Cosmetics brand Cargo embedded a tiny strip into its lipgloss cap that determines when it’s time to throw out the product to ensure its freshness.

Put a Lid on It

Today’s caps and closures go way beyond their functions of keeping contents contained and dispensable; whether innovative or basic, they can add an aesthetic appeal to any package.

By Lindsay Elkins, Contributing Writer

Lids, caps and closures serve many purposes, whether consumers realize it or not. Depending on the effect a brand marketer is trying to achieve, a cap can simply finish off the package or it can be the standout component that provides a “wow” factor to influence the consumer to purchase. Whether aiming for a simple elegance or an over-the-top topper, it’s important for caps to integrate both form and functionality because, at the end of the day, lids and caps need to perform flawlessly.

“You don’t want to buy a package and not have all of the components work properly. I would not be a returning consumer,” says Jenifer Brady, VP sales and marketing, Brad-Pak Enterprises Inc., Garwood, NJ. “It has to work well and it has to work over time.”

According to Bill Shankland, vice president, business development, Rexam Closures and Containers, Evansville, IN, consumers want a clean, crisp look so marketers need to choose caps that fit well with the overall theme of the jar.

“It’s very important you have a nice closure and a smooth silhouette primarily for the aesthetic,” he says. “From a consumer standpoint, when they open and close the package, they want to feel like they have something of substance.”

David Fawcett of Cosmopak agrees that form and functionality both play vital roles in selecting the appropriate caps. But how can brands achieve both?

“It may seem obvious to incorporate both,” says Fawcett, “but it is not always the case. The package development needs to work in parallel with marketing and design, factory, formulation and packaging development functions, with time allowed for amendments and adjustments.”

Closure convenience is also important to customers, according to C+N Packaging’s vice president, Brooks R. Markert, who says, “We are being asked to design closures that bring more convenience to consumers, such as one-hand operation and closures that can be adjusted to meter the amount of product being dispensed, or mixing two or more products together allowing the consumer to custom blend formulations.”

Sustainable Stock

The latest trends in caps and closures fall at opposite ends of the spectrum and tend to either be more stock-like, clean and simple, which is cost-effective for marketers, or very ornate and elaborate, with some even inspired by a digital element.

Rexam Closures and Containers recently introduced Expanded Jars & Closures by Rexam, an efficient flush-sided jar system for affordable aesthetic appeal that also incorporates a sustainability element. According to Rexam, the mating components present a smooth aesthetic package with a flush profile. The line of polypropylene, injection-molded jars and closures offers the aesthetic of heavier double-wall jars, while using as much as half the material in some sizes.

Rexam’s Expanded line offers affordable aesthetic appeal with reduced use of polypropylene.

By utilizing a unique and patented tooling technique, the Expanded line allows a subtle step in the lightweighted sidewall, and when combined with its mating multi-lead, lightweight closure, yields a flush, high-quality shelf presence for your brand. The thinner-wall jar is offered in standard and custom colors and can be molded in clarified polypropylene to offer contact clarity to reveal the color and texture of a product.

The reduced use of resin provides an economical package that supports sustainability with reduced use of polypropylene, and the package is also 100% recyclable.

Expanded jars and closures also utilize consumer-friendly multi-lead threads for easy removal, requiring less than a half turn to open.

The Expanded jar and closure package is currently available in 71- and 87mm sizes.

“We’re creating jar packages that are still a high-quality injection molding, but they use dramatically less resin than historically has been used in heavy-wall jars,” explains Rexam Closures and Container’s Shankland. “In some cases, resin can be half the amount used for typical 3- or 4oz. packaging, and there’s an economic benefit as well.”

According to C+N Packaging, Inc.’s Markert, sustainability and environmentally friendly materials can be a priority for customers when choosing caps and closures.

“The ‘green movement’ is currently very important to our customers,” he says. “They are asking us to develop closures using environmentally friendly plastics. This means not only lightweighting designs by using less plastic and reducing the waste stream, but also using non-petroleum based resins, aiding conservation.”

Markert says that typically, fragrance customers are concerned about the visual aspect of the closure, its weight and its tactical qualities.

Standout Caps

More than just functional, a cap can add interest to a package, catch the consumer’s eye and further drive home the brand message. For example, A-list actress Reese Witherspoon, who is currently an Avon spokesperson, will release In Bloom by Reese Witherspoon in November, under the Avon umbrella.

With notes including star gardenia, magnolia, night-blooming jasmine and a name like In Bloom, it’s clear Witherspoon’s debut fragrance has a floral theme. The Avon brand chose to capitalize on the floral element with the intricate cap fashioned to resemble a flower. Witherspoon says she was drawn to white flowers, which in her opinion give the impression of a steamy night
somewhere in the American South.

Simple Elegance

When it comes to selecting caps and closures for a prestige cosmetic product, sometimes less is more. Dr. Pierre Ricaud of the Yves Rocher Group enlisted Alcan Packaging Beauty to provide the caps for a new range of foundations; Teint Liftant Confort and Teint Hydra-Lissant Parfait, in addition to a repulping cream lipstick.

Alcan Packaging Beauty achieved the silver tone shown on Pierre Ricaud caps by selective electroplating to contrast with the deep purple tones to create depth.

The curved square caps, which utilize a sleek silver-tone look combined with deep purple tones, act as an extension of the package and rather than stand out, blend seamlessly for a clean and modern look. Made by over-molding, Alcan says the silver tone is achieved by selective electroplating to contrast with the deep purple tones and red highlights of the central part for a glittering depth effect.

To round off the range, Alcan used its selective electroplating technique to make the repulping cream lipstick base, which easily snaps onto a metallic-finish cap. This unique combination of materials and color delivers a chic result.

According to Alcan, the minimalist rectangular shape with rounded corners symbolizes today’s portable multimedia devices.

Smart Caps

Alcan created a futuristic cap for Givenchy’s Play fragrance by overmolding a Surlyn insert.

Modern caps can even go beyond looks—they can even tell time. For health and safety reasons, many makeup artists, aestheticians and dermatologists recommend tossing lipglosses after nine months. Since most glosses live at the bottom of a woman’s purse, keeping track of when they were purchased is nearly impossible. Enter prestige cosmetics brand Cargo, which remedied this situation and took caps a step further with Timestrip Lip Gloss, which debuted in the spring.

Timestrip is a tiny strip embedded in the cap of the gloss that keeps track of how long the product has been open. A consumer inserts the strip into the cap of the gloss to activate and the Timestrip window will start turning red, indicating the passage of time. When nine months are over and the entire window is red, it’s time to throw out the gloss.

According to Cargo, the “best-before” date has become so important that European countries recently launched legislation requiring cosmetics companies to have a Period After Opening timeframe listed on its products. Since women often juggle multiple glosses at any given time, Timestrip is Cargo’s solution to always having a fresh lipgloss on hand (or in the bottom of your purse).

When prestige luxury brand Givenchy (LVMH) wanted a truly unique, futuristic cap for its new men’s fragrance, Play, the brand reached out to Alcan Packaging Beauty to create the cap. According to Alcan, the challenge involved a stylish, modern combination of sight and touch within the same packaging. This was achieved by designing a unique cap made from four parts, each of which demands a different technical element.

Obtained by overmolding a Surlyn insert, the cap has no visible gluing lines, courtesy of a Moldflow simulation that determined the exact point for injecting the material. Its clean design perfectly matches the glass bottle. The cap is then overmolded with a black matte plastic strip made from a signature Alcan Packaging Beauty mix for a smooth feel.

Rexam keeps the Pucci brand message intact with six-color tampo printing to replicate the colorful, abstract prints Pucci is known for.

The transparent cap reveals a pump cover made from two parts: a colored PP and soft material bi-injected actuator cover with a rubber feel and an inner band made from a single, colored POM.Such as the case with Alcan’s project with the Yves Rocher Group, the goal was to design a cap and overall package that resembled a small multimedia device.

Design on a Dime

As the economic climate continues to be unstable, brand marketers are always on the hunt to create a great-looking package that has consumer appeal at the best price possible. Usually a small budget will require use of a stock cap as it is a cost-effective option. According to Rexam Closures and Container’s Shankland, just because a stock cap is being used, doesn’t mean that the brand marketer has to sacrifice a unique look.

“We offer different styles of closures including standard, dome, rounded corner and beveled, and we can put different shapes together to create a slightly different look.” This way, he says, the package can have shelf appeal without breaking the bank. Shankland adds that decoration and artwork on a stock cap further differentiate it while keeping the price tag in check.

Brad-Pak’s Brady says that more companies are choosing to go the stock route because of the economy. Brad-Pak, which works with heavy hitters such as Liz Claiborne and Juicy Couture, is working with clients that are utilizing the same stock package and cap for a variety of their fragrance offerings, and simply choose a different cap color to signify a new fragrance.

“For example we have one client that ordered one cap in gold, one in brown and we just got another order for a cap in black,” explains Brady. They’re using the same package and cap, but changing the color.”

Brady adds that to further distinguish stock caps, brands can emboss them and add a metal overshell to give them a more upscale feel, while also adding a smooth, velvety touch.

Cosmopak’s Fawcett also agrees that cost is becoming an increasing factor when brands select caps and closures. “A mix of aesthetics and functionality has always been a key factor, but now there is continued pressure on cost.”

Fashionable Closure

Famed designer Emilio Pucci has long been known for his abstract, brightly colored patterns, which have become iconic in the fashion world.In keeping with the brand’s message and look for Vivara Variazoni, its latest fragrance collection, Pucci sought out Rexam Personal Care for its expertise in injection and tampo printing for the closure.

Rexam’s team proposed six-color tampo printing applied to an internal Surlyn thick-wall, curved cap. Rexam’s Center of Excellence in Simandre, France molded a clear, thick-wall Surlyn shape. Use of specially shaped silicon pads and screens for each of six inks resulted in pinpoint positioning of each color.

“Tampo printing dramatically improves the visual aesthetics of the molding,” says Elisabeth Benoit, closures sales director, Rexam Personal Care. “But the technical challenge was formidable: to obtain optimal visibility of six razor-sharp colors, from any angle, and maintain superior depth and clarity while creating the magnifying effect.”

Today’s caps and closures can do a lot more than simply top off a package. Prestige cosmetics and fragrance companies continue to utilize standout toppers to create shelf appeal, while those companies that are tightening their belts can turn to stock items for a budget-friendly, but still unique option to finish off a package.