for its revolutionary product. More than just sustainable, Rollr is designed to be a permanent object of desire, with a sculpted glass bottle, a cooling steel or naturally unique gemstone roller ball, and indulgent fine fragrance-inspired scents. Created to be displayed, not discarded, Rollr transforms deodorant into a sensory ritual of pleasure and self-expression.
Rollr founder Milo Pinckney had an idea for an innovative, natural, sustainable, and refillable roll-on deodorant that leaves users feeling physically clean, fresh, and as if they aren't wearing anything at all. To help make his vision a reality, Pinckney partnered with business incubator Broody (also part of the Mother Family) and Mother Design, to develop the brand idea and strategic direction of Rollr. With many natural deodorants already on the market, the immediate task was to determine what would truly differentiate the brand.
Mother Design’s category audits showed that the natural deodorant market has often relied on outdated sustainability cues, with products that felt primarily functional. No brands were leaning into pleasure, despite the growing demand for sensorial and mind-body stimulation in beauty and personal care. As sustainability increasingly becomes a hygiene factor, Rollr taps into the shift towards products that balance responsibility and indulgence, with a product that can be proudly displayed alongside treasured fragrances rather than banished to the bathroom cabinet.
As well as the visual identity Mother Design co-created Rollr’s distinctive bottle design with founder, Pinckney and product designer, Joshua Oates, to create something that moves beyond the functional and disposable aesthetic of typical deodorants. Inspired by fine fragrance design, the smooth, sculpted glass bottle is intended to be a permanent object, kept and refilled indefinitely. A modular and patented screw-top neck allows for easy refilling, reinforcing Rollr’s commitment to sustainability. Unlike plastic roll-ons, Rollr features a cooling steel roller ball, with optional gemstone upgrades - Rose Quartz, Green Aventurine, and Blue Dumortierite - that enhance the sensory experience with a gentle massage to one of your body’s most sensitive areas. The darkened glass bottle is complemented by light pastel tones, reflecting the natural ingredients of each scent, including mandarin, vetiver, and clary sage.
The name ‘Rollr’, inspired by the product’s roller ball feature, is the only familiar aspect of the product, ensuring instant recognition amidst an otherwise unexpected reinvention of the category. The word 'roller' was chosen to immediately communicate function, helping users understand its purpose before discovering how every other aspect challenges expectations. Removing the 'e' gives it a modern, distinctive edge - maintaining familiarity while signalling a modern, distinctive edge that is both memorable and easily searchable.
The brand’s tone of voice reflects the mindset of a ‘conscientious hedonist’ - a persona developed by Mother Design to describe someone who embraces pleasure while being mindful of environmental impact. The brand voice is bold and expressive, featuring phrases such as 'Damn you smell good' and 'For pleasure and planet.'
The logo is a custom-drawn wordmark with elegant serifs and a liquid-like curve extending from the bowl to the leg of the ‘R’, echoing the cooling, fluid nature of the product. The counter of the ‘o’ is rotated to suggest a rolling motion. The clean and modern Kalice typeface is used throughout the brand, providing a refined yet understated contrast to the more expressive elements.
Unlike deodorants that simply mask odour or antiperspirants that block sweat, Rollr introduces the first-ever combination of anti-odorant and de-perspirant ingredients - a water-activated, cooling crystal formula that refreshes skin while allowing it to breathe.
It is also the first deodorant to use a gemstone roller ball for application, further enhancing the sensory experience. By allowing customers to add their own water at home, the refillable bottle drastically cuts Rollr’s environmental impact. This approach reduces the packaging required to make, ship and recycle the refills by 90%, compared to other competitors in the market.
The graphic language includes four expressive and abstract fluid letterforms, each representing one of the three scents available at launch - Vetiver, Clary Sage, and Mandarin. These icons embody the movement of rolling deodorant and serve as both scent identifiers and decorative patterns. The brand’s design layout follows a structured grid inspired by the vertical lines and facets of the bottle, balancing order with expressive fluidity.
Inspired by luxury perfume campaigns, Mother Design has developed an art direction and photography style that presents the product confidently lit and floating in space, resembling a jewel about to land in the user’s hand. Subtle touches of blur and shadow enhance the tactile and sensorial experience. Dreamlike imagery of outdoor landscapes further evokes the sensory escapism that comes with indulging in pleasurable scents.
A deep, rich burgundy is used confidently across brand touchpoints in print and digital, complemented by refreshing pastels for each key ingredient. The brand’s motion identity uses a rippling, liquid animation style that enhances the sense of fluidity, pleasure, and sensory delight.
The deodorant category has seen increasing disruption from brands challenging traditional formats and materials. Rollr joins a growing field of challengers, including Fussy and Wild, that are rethinking deodorant design with sustainability at the forefront.
While other brands have challenged the plastic-heavy deodorant category with refills, Rollr goes a step further - introducing a premium fragrance-grade roll-on that reinvents personal care as self-expression. The combination of a refillable design, natural ingredients, and fragrance-inspired positioning sets it apart from competitors that focus primarily on functional sustainability.
Milo Pinckney, founder, Rollr, commented, “Deodorant has been stuck in the past - cheap, plastic, and an afterthought. Rollr reinvents it as a pleasure-driven ritual, combining sustainability with fine fragrance cues and an unforgettable sensory feel.
“Mother Design understood our vision from the outset and brought it to life with a brand identity that reflects both indulgence and responsibility. Their approach was deeply collaborative, ensuring that every aspect of Rollr, from the bottle to the brand world, aligned with our commitment to creating a refillable deodorant that feels as good as it looks. Their expertise in blending aesthetic sophistication with original, category innovation has helped define Rollr as a brand that is actively reshaping the deodorant category.
“Working alongside Mother Design to reimagine how a deodorant should feel, look, and function, we have crafted a product that redefines expectations and prioritises sensory pleasure within sustainable design.”
Jo Tulej, creative director, Mother Design, added, "Working with a start-up and founder requires a different approach and a way of working that aligns with their stage of business. This meant a highly collaborative and iterative process, where the brand was developed alongside the bottle design and scent formulations, creating a truly multi-sensorial design experience.
“We set out to create a deodorant you’d be proud to display, not hide in a bathroom cabinet. Rollr elevates an everyday product into an indulgent ritual, designed to be kept, refilled, and enjoyed like a favourite fragrance. This project allowed us to take an essential product and reimagine it as a truly beautiful object—one you never want to throw away."
The project is a collaboration between Mother Design and Broody, part of the Mother Family of agencies. Broody has a long track record of investing in brands with purpose that seek to disrupt existing categories, including Nuud, Smol, and Fluus.
Rollr is now available in the UK.
