Pacifica Beauty has called itself a beauty activist brand since 1996. It was founded in Portland, Oregon, by Brook Harvey-Taylor and her husband, Billy Taylor. Brook told Authority Magazine that she created the first seven scents in her kitchen, and the couple drove them to a trade show in San Francisco in their VW van. Pacifica started as perfume, she said, with a hidden aromatherapy agenda, and later moved into skin care, makeup, hair care and wellness. Some early profiles, like one in Entrepreneur, describe it as starting with candles.

That scent-first start still shows. Almost everything smells like something, coconut, orange, strawberry or florals, and Brook signs her letters as the brand's chief scentologist. The other thread is compassion. Pacifica says every product is vegan and cruelty-free, and its Compassion Standards list more than 1,800 ingredients it will never use. Brook has also written that she insisted on finding an alternative to beeswax for mascara, which led to one of the first vegan mascaras.

The formulas are simple, and that is the point. Most of the line sits in a few families, Glow Baby for vitamin C, Sea Foam for cleansing and a set of fruit-scented serums, so it is easy to learn. You can try a vitamin C serum or a retinol cream without committing to a ten-step routine.

The first grid is Pacifica skin care, from cleansers and serums to eye patches and a sheet mask. The second grid is Pacifica makeup, perfume and body care. My tip: if you are new to retinol, use the overnight cream two nights a week at first, and wear sunscreen every morning after.

Eye Bright Undereye Vitamin C Spot Serum Mask is the most reviewed Pacifica product in this grid, two patches with vitamin C and hyaluronic acid for a quick morning brightening, though its rating is the lowest here. Sea Foam Complete Face Wash is the classic, a coconut-scented cleanser that also takes off makeup. Kale Detox Deep Cleansing Face Wash is the one for oily and blemish-prone skin, with kale and seaweed.

For serums, Glow Baby Vitamin C Booster Serum pairs vitamin C with glycolic acid for brightness and a light exfoliation, so use it at night at first. Future Youth Face Serum is a hydrating serum for dry and mature skin. Strawberry Dew Barrier Reinforcer Serum uses niacinamide for tone and barrier support, and it has the highest rating in this grid.

Wake Up Beautiful Overnight Retinol Cream is the night cream, with retinoids and vitamin E. Stress Rehab Coconut and Caffeine Face Mask is a single cotton sheet mask with coconut, caffeine and green tea for redness and puffiness, a nice one before an early meeting.

What I would skip: Glow Baby and the retinol cream on the same night. Alternate them, because glycolic acid and retinoids together can sting, especially in winter when skin is already dry.

The Pacifica Spray Perfume is the most reviewed product in this edit, and that makes sense, since perfume is where the brand began. Silver Moon is the scent here, in a glass bottle with a travel cap, though its rating is the lowest in this grid. The Body Mist is a lighter way in, with amber, vetiver, bergamot, sandalwood and rose, and it has the highest rating here.

For makeup, the Vegan Collagen Skin Solve Primer is a translucent smoothing cream with shea butter and hyaluronic acid, and the Alight Multi-Mineral BB Cream is sheer and moisturizing, with a natural finish. Fluffy Blush is a buildable cream with a duochrome shimmer, and the Nudes Eyeshadow Palette has mattes and shimmers from light to dark.

For body, the Coconut Milk and Essential Oils Underarm Deodorant Wipes are aluminum-free and good in a gym bag. Bacne Warrior Spray has 2 percent salicylic acid in a continuous spray, which reaches your back without help.

If you want one piece to start with, choose the body mist or the BB cream. Both show the brand's scent and skin care side in one step.

What I would skip: Bacne Warrior on freshly shaved skin. Wait a day, or it will sting.

I think Pacifica Beauty is at its best as a first step, a vitamin C serum, a retinol cream or a body mist you can try without a big commitment. Start with Sea Foam or Kale Detox as your cleanser, add Strawberry Dew if your skin feels tight, and keep the body mist in your bag. If you like the scent, the spray perfume is where the brand began. Simple formulas, kind standards and a nice smell go a long way.