01.25.10
Mission-Critical Labels
Knowledge and understanding is the key to keeping your package beautiful and compliant.
Labels West digitally printed these labels for Saltworks’ new professional bath salt line. |
By Steve Katz, Associate Editor
Labeling for the beauty industry is complicated. Like other products that line the shelves of a given category, the package and accompanying label provide the final opportunity for a beauty product to sell itself to an indecisive buyer. And just as beauty consumers’ preferences reflect the times, so, too, do labels. In the beauty industry, as rival products compete for attention, an effective label is mission critical to a brand’s success.
Emotions and Regulations
Most label printers manufacture labels for a variety of markets, but those they print for the beauty industry present a distinct set of challenges. One such challenge, whether printing labels for the mass or prestige market, is to tap into the buyers’ emotions—specifically those that are going to lead to a purchase. And this is no easy task. There’s a myriad of products, and competition is steep. In addition, similar to food, there are legal requirements for beauty and personal care labels that must be met, so there’s more to the label than simply selling.
With products exposed to water, durable films are an effective substrate for beauty and personal care products, says Avery Dennison’s Renae Kulis. |
Dove, according to Maxwell, has become an iconic example of this, an enduring product that creates a far greater message through its secondary communication, and one that talks positively about self-acceptance, diversity and the “everywoman.” She says, “While the advertising campaign powerfully highlights the brand as an everyday icon, the packaging and labeling remain simply and slickly functional, with soft touch finishes being evocative of its desired effect on the skin.”
Holly Young, president of Hirschhorn and Young Graphics, New York, NY, a consulting and packaging design firm for the beauty and personal care industry, discusses the balance a beauty label has to have—tapping into the consumer’s emotions while adhering to regulations. “One of the biggest challenges we face is the issue of all of the ‘stuff’ that is mandatory on packaging, along with the aesthetics, brand identity and making an instant impact on the consumer,” says Young. “There are so many products on the shelves these days that the consumer is overwhelmed. The brand needs to catch their attention in less than seven seconds, convince them to buy, and all the while, comply with all of the regulations. And these regulations are different for different countries and different types of products (such as cosmetic-drugs). I firmly believe that the designers today are very talented and they need to understand what the regulations are up front. By knowing and understanding what is required they can create and maintain their brand identity within the framework of what is required.”
Young says that there is some debate over whether products in the beauty and personal care categories should be treated like over-the-counter drugs. “It is critical to understand the differences between the two categories and then to know and understand the labeling differences,” she says.
“These differences are very significant in terms of graphics and wording requirements,” she adds. “Through the many beauty products and cosmetics trade organizations, there is an initiative under way for global harmonization of regulations, but we do have a lot of work to do with this. Again, knowledge and understanding are key to keeping your package beautiful and compliant.”
Durable, Green and Clean
Oftentimes when a beauty manufacturer is considering a label, the decorative effect is a top priority. However, functionality is equally as important, as a label must also stand up to any environment the product is placed in.
Lori Smith, marketing manager, Target Labels and Packaging, Salt Lake City, UT, says there are several questions that need to be posed when designing a label. She says, “First—think about your product. What is it? What are the main ingredients? How and when will your product be used? How will your product be stored, transported, and if you are going retail, how will your product be displayed?”
Smith points out that products that contain chemicals or oils, or will be exposed to water require special attention. “Paper labels may not perform well under these circumstances. One should consider using a BOPP film (biaxially oriented polypropylene) for added durability. BOPP films are available in clear, white and metallized surfaces, and are suitable for most applications,” she says.
Also, when discussing the label with a printer, taking into account the container the label will be applied to is paramount. Smith says, “It will be important to know the size and shape, as well as what your container is made of before ordering your labels. For example, squeezable containers require special adhesives and specific materials to conform to unique shapes.”
This photo from Avery Dennison provides an example of product differentiation within a brand, as well as the use of gleaming effects for personal care labels. |
Pearlfisher’s Maxwell says that purity, ingredients and the environment are an ever-increasing focus for the beauty market. “As with food, consumers are increasingly more educated about ingredients; they want to see the connection back to the source and are no longer so blinded by science, technical terms and jargon they don’t understand. We now have a long-term view of product effects and benefits, want the best for ourselves and also have a growing focus on the environmental consequences,” she says.
Rebecca Kerschinske, VP sales and marketing at Lauterbach Group, Sussex, WI, talks about sustainability’s role with the company’s beauty customers. “Many clients are re-branding right now. The trend appears to focus on natural and organic features of their products with an emphasis on green or sustainability-related aspects of the product. This is impacting the label and flexible packaging material choices, as well as the design,” she says.
While using certain words and phrases on a label like “organic” or “all-natural” is popular among brand owners, they cannot be thrown around casually. “Beauty and personal care products must follow FDA guidelines for what information needs to be included on labels. Complying with these guidelines is essential for remaining on store shelves. Words such as ‘organic’ are prohibited unless authorized; other verbiage such as ‘made with’ is under intense scrutiny with new regulations that are in the works,” says Walter Zeek, president and CEO, Kopco Graphics, Fairfield, OH.
Zeek points out that a popular substrate for beauty and personal care labels is ultra-clear film, which creates the no-label look. “With the use of UV inks and opaque whites, high-quality, clear labels seem to be the trend for products such as shampoos, conditioners, lotions and more,” he says.
Renae Kulis, household and personal care segment manager for Avery Dennison, Mentor, OH, discusses what makes films an attractive substrate for beauty and personal care labels. “Films are conformable and durable, while offering that high-end look. Importantly, they are moisture resistant, and with so many beauty and personal care products like shampoos and bathroom products in close proximity to water, they maintain their branding throughout their use.”
Kulis also observes that brands are using pressure sensitive technology as a means to penetrate the market. She explains that as a means of keeping customers from moving to another brand, consumer product manufacturers are creating a multitude of products within their brand. “The nature of pressure sensitive label printing makes it very convenient for late-stage differentiation of a label. It could be as simple as changing one roll or one color,” she says, adding that some prestige products are now hitting the mass market stores and are effectively using the no-label look to offer a clean, high-end appearance.
Leslie Gurland, president of Logotech, Fairfield, NJ, notices that the design trends among her beauty customers have taken a “less is more” approach. “Trends we’re seeing with our customers in this market are focused on minimalization. They want their labels to look simple and clean. Also, some customers are considering labels made from PCW (post consumer waste) materials, but the price is still high,” says Gurland. “One of our biggest challenges is trying to provide our customers that are selling to the mass market a high end label for a very low price.”
Foiled Again
Seven seconds is not a long time. With the window of opportunity being relatively small to make a beauty product stand out from the rest, it should come as no surprise that some brand owners are choosing to incorporate eye-catching sheen to generate shelf appeal. And label converters are reporting that foil stamping is a preferred choice.
Jeff Salisbury, president of Label Impressions, Orange, CA, says that foil has made somewhat of a comeback in the beauty products niche of the labeling industry. “Over the years we’ve seen a move out of, and now back into, foil stamping and screening. We’ve seen a move to more color and finer detail. As our industry know-how, substrates, inks, and coatings get more sophisticated, so do the designs and special effects that the graphics people design for,” Salisbury says.
Zeek says that cold foiling in particular has emerged as the process of choice for Kopco’s beauty and personal care customers, and cost is a major factor behind the trend. “Cold foil stamping has rapidly gained popularity versus traditional hot stamping. Reasons for this include the costs associated with the high price of rotary hot stamp tools, often in the several thousand dollar range, versus the printing plates used for cold foil stamping, that are only a few hundred dollars at most,” he says.
Kopco recently purchased machinery that included a specially designed cold foil unit that Zeek says is capable of producing very sharp and crisp cold foil printed labels. “We have found that 99 percent of our cold foil customers are not able to tell the difference between the cold foil and their hot stamp labels. The addition of the cold foil unit on our press has given us a tremendous advantage in the marketplace. Customers are extremely cost conscious and Kopco has been able to control our cost through these increased efficiencies,” he adds.
Lance Wilson, director of sales and marketing for Labels West, Woodinville, WA, also notices the trend toward foil. “Recently, we’ve seen more foil stamping, as companies are going for a more high-end looking product to make the product stand out in this competitive market,” he says, adding that matte finishes and more synthetic, textured materials are being used to make the label look more like paper. “Synthetic paper with texture adds a natural, rich look to the product while maintaining its water-resistant characteristics.”
Lori Smith of Target Labels and Packaging says a certain variation of a cold foil application has been a big hit with customers. “We recently converted a high-end beauty product using a foil paper with a matte laminate, and the combination is really impressive. While it costs a little more, it really gives off a very elegant, rich look. And it’s a look that people in that market are looking for,” she says.
Looking Beyond Price
“We always look to the highest performing materials but often find our clients want a champagne product on a beer budget,” notes Salisbury. “Competitors often come in with pricing based on lower performing options such as reduced number of colors or cheaper materials that may not be ideal for the client’s products. We try to present an overall cost savings to our clients, but often it can be challenging to get the client to look beyond price and evaluate total cost.”
Zeek says that Kopco has noticed an increase in popularity for shorter runs, as companies are paying closer attention to inventory control during these trying economic times. He also points out that price and lead times are also becoming huge factors in how beauty companies choose their label suppliers.
“Overall, the health of this segment of the labeling industry seems to show an increase of purchases based on value. Companies are going lean, and competition is based on price and lead times. Price and value seem to be the key influences of beauty and personal care choices and this bodes well for additional growth in the private label industry,” Zeek says.
Salisbury points out that turnaround time has also become an important factor in light of the recession. “The biggest trend we’ve seen is a need for faster turnaround as clients wait until the very last minute to order in an effort to preserve cash and reduce inventories. We’re also seeing something we haven’t seen before—lots of quoting and fewer jobs won per quote. Clients are asking for several variations of a quote—often a dozen or more variations. We see a lot more caution out there. People want to see where they can trim costs and are careful to get it right the first time,” he says.
Label converters that have access to digital printing technology have a leg up on the competition when it comes to meeting the challenge of printing labels for numerous products within a brand. The technology is ideal for printing “short runs,” orders of 5,000 labels or less. Digital printing does not require printing plates to be made, and when there are several variations of a product, conventional print methods get expensive.
Labels West is a printer with digital capability, and Lance Wilson notices an increase in digital printing for beauty labels. “We continue to see more digital over flexo printing with beauty labels. Digital is becoming an increasingly more popular choice as it keeps costs under control. There’s no expensive changeover from item to item. You’re no longer held to the expensive setup cost or long lead times either,” he says.
Wilson also notes that manufacturers looking for eco-friendly packaging have cost considerations to contend with, though it’s becoming more cost effective to be green. “Companies continue to inquire about recycled paper, and green products continue to be a push. But doing this while remaining cost effective—that’s the tricky part. However, the situation is getting better as there are more reasonably priced materials becoming available,” he says.
