Heavy Metal

c A cosmetics compact from WWP. "Cosmetics have always been a good fit for metal," says Shannon Payne of WWP.

From prestige to mass and masstige, metal’s weighty form and appealing attributes add both real and perceived value to beauty products.

By Steve Katz, Associate Editor

As a packaging material for beauty products, metal is versatile. It allows brands to go in a number of directions within the style spectrum, and whichever way the design team decides, the result will be a package with an element of luxury, as well as some heft. While metal provides both form and functional attributes, its environmentally sustainable properties are another advantage that brand owners and end users alike can get behind.

Retro and Modern

In the fashion world, there are certain styles and materials that have the ability to look retro or modern. Take the leather jacket, for example, an item that can be found in both vintage boutiques, as well as modern, high-end department stores, where they can be found pulling off a modern, chic look as well as any material. In beauty packaging, metal can do the same–look both vintage and modern, giving a brand owner a variety of packaging options.

Keith Armato, president, Union Street Tin, Park Ridge, IL, a manufacturer of general line tins used for a wide range of packaging applications, says that metal packaging appears to be increasing in popularity within the cosmetics and personal care industry, and what’s driving the growth is metal’s versatility—and its appeal to classic sensibilities.

“I think it’s because the trend has been towards packaging that is stylish and modern, but still references classic designs in subtle ways,” says Armato. “Metal packaging is especially well-suited to this type of design, because it achieves that effect very naturally. It’s no challenge for metal packaging to have a modern look, but at the same time there are elements of tin construction that have remained constant for over a century,” he says. “It’s a classic but fresh packaging medium for an industry that embraces a classic but fresh aesthetic.”

Scott Kestenbaum, VP marketing for packaging design firm Maesa Group, New York, NY, notices a distinct trend toward developing products with a vintage feel. He says that metal is the perfect material for this. “Retro is in and there’s no better way to exemplify retro than the rugged authenticity of metal packaging,” he says.

Kestenbaum points to a number of products that Maesa recently developed where metal is prominently featured, while simultaneously achieving an individualized look. “A great example is the True Religion Men’s fragrance, launched last year by New Wave Fragrances, designed by Maesa Studio. We designed the packaging to utilize specific materials and manufacturing techniques that would capture the look and feel of a real antique flask. This started with a cast zamac (zamac is an acronym for the Zinc, Aluminum, Magnesium, and Copper alloy) base that has a secondary finish, which varies from one to another, giving each bottle a ‘one off’ look. On top of the antique finish, we specified a laser-etched logo. The faintness of the logo adds to the ‘worn’ aesthetic of the bottle. For luxury brands such as this, an added benefit conferred by using cast alloys is the added weight to the package, which in itself creates both inherent and perceived value to the consumer.”

HCT's Signature Limited Edition Urban Decay lipstick case.

And it’s not just products geared toward men that utilize metal’s vintage appeal. “Another great example demonstrating metals’ embodiment of days past is the Leslie Blodgett Perfume Diaries,” Kestenbaum says. “For this newly launched brand, Maesa created a truly unique solid fragrance vessel, crafted to look and function like a traditional timepiece. Maesa used a five-piece zamac design that is powder-coated, and then tumbled to give it a unique feel.”

Shannon Payne, vice president, sales, for World Wide Packaging (WWP), Florham Park, NJ, a designer and manufacturer of packaging components for the cosmetic and skin care industries, emphasizes that today, metal is being incorporated as a means of adding both value and perceived value to beauty products, as it has both form and functional attributes. “When metal is a potential part of the equation in the development of a new package, it seems the bar is being raised based on design and function. Deep draw design, sharp radius requirements and even requirements of functionality are coming into play these days around metal within beauty packaging.

“Cosmetics has always been a good fit for metal,” Payne adds, “but the challenge moving forward is to bring metal components to the next level within beauty packaging. It’s been used typically in high-end packaging, but there is also a need within mass and masstige markets to ‘upscale’ or give the perception of a package that is ‘upscale,’ ” she says.

Heavy Metal Is Cool

Beauty packaging professionals by and large tout metal’s ability to deliver function, in addition to its design appeal. As mentioned previously, metal has some weight to it, and its relative heft goes a long way in adding value, whether it’s perceived or otherwise, to a beauty product. But metal also has natural attributes that serve specific functions for certain products.

The Hanae Mori fragrance by Maesa is an example of packaging that also serves as a fashion accessory.

Armato of Union Street Tin discusses the value-added advantages that metal adds to a beauty package, and points out some of the functions it naturally provides. “A more classic advantage is that metal packaging conveys a higher sense of value than other packaging options. This is, of course, important in the cosmetic and personal care industries where so many products are valuable in and of themselves, and require a package to suit. And it’s again important in that many cosmetic and personal care products are retained in their packages for a significant period of time. So the durability of metal packaging, as well as its pleasing aesthetic that can be enjoyed every time the product is used, provides an important benefit,”
he says.

Certain metals also provide brand owners of sensitive formulations confidence that they have a packaging material that won’t compromise their product. Armato says that aluminum, in particular, fits this mold. “There aren’t many niches of the cosmetics and personal care industry that metal packaging hasn’t covered. Traditionally speaking, products such as lotions, salves and skin care products, as well as aromatherapy products, particularly candles, have been a great fit for metal. One of the benefits of aluminum packaging, in particular, is that it’s non-reactive, so unwanted interactions with product formulations are not an issue,” he says.

Rebecca Goswell, global creative director for HCT Packaging, London, a cosmetic packaging manufacturer, says that metal has an ability to provide a cooling effect on the product, which is an added advantage. “When it comes to metal, skin care works on several levels, as the cost of goods is much higher than makeup. Metals can have a cooling benefit as well as a luxe aesthetic and feel. The ingredients found in skin care are complex, and actives are aggressive, attacking many raw plastics. Metals can be plated to prevent this from happening,” she says, adding that perfumes also have aggressive formulas. “The use of plated zamac to create luxury packaging for caps and solid fragrance compacts and novelty packaging such as rings and necklaces is a good fit,” Goswell says.

Green and On-the-Go

Manufacturers and designers of beauty products that feature or employ metal have recently launched new products to meet shifting customer demand, as consumers and brand owners are shopping for products that are convenient and eco-friendly while maintaining a luxurious feel.

Armato notes that Union Street Tin has recently made some changes in its product in order to address the needs of the “on-the-go” consumer. “We’re seeing an enormous amount of interest in screw-top tins, and we’ve adjusted our line to meet this demand. Products that get tossed around in a pocket or handbag, particularly liquid, gel and powder items like many cosmetic and personal care products, need to be securely closed so as to avoid creating a messy disaster in somebody’s purse. Many customers would like the benefits of metal packaging, but have concerns about a package that opens when they don’t want it to. Screw-top tins alleviate that concern, and features like knurling on the cover make it very easy to get a good, tight seal on a tin that’s still easy to open.

“Because of this, we’ve expanded our stock tin line and, in addition to our extensive line of tinplate tins, we now offer 14 sizes of screw-top aluminum tins ranging from half an ounce to eight and a half ounces. And naturally, these stock tins barely scratch the surface of what’s possible to custom produce for a particular product. But the wide range of sizes and extremely low minimums make it very easy for cosmetic and personal care companies to test the waters as they consider switching to metal packaging,” Armato says.

Union Street Tin has seen an increase in demand for screw-top aluminum tins, and now offers 14 different sizes.

Maesa’s Scott Kestenbaum also notes the trend toward portable packaging. “During the past year, we’ve noticed a significant increase in the demand for ‘fragrance on-the-go’ packages, in the form of both solid fragrance and travel atomizers, both of which are well suited for metal packaging. These packages are designed and treated more like fashion accessories than their fine fragrance bottle counterparts. For example, for Hanae Mori fragrances, Maesa Packaging crafted solid fragrance rings in a polished and spray lacquered zamac. Each ring was crowned with an injection-molded top above a PET film insert, which yielded a 3D pearlescent effect,” he explains.

Metal is as green as it gets, Armato points out. “Today, of course, there’s no more important trend than that towards green packaging, and metal packaging sits head and shoulders above other options in this regard. Both aluminum and tinplate are completely recyclable. Tinplate tins are biodegradable, and aluminum packages are reclaimed through recycling roughly twice as often as glass and plastic. What’s more, aluminum is extremely light and sturdy, reducing shipping costs, conserving fuel and limiting carbon emissions. Yet despite being made of environmentally friendly and sustainable materials, metal is stylish and conveys a high value,” he says.

Rebecca Goswell points to sustainability and portability, as being among the keys to metal’s appeal. “As interest in sustainable packaging increases, the use of refills and a more luxe outer case are an attractive proposition for the smaller niche brands. Also, the continuing portability trend means a solid fragrance is a great way of carrying your favorite scent with you in your purse or pocket.”

Volume and Special Effects

Metal can be used as the primary material or as an accessory, and there are products offered that add even more value from the addition of decorative effects. It has also gained ground as an option for special items like limited editions.

“Limited editions are still popular especially as they are a lower risk, smaller run than introducing a new in-line item in uncertain economic times, and metal has the eye-candy appeal over traditional plastic,” Goswell says, adding that metal is being used for detailing to add an element of luxury as an embellishment to traditional plastic and card components. “Metal is the material of choice for limited editions, where tooling is less cost-prohibitive and volumes are lower than in-line items.”

WWP’s Shannon Payne says, “Fresh and new methods to decorate the metal is a request made very often in the development of new packaging. World Wide Packaging is investing a great deal of time and money into the R&D of metal decoration and expansion of the design window of forming metal components, in order to supply our customers with the differentiation that they require in the marketplace.”

International Metal Products (IMP), Chicopee, MA, specializes in high volume precision stamping and full finishing of metal products for packaging, and the company has recently introduced a line of innovative, decorative medallions for its customers.

Yvonne Ostrowski, account manager, explains how IMP creates multicolored images on decorative metal components. “Thermally applied graphics, sometimes referred to as heat transfers, are pre-printed images that are transferred to a metal surface with heat and pressure. There is only one pass required, so the cost of thermally applied graphics is considerably less than conventional multi-colored nameplate decorations. Also, because the image is pre-printed, there is no possibility of registration mistakes.

“The image quality, abrasion and chemical resistance of thermally applied graphics are excellent. Many different decorative effects can be achieved at high speed, including matte, shiny, and various colors. Add the multicolored images on IMP precision metal stampings, and you have the beauty, durability and low cost all-in-one in your package that is functional, attractive to consumers and one that displays your unique identity. It is especially good news for high volume users since IMP specializes in high volume, high speed progressive metal stamping,” she says.

Not for Everyone, But Growing

Compared to other beauty packaging options, metal does not come cheap. However, given the advantages and value it provides, brand owners can often justify the added expense.

“The relative expense of metal forming puts the material at contrary odds with an industry looking almost universally to lower its cost of goods,” says Maesa’s Scott Kestenbaum. “Compared to other widely used materials, metal represents a relatively small niche in the packaging world. Yet it is exactly this relative rarity, combined with its cost, that makes it such a suitable fit for certain sectors of the beauty industry looking to differentiate their brand’s packaging.”

Kestenbaum adds that certain attributes of metal packaging make it well-suited for companies that have engaged Maesa Beauty’s turnkey business model. “Maesa Beauty has attracted fashion forward brands and retailers, looking for a value-driven, speed-to-market approach. The initial tooling investment and timing for metal is significantly less than injection-molded plastics. This allows customers the option of having a custom piece without investing a large amount into tooling. The durability of a cast metal is very high and the parts can be decorated in similar fashion to plastics (electroplated, vacuum metallized, sprayed). We have had a lot of success offering our customer’s custom designed metal parts that we can quickly tool and get into production,” he says.

Union Street Tin’s Keith Armato is noticing significant growth in the company’s beauty business, and he attributes it to the way metal can seamlessly be used to individualize products. He says,“Consumers have developed a taste for very personalized products, and while it isn’t always possible or practical to create a truly individualized package for every consumer, stylish metal packaging doesn’t convey a one-size-fits-all mass market sense in the same way that plastic or even glass often do. Consumers demand a personal, high-end feel rather than a pedestrian, mass-market feel, and metal packaging delivers just that. As consumers’ tastes change, so must the packaging, and I think that’s why we’re seeing so many companies moving to metal.”