Working with UFP Technologies, Pangea Organics created packaging made from 100% post-consumer newsprint.

Unusual, Yet So Usable

Marketers throughout the cosmetic industry rely on unusual yet functional packages for their personal care products.

By Christine Esposito
Contributing Editor

How do you make a splash in a crowded beauty business when a majority of customers adhere to the mantra “been there, done that?” Scrap plans for that basic compact, lipstick case or eye shadow quad.   

“Cosmetic counters and retail shelves are full of information. If a package is not a stand-out, it may not get noticed with all the distraction,” notes Nancy Klimpel, marketing coordinator for Qosina/Qosmedix.

You better think well outside the box if you want your product to jump off the shelf. “Unusual” packaging is a sure-fire way to create a buzz and get your product noticed, say industry executives.

“The beast reason [to use unusual packaging] is to really get your brand talked about,” notes Rebecca Goswell, group creative director for HCT Packaging. “If there is something innovative and distinctive out on the market, then it will create a talking point for the industry and customers alike.”
 
Opting for the offbeat, of course, will elicit the inevitable “love it or hate it” response, yet it is a chance companies should be willing to take, according to Boris Schaefer, director of customer relations with Seidel GmbH + Co. “People who love the unusual design will be very loyal consumers. Of course there is the risk that consumers might reject non-traditional packaging, but on the other hand, it offers a very good opportunity to make a difference.”

Getting Noticed

With so many new brands and perennial favorites to contend with, is there a recipe that companies can follow to rise above the fray and get noticed? Industry experts suggest mixing new materials, shapes and sophistication with whimsy and functionality to garner consumers’ attention.

Here are a few ideas that might help you create a new design and a quick look at beauty companies setting trends and taking chances with unique packaging:

HCT's artist-style palette is crafted with nodules in the wells to prevent powder migration.

Become Material-istic: Take a cue from current fashion trends and use unusual materials and textures whenever possible. “Unusual cosmetic packaging trends tend to be fashion-oriented, and follow the lead of fashion materials. We are seeing a big increase for texture and textile decoration techniques,” says Goswell of HCT. “The next generation of cardboard packaging is seeing materials such as faux leather, faux suede, faux crocodile, etc., rather than opting for the unusual graphic decoration on cardboard palettes.” Who’s Doing It: Tarte • Knowing that denim never goes out of style, this summer Tarte launched a waterproof three-in-one mascara in a waterproof-denim cover, accented with a gold anchor appliqué.

Seek Sophistication: Beauty products with packaging that convey luxury are perennial winners. And in mass, added luxe can translate into added sales. “The best reason to use non-traditional packaging is that it can help define and solidify a product’s identity in the marketplace,” notes Jeff Hayet, World Wide Packaging’s executive vice president, global sales. Who’s Doing It: L’Oréal  • When L’Oréal Paris needed a case to house Infallible Never Fail, its new long-lasting lip color that features a basecoat and topcoat, it enlisted designer John Lonczak to create a thoroughly modern package that resembles a classic cigarette lighter. The shiny metallic unit, which features a built-in mirror and houses both formulations, fits comfortably in the palm of the hand.

Improve What’s Out There: One of the hottest growth categories in color cosmetics is mineral makeup. According to The NPD Group, a retail and consumer information company, although it represents only a small portion of face makeup sales in U.S. department stores, dollar volume has skyrocketed over the past four years with sales rising 100% in the last two years alone. 

Hard Candy picked a slim transparent vial topped with a fortune-telling cap for its Kiss & Tell lipgloss.

But one of key issues for this sector has been packaging. Many products are housed in standard dusting powder pots and sold with an accompanying but usually separately priced brush applicator. Yet as more consumers gravitate to these “loose” cosmetic products, there’s been a push towards integrated components that offer improved portability, more accurate dispensing and easier application. Who’s Doing It: Almay and Bare Escentuals • For its Almay pure blends mineral makeup, Almay turned to Alcan for a flow-through brush with click applicator that lets the user control the amount of powder/coverage.

“The pumpable brush offered a combination of convenience and portability over a pot and brush. The unique pump feature allows improved application control and prevents clogging,” says Raymond Garafano, senior director, package development with Revlon, adding that the packaging also provided an “opportunity to transition a trend seen in prestige markets for flow-through delivery systems to the mass market.”

Improving mineral makeup’s portability, Bare Escentuals worked with HCT on its compact liner quad and eyeshadow I quad, artist-style palettes that hold loose powder products. Both were specifically designed with nodules in the wells by to prevent powder migration during everyday transportation.

Make Them Smile: Keeping customers happy is the key to continued sales, but can you make them smile every time they apply? Whimsical touches can help make ordinary packaging extraordinary. Who’s Doing It? Hard Candy • For its Kiss & Tell Lip Gloss, Hard Candy selected a slim transparent vial topped with a fortune-telling cap, ala the Magic 8 Ball toy.

Go (Very) Green: Selecting environmentally sensitive packaging solutions is more commonplace these days. But why not take it to the next level? Who’s Doing it? Pangea Organics. • This Boulder, CO-based company is going really green this time, selling its bar soaps as well as skin care products in 100% compostable, biodegradable and plantable packaging. Through its supplier UFP Technologies, Pangea now uses packaging manufactured with zero waste, created from 100% post-consumer newsprint without glues and dies, which when planted in soil sprouts medicinal herbs such as basil and amaranth. “I was having a psychedelic experience while hiking in Joshua Tree National Park. The trees spoke and I listened,” says Pangea founder and CEO Joshua Onysko about the inspiration behind this plantable packaging. “This process shows the deeply rooted vision that Pangea holds, a vision that shows the world that an ant can move a rubber tree and constantly be on the fringe that predicts the future.”

Unusual Supplier Ideas

Collaborating with leading packaging suppliers can help get those creative juices flowing. Here is a look at some recent offerings that could inspire a unique packaging solution for your company’s next launch.

For mineral products, 3C Inc. has designed a new sifter with a cover that corrects the problem of powder entering the cap.  According to the company, the new automatic powder container, which has a with a built-in sponge applicator, dispenses powder only when it is required.  “Open the cap, dispense the powder onto the sponge, close the cap, and lock in the powder in the base,” says 3C’s Lou Della Pesca.

Putting a new spin on lip glosses, Alcan Packaging Beauty’s new SpinArt applicator rolls on the lips, applying product over the lip in one stroke—eliminating the need to dip into the bottle to reload. The company is also offering textile over-molding process, which enables companies to fuse fabrics —such as lace, velvet or silk—with the plastic of a compact, lipstick, mascara case or caps and bottles.

Products that can do double duty are always welcome by women on the go.
 
Answering those needs, Qosmedix’s dual roll-on applicator packaging showcases coordinating glosses, creams and gels. A convenient way to carry two products on-the-go, the polished aluminum double threaded collet joins the vials and roller ball applicators into an elegant and unique 5-1/4 inch long packaging solution, according to the company.

Correct dispensing continues to gain importance as treatment products offer improved efficacy. Along those lines, HCT says it has spent the past year engineering its Reverse Click range, which uses a metered dosing system. The line provides a variety of formula specific tips on the pack, according to the firm.

Ideal for low viscosity products requiring accurate application, such as skin treatments, cosmeceuticals and oral care products, Cosmopak has refined its needle pen applicator, offering push bottom, twist and side button push versions. It is available with or without flocking.

But Does It Work?

While unusual packaging can draw attention to a product and possibly close the sale, it can quickly sink chances for repeat purchases if it fails to perform or meet a user’s expectations. 

“If not focus tested correctly, using something non-traditional can backfire,” says Vonda Simon, president of SeaCliff Packaging. “And if the customers are not educated on the packaging, they may get frustrated and not rebuy the package.”

At one cosmetics blog, for example, users discussed the merits of one mass-market mineral makeup product while simultaneously panning the packaging.

Says Schaefer of Seidel, “It would not make sense to make a customer buy a product with an unusual design and then let him find out that the product does not function well. The consumer’s disappointment would backfire on the product, maybe on the whole brand or company.”

Just as with traditional packaging, mechanics remain paramount.

“You don’t want packaging that leaks, is difficult to open or doesn’t fit in standard make-up bags and purses,” concludes Klimpel of Qos-medix. “If the packaging works, then acceptance will follow.”  -