07.25.07
Sun Care Packaging that Sizzles
A look at innovative sun care packaging found on store shelves this summer.
By Leah Genuario
Contributing Editor
Summer’s here. The warm weather normally conjures up images of fun and relaxation. But in recent times, it also comes with a warning: beware of the sun. As consumer awareness over skin cancer and other skin damage grows, brand marketers have worked to provide its consumer base with the benefits they are seeking.
The sun care category comprises a broad base of products that include sunless tanning, sun protection and after-sun relief. Despite its broadness, several trends have emerged.
“Manufacturers are creating better protection and in more convenient, easy-to-use packages,” comments Glyn Eppy, president of design and branding company The Design Spot in New York, NY. Specifically, Eppy notes the popularity of continuous sprays and self-tanning products that also offer sun protection.
This year’s collection of sun care products has not disappointed packaging enthusiasts, offering consumers a plethora of choices in formulations, designs and packaging constructions. Whether it’s for functional or aesthetic benefits, or perhaps a bit of both, here are a few stand-outs on the shelves in 2007:
Hawaiian Tropic Offers 2-for-1
For consumers heading to the beach this summer, Hawaiian Tropic is offering a new way to reduce beach bag clutter while still providing full sun protection. The company launched three SKUs housed in Duo Packs in January, giving customers two products within one form.
| Joico's K-Pak Sun Therapy products. |
In order to educate prospective buyers so that they wouldn’t “perceive the item to be a tube with a large base,” says Janet Fondriest, product manager at Hawaiian Tropic, the company designed the graphics to prominently display the words “Duo Pack.” It also used a wrap label on the fitment to alert consumers to the second product, as well as a shrink wrap printed with the directive “two products, pull apart.”
While dual packs within the personal care industry aren’t new, this sun care construction was innovative in the fact it took into account both retailer and consumer needs.
“Combination packages have been used for years to add value to a consumer’s purchase or to aid manufacturers in depleting excess inventory, however, few combination packages are designed from the ground up to provide benefits to the consumer and the retailer,” says Fondriest.
The company partnered with Empire/Emco located in Getzville, NY to deliver packaging with a number of benefits. For retailers, the tube features a Euro-slot at its crimped end, enabling it to be hung on a six-piece clip strip. It can also stand alone. The stacked construction also gives it increased height and the components are designed to catch the eye with blocks of color.
Consumers benefit from the package’s convenience, portability and value. The package fits nicely in sport or beach bags, but can also be pulled apart if a consumer only wants to carry along one product. In addition, the package was ergonomically designed to comfortably fit into the human hand.
And a final benefit for Mother Earth: the Duo Pack components “are made almost completely from recyclable plastics. The Sport and Instant Island Glow tubes consist of medium density polyethylene, the jars for all three duo packs are made of PET and the fitments connecting the tubes and jars are made of polypropylene,” says Fondriest.
Spray On B.B. Bronze
Working with the Cosmetic Packaging Group, a division of O.BERK Company, Union, NJ, Devereaux International has recently launched B.B. Bronze to the high-end spa market. The self-tanning formula markets itself as providing a rich, natural-looking tan.
This objective is achieved through its formulation and through the use of a fine-mist sprayer. The black sprayer tops an 8 oz. brushed-aluminum Cosmo Round bottle with silk-screen decoration. A clear, flexible outer tube enhances its high-end image.
Sun Care for Hair
Skin is not the only thing that needs a boost after a day in the sun. Joico recently launched its K-Pak Sun Therapy products for beautiful tresses no matter what the UV index. The new line had the difficult task of remaining true to the look of the existing K-Pak hair care line while still differentiating itself as sun care products.
| Aqua Tan features a cobalt blue, white and silver palette. |
The result is sleek packaging housed in metallic bronze bottles. It stands out from the muted metallic palette of the rest of the K-Pak line while still complementing the existing products. The products have other innovative design features.
“The packaging/delivery system on the K-Pak Sun Therapy Protective Sun Milk works in the same way as the current trend of spray-on sunscreens and self-tanners. It just happens to be for your hair instead of your body. Additionally, we made the decision to launch the shampoo in a smaller package than the K-Pak shampoo to make it more portable for travel,” explains Mary Freeth, senior director of marketing and Scott Palmer, director of package engineering.
Continuous Spray from Aveeno
The packaging for Aveeno’s Continuous Protection Sunblock Spray with SPF 45 marries nature with technology. The color scheme was chosen to emphasize the company’s focus on nature. The packaging features natural and yellow earth tones to call attention to its nature-derived ingredients.
| A clean, medical image from Kaplan MD |
The product formulation and packaging is designed to offer consumers a one-touch, lightweight spray that can be dispensed at any angle for ultimate skin protection.
Brush Your Skin
Launched this spring, jane iredale’s Brush-Me Bronze provides its customers with the ability to brush on a tan. The self-contained brush, made of natural wool, dispenses the bronzer directly from the bottle.
Iredale Mineral Cosmetics chose a translucent amber bottle from a proprietary supplier and decorated it with gold foil. The bottle is also enhanced with an updated rendering of the company’s distinctive i-logo.
“The gold foil decoration catches the eye like light glinting off water. The package glows the way we all want to, all year round,” says Theresa Robison, vice president of business development.
Jane Iredale products are sold in spas, salons and medical offices. It packaging focus, says Robison, is elegance and simplicity in clean, modern packages.
The Color of Tan
While many sun care products choose bright color schemes in the yellow, orange and red categories, there are other brand marketers who take a much different approach. Generally appealing to high-end markets, these products offer a different color palette for a variety of reasons.
KaplanMD’s Day Cream SPF 15, which launched in the fall, utilizes a pearl white container, with charcoal grey and purple copy for easy readability and to “denote a clean, sterile medical skincare line,” says Joanne Lee, director of operations for the Beverly Hills, CA-based company.
The packaging also features airless components for convenient dispensing with little waste. The airless pump actuator and jacket are brushed stainless steel with a clear overcap. The base is silver.
| Jane Iredale's Brush-Me Bronze. |
The sunless tan works in one step. Most products feature locking pump bottles and one-handed dispensing for added convenience.
Offering another take on the color of sun care, Aqua Tan, from Aqua Tan, Inc., is contained in a cobalt blue bottle with white lettering and silver accents. The self tanner’s color was “inspired by the Aegean Sea,” is “high end for discriminating clientele” and “equally appealing to men and women,” comments Katianna Nightingale, founder/chief executive.
Sold at high end spas, Aqua Tan uses airless components coupled with a fine mist spray head to ensure even disbursement of the self tanner. Each package also highlights skin cancer awareness.
“We started the company to create a platform for skin cancer awareness,” says Nightingale. “We now place a skin cancer ribbon on our bottles to draw attention to this.”
Sun Care Stickers
Whether it’s a container for slathering, spraying or pumping, this year’s sun care products offer consumers a wide variety of packaging constructions. Kimberly-Clark has raised the innovation bar even further, offering another construction with the launch of UVB Sun Sensors.
| The Duo Pack from Hawaiian Tropic |
Working in tandem with SunHealth Solutions, Naples, FL, Kimberly-Clark first began offering the sensors as samples attached to its Huggies Little Swimmers disposable swimpants. The entire line, which also includes three sunscreen lotions in 7.5 oz. bottles, was officially launched nationwide in April.
Next Year’s Market
As the back-to-school displays encroach on the space currently reserved for sun care products, marketers will again head to the drawing boards to design innovative products for summer 2008.
Eppy of The Design Spot offers brand marketer’s this advice for next year’s sun care innovations: “Unique delivery systems or applicators that make it easy to cover all areas of your skin are always great ways to get noticed. Bright colors and easy-to-read type make for ease of finding the right SPF coverage for your needs.”
What would Eppy like to see on shelf next year? “I’d love to see a sponge-type applicator or a colored mousse product that indicates that you have complete coverage.”
