The Estée Lauder Companies—Beauty Company of the Year: Excellence in Packaging

Founded in 1946 with just four products, today, The Estée Lauder Companies—including the namesake brand as well as M.A.C. and Clinique—holds a large portion of real estate on department store cosmetic floors.

Granted, many successful companies launch based on one entrepreneur’s vision, but in the case ofThe Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), the instincts and marketing genius of Mrs. Estée Lauder proved truly remarkable. Not only did she defy the odds at a time when it was difficult for a woman to pursue an aggressive business path, but she generated the impetus for an entire industry and, today, more than 65 years after the company’s founding in 1946, it continues to break records, including surpassing the $10 billion mark for global net sales in 2013.

It all started with Mrs. Lauder’s strong conviction that every woman could be beautiful, and her painstaking approach to provide the finest products. Then, rather than merely displaying the products on a shelf, she showed women how to use them, touching their faces at counter to apply the creams for best results. She also developed a number of other intuitive marketing concepts that have become industry standards, including offering gifts with purchase, training advisors, turning fragrance into an everyday habit, providing scent strips—and even, advertising on radio and TV. Due to her passion, ingenuity and perseverance, what started with four skin care items became the product-packed route to Mrs. Lauder’s beauty empire. And always, she delivered all her treatments and cosmetics in the most elegant and appropriate packaging she could envision.

A Woman with a Dream

Mrs. Estée Lauder took an intense hands-on role at the company she co-founded in 1946, from creating skin creams to mixing fragrances to developing packaging.

Born in Queens, Josephine Esther Mentzer was called Esty after a favorite aunt. Later, her name received a slightly altered spelling punctuated with a romanticized French accent aigu added by a grade school teacher. From childhood, she was drawn to facial creams and hairbrushes and focused on beautifying all the women around her. She first learned the secrets of good packaging at her father’s hardware store, in Corona, where she wrapped tools with bows and ribbons to delight customers—and boost sales.

“You could make a thing wonderful by its outward appearance,” she wrote in her autobiography Estée: A Success Story, published in 1985. “Little did I think I’d be doing the same thing, multiplied a billionfold, in not too many years.”

She said she learned early that being a perfectionist and providing quality was the only way to do business. While she had initially dreamed of becoming an actress, when her uncle John Schotz, “a skin specialist” immigrated to the U.S. from Hungary, she became his avid student as he produced his “glorious” creams over a gas stove in a stable behind her home, and carefully packaged them in vials and jars. Mrs. Lauder subsequently perfected four efficacious skin care products—Crème Pack, Cleansing Oil, Super-Rich All Purpose Crème and Skin Lotion—which she sold in beauty salons and hotels in the New York area.

She had her first cosmetics concession at the Florence Morris Beauty Salon on East 60th Street in Manhattan, and packaged her first line of products in white opal glass jars with black covers. As her real first name, Josephine, was a little lengthy for the label on the jar, she shortened it, and the Estée Lauder brand was born into production.

In her pursuit of selling glamour, Mrs. Lauder soon decided that the medicinal-looking, simple black and white jars with the pasted-on labels would no longer do, and set out to find packaging that would enhance the luxurious formulations. She wanted the jars to be beautiful enough to serve as decorative vanity table items and after evaluating the décor of many elegant powder rooms, she chose the now iconic pale turquoise color for her jars—as it went with everything—and highlighted them with the iconic gold script EL logo. “A great package does not copy or study,” she said. “It invents.”

Always utmost on her mind was the caliber of the product—both the formulation and the packaging. She firmly believed: “If you put the product into the customer’s hands, it will speak for itself if it’s something of quality.”

According to The Estée Lauder Companies’ 2013 Annual Report, “Mrs. Estée Lauder knew that Prestige Beauty is an experience—a chance to enjoy precious moments of‘me time,’ the luxurious texture of a hydrating crème, the satisfying ‘snap’ of a well-made compact as it closes, the elegance of a box tied with grosgrain ribbon.”

Today, the company says these ideas are taken further, with amenities such as “the expert touch of a beauty advisor at an Estée Lauder brand counter, the energizing music at a M.A.C. location, or the enchanting scents in the air at a Jo Malone London store. Every touch point is designed to inspire and delight our consumers. It is this total experience that sets our brands apart.”

25 Brands Later

The four products that started it all.

Not only did Mrs. Lauder and her husband and co-founder, Joseph, add to the eponymous flagship line, together with their sons, Leonard and Ronald, they created five additional brands—Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series Skincare for Men and Origins—and acquired many others over the years, as well as global licenses that meshed with their ideals.

Following a monumental tenure, Mrs. Lauder retired in 1995—the same year ELC went public. In 1998, she was the only woman on Time magazine’s list of the “most influential business geniuses” of the 20th century. She passed away in April 2004.

The Lauder family members retain majority ownership and control of the company, with many in active roles, including grandson William P. Lauder, executive chairman, and granddaughters Aerin and Jane. In 1995, the world’s largest beauty company brought in business mastermind Fabrizo Freda, an ex-P&G executive, to steer them to new levels of global success in his role as president and CEO.

Today, with more than 25 brands to shepherd, it’s an enormous challenge to present them all under the ELC umbrella, especially while keeping their individual prestige personalities.

Henry Renella, senior vice president, global package development, The EstéeLauder Companies

I asked Henry Renella, senior vice president, global package development, The Estée Lauder Companies why he thought our readers voted them Beauty Company of the Year: Excellence in Packaging.

He responded: “We have had the good fortune to have had many successful launches across our brands this past year. It is great to be rewarded for our collective efforts.”

He says a major influence may have been the recognition that they are not standing on past successes. “We market innovative, luxurious products of the highest quality. Our packaging supports our rich portfolio of prestige brands, appeals to consumers, and protects and delivers our products in a way that represents each brand’s unique DNA.”

Above all, Renella credits the company’s packaging teams. “It starts with our people,” he says. “I may be a little biased, but I have no doubt in my mind that we have the most highly skilled and technically competent packaging teams in the world. Each brand delivers with excellence and they take great pride in their accomplishments.”

Many industry experts agree that ELC has accomplished the nearly impossible in maintaining the DNA unique to each brand, both in high-quality products and packaging, all while appealing to a continuously growing global market.

Packaging for the AERIN Fragrance Collection draws inspiration from Aerin Lauder’s everyday life, and is inspired by natural elements such as stones and flowers. The chic rectangular bottle is adorned with a beautiful gem-like stone in a pretty and soft pastel shade specific to each fragrance. The bottle includes golden touches true to the AERIN signature style. Each fragrance is housed in a carton featuring an exclusive AERIN for Lee Jofa design, reflecting each fragrance’s individual story.

Karen Grant, vice president, and global beauty industry analyst, The NPD Group, Inc., tells Beauty Packaging: “A key point of distinction that makes the Estée Lauder Companies stand out ahead of the pack is the brilliance in product packaging execution for the portfolio of brands. Beyond a select brand product feature or format, consider the achievement across brands. To create the unique look and packaging for one brand, in one category, is a major undertaking. Imagine the talent it requires to build, maintain, and innovate the distinct packaging for the multiple brands, with multiple product lines, in the multiple categories of prestige beauty that The Estée Lauder Companies not only plays in, but leads and dominates. From the iconic looks of Clinique and Estée Lauder to the familiar appeal of La Mer and Origins in skin care, to the playfulness of M.A.C. limited editions and the crisp sophistication of Bobbi Brown in makeup. In fragrance, ELC carved out a niche to lead with the trendsetting black packaging ofTom Ford, the simple elegance of Jo Malone, the gentle beauty of AERIN and the perfect translation of the Tory Burch look. Along with compelling product features, 
it is the unique signature and product packaging across the portfolio of brands that stands out.”

Packaging plays an especially critical role with prestige brands, especially when they are sold throughout the world. Therefore, a keen understanding of consumers is vital.

That’s why, in echoing Mrs. Lauder’s original sentiments, Renella says: “We take great pride in each and every package that touches our consumers. Our mantra is ‘good enough’ is never good enough.”
As far as each brand being handled individually, he says: “Every brand touches our consumer in a different way. We treat each one of them as a separate and important part of our overall business, taking great care to stay within the DNA of that particular brand. What works in one brand may not always work in another. Understanding the brand’s equity and voice is Step One in deciding packaging direction within that brand.”

Finding the right packages for each of the many brands is a complex business, which is why Renella says: “We search the world globally to find sources that can help us deliver packages that surprise and delight our consumers with the utmost quality and innovation.”

Right Time, Right Places

A strong demand for prestige products from consumers in emerging markets boosted The Estée Lauder Companies’ sales in 2013. In fact, in terms of geographical areas, Asia-Pacific is the company’s fastest growing region—with much attention centered on China. Activity has also risen in Brazil and Turkey and across the Middle East and Africa.

The Americas—and primarily the U.S.—led with net sales of $4.3 billion (up 5% over the prior year). The Europe, Middle East & Africa segment followed with net sales of $3.8 billion (+4%). The Asia/Pacific region generated $2.1 billion, an increase of 5%.

Travel retail sales reached epic proportions, climbing to over $1 billion for the first time.

In its report “Luxury Goods Retailing-International-August 2013,” global market research firm Mintel places The Estée Lauder Companies among the leading 20 luxury firms accounting for 76.8% of sales in 2012, and as a top leader in the Cosmetics and Beauty segment. Overall, it achieved the No. 3 spot on Mintel’s Top 20 list.

Contributing to ELC’s share of global success, says Dr. Benjamin Punchard, global packaging insight director, Mintel, is the effort toward keeping packaging simple. He says while the core Estée Lauder brand maintains a beautiful consistency, “in brands such as M.A.C. and Bobbi Brown, we see a strong ethos of keeping it simple.” He says designs are paired back to simple shapes in black and neutral colors, and where bright colors are allowed, this is more often than not the color of the product shining through transparent packaging—enabling the consumer to see directly the exact shade they are buying. “This focus on noir and simple shapes,” he says, “has a very clear benefit. Consumers can project their own feeling easily onto these pack designs and in return, the packs effortlessly fit with a multitude of personal styles.And though this pattern is repeated with many of the company’s brands, a key success has been to identify and retain an individual element to each, stopping the brands from merging together and losing their identity.”

Another aspect of the focus on keeping it simple, says Punchard, is the transferability of the designs globally. “Estée Lauder has seen great returns in Asia, helped in no small part by a packaging portfolio that looks just as at home in an apartment in Shanghai as one in New York.”

Packaging for Modern Muse, Estée Lauder’s first major fragrance in years, has an architectural influence.

The Power of Packaging

From fragrance to skin care, color cosmetics to hair care, packaging plays a critical role in every category’s product launches, as that is the starting point for each customer’s experience.
Following on Mrs. Estée Lauder’s thoughts,John Downey, vice president of technology driven supplier innovation, global supply relations, The Estée Lauder Companies, tells Beauty Packaging: “I’m a strong believer in the power of packaging. If the packaging is beautiful and perfectly executed, the consumer gains confidence that the product inside will follow in meeting her expectations.”

Standout Packages of 2013

According to Mintel, the The Estée Lauder Companies has generated high growth in recent years from its two core categories, skin care and makeup, and is now turning more attention to fragrance.

Fragrance

Mrs. Estée Lauder changed women’s idea of fragrance. She recalled in her autobiography that, once again, in her common sense way of thinking, she looked

Jo Malone’s iconic bottles remain simple and clean.

at perfume in a different way. At the time she was building her company, perfume was a gift item, given to women on special occasions and applied sparingly with just a dab or two behind the ears or on the wrists. In 1953, Mrs. Lauder introduced what many feel was a groundbreaker in the industry. Youth Dew was bath oil that doubled as a fragrance—and one that women didn’t have to feel guilty about purchasing for themselves—or pouring into the tub by the bottle full. The classic remains popular today, in a variety of forms and packaging options.

In 2013, ELC launched a number of new fragrances in brands including Estée Lauder, Jo Malone and Tory Burch.

Modern Muse is regarded as Estée Lauder’s new pillar fragrance, its first major new fragrance in years. It appears strikingly modern, but also sports a fanciful bow as a nostalgic tie to Youth Dew.
Mintel’s Dr. Punchard says, “It’s a strategy of leveraging the best of the past while looking always to offer the best available today.” He says Modern Muse “draws upon the brand’s rich fragrance heritage and is presented in a typically beautiful flacon that is constructed in beautiful Art Deco proportions.”

Tory Burch’s fragrance features her favorite fretwork motif.

He notes a strong link with the core brand’s historical packaging, which is maintained through elements of gold and signature deep navy blue. The spray-through cap represents a stylized bow, a direct reference to the bow detailing on Youth Dew, he explains, “showing that all-important respect for the brand’s heritage.”

Estée Lauder describes Modern Muse as “a new fragrance that is inspired by the intriguing duality of today’s woman and complements every aspect of her dynamic life.”

There’s a duality in the sleek, modern package design as well: “In color: feminine blush pink and deep navy blue. In shape: a strong, tall luxurious glass bottle with soft rounded sides. In attitude: modern drama with classic accents re-interpreted.”

The pink and navy signature color codes for Modern Muse are woven through all elements of the package design, from the bottle to the outer carton.

According to the brand, the bow has been re-imagined in dark navy patent as a symbol of style and sophistication. The bow adorns the spray-through cap, putting a defining touch on a bottle that is never without its bow and always perfectly “dressed.” To further convey the soft and strong duality of today’s woman, the modern yet feminine tie is set against the harmonious and architectural shape of the bottle’s sleek and contemporary design.

The outer carton features a graceful sketch of the Modern Muse bottle, bringing charm to the package design in a modern and artistic way.

The pièce de résistance tie-in is the debut of a real muse, spokesmodel Arizona Muse, as the face of the Estée Lauder advertising campaign.

Jo Malone London, known for celebrating British style, was acquired by ELC in 1999, and is now available in 34 countries worldwide. While the brand’s iconic bottles remain simple and clean, the names bring forth complex images. The Peony & Blush Suede Collection appeals to consumers with its luxurious and seductive notes. It is truly a brand whose packaging is easily recognizable, and also fits into nearly any culture.

Famed fashion and accessories designer Tory Burch signed a fragrance and cosmetics deal with Estée Lauder’s Aramis and Designer Fragrances Division, and launched her first women’s scent in 2013.
ELC says the elegant packaging is a nod to Burch’s mother’s—Reva Robinson’s—bedroom vanity and the classic perfume bottles and atomizers that graced it. The chic glass bottle features many of Burch’s favorite design elements such as clean, beveled edges and a signature fretwork top. Fretwork is a recurring design element in the designer’s life, from a pair of Chinese Chippendale chairs in her childhood home to the brass details at the Tory Burch Madison Avenue flagship.

“I have always been inspired by my parents,” she says. “Fretwork was very much a part of their design sensibility. It was a part of their vernacular, and now it’s become a signature of the brand, and the perfect accent for the fragrance.”

Rihanna’s final collection with M.A.C. is encased in exclusive white-pearl packaging with RiRi’s rose-gold detailing.

The outer packaging highlights the brand’s signature color, a vibrant orange, while the fragrance is a pale pink.

A line extension, includes scented Body Cream, Body Lotion, Bath & Shower Gel and a candle—all presented in a blush pink package with Tory’s medallion logo.

Color Cosmetics

Color cosmetics has been a strong pillar and an expansive bright spot for The Estée Lauder Companies since the start. As noted, Mrs. Estée Lauder thought every woman had the potential to be beautiful, and she set about giving them the tools to achieve their goals. From functional travel palettes to luxurious collectible holiday-issue compacts, many of the containers are as coveted as their contents.

Knockouts in 2013 included launches from M.A.C. and Bobbi Brown.

Bobbi Brown’s Twilight Pink Lip & Eye Palette is a double-decker compact that includes everything necessary to play up eyes and lips.

M.A.C. joined the ELC portfolio in 1994 and has experienced a phenomenal word-of-mouth success. It is sold in more than 85 countries and territories and is now on a roll in Africa.

According to Mintel, The M.A.C. brand is positioned to generate growth in emerging markets, and could be the single largest source of growth for the company, especially due to its appeal to multi-ethnic consumers.

In 2013, Rihanna’s final collection with M.A.C. features the return of RiRi Woo, along with two new Lipsticks: Pleasure Bomb and Bad Girl RiRi. Also included are: Nail Lacquer, Superslick Liquid Eye Liner, Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow, Bronzing Powder and the double-ended 217 Blending Brush and the 239 Eye Shader Brush. This limited-edition collection is encased in exclusive white-pearl packaging with RiRi’s rose-gold detailing.

Makeup artist Bobbi Brown was a natural fit for the ELC portfolio, with her simple philosophy that “makeup is a way for a woman to look and feel like herself, only prettier and more confident.” Bobbi Brown Cosmetics joined the Group in 1995, and Bobbi Brown actively continues her role as chief creative officer. Most recently, the brand has seen an unexpected upswing in growth in India.

Bobbi Brown Cosmetics collaborated with Lulu Frost jewelry designer and founder, Lisa Salzer, on a show-stopping compact mirror that’s a flashback to Old Hollywood.

Bobbi Brown’s Holiday 2013 Gift Giving Collection shone at counters with luxurious lip and eye palettes, lipglosses and brush sets, all featuring a glamorous assortment of shimmery shades in silver, bronze and golden tones. The limited edition Twilight Pink Lip & Eye Palette is a double decker compact that includes everything necessary to play up eyes and lips thanks to a wide variety of colors, textures and tools.

In the tradition of ELC collectible compacts for the holidays, Bobbi Brown Cosmetics collaborated with Lulu Frost jewelry designer and founder, Lisa Salzer, on a show-stopping compact mirror that’s a flashback to Old Hollywood. Inspired by a vintage crystal-embellished compact discovered by Brown at

On Estée Lauder’s Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery Complex II, gold elements pick out the brand name and a logo on the primary pack and the carton, maintaining brand continuity.

a flea market, this limited edition gold compact is adorned with Swarovski crystals in an art deco design.

It’s perfectly sized to fit discreetly into the smallest clutch, yet gorgeous enough to make touching-up a glamorous affair.

Skin Care

Skin Care has of course been a driving force for the company since Mrs. Lauder and her husband cooked up their first formulations in a former restaurant kitchen. The company’s eponymous brand has ruled at department store counters for decades, always showing a consistency in the quality and level of the packaging.

Mintel’s Dr. Benjamin Punchard says Estée Lauder has been a staple of the U.S. beauty market since 1946, and “a strong feature of the brand, and one that clearly engenders strong loyalty in customers, is the consistency of the packaging. Clear brand cues are maintained across pack types, but not at the expense of functionality.”

He says, “For many, buying Estée Lauder is not just buying into a product, but into the history of the brand and the strong level of trust this creates. A consistent packaging language and ability to reference the past is clearly a core tool to support this very important brand facet.”

In 2013, Estée Lauder introduced Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Recovery

Clinique’s updated formula keeps the iconic shade of yellow and the same overall trusted brand look

Complex II, described by the brand as “a major scientific discovery.” According to ELC, Estée Lauder was a pioneer in nighttime repair, and was among the first to understand that nighttime is the right time for skin to repair the day’s damage. This updated version claims to be its “most comprehensive, most advanced serum ever.”

Punchard comments on the packaging: “One of Estée Lauder’s best sellers of the moment is the Advanced Night Repair skin care complex. Here, gold elements pick out the brand name, a logo on both the primary pack and the carton, maintaining brand continuity. The addition of a dropper cap provides a simple but elegant dosing and delivery mechanism. The caps and lotion pumps that provide today’s expected functionality are always designed to be in good design proportion to the pack, never spoiling a line or a product profile.”

Clinique was the first independent brand the Lauders added to their namesake, in 1968. It was dramatically different than anything on the market and every detail—from the name, to the formulations, to the dermatologists and executives chosen to run it, to the packaging, and, even the beauty consultants’ wardrobes—was carefully calculated by the Lauder family.

Clinique also updated its formula in 2013, launching the new Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion+ in August. The first dermatologist developed

Origins’ “natural” DNA extends to its packaging. All of the brand’s collateral materials are printed on recycled paper. Cartons are made from 50% Forest Stewardship Council certified paperboard with 50% post-consumer recycled fiber.

moisturizer and No.1 selling moisturizer in America made the news again, as the iconic lotion had been dermatologist-reformulated to deliver even more dramatically different results, keeping pace with the latest in skin care technology.

The new formula is dramatically different—but subtly done, as is the packaging, keeping the iconic shade of yellow and the same overall trusted Clinique look. Only the + in the name indicates the difference. The 50ml version comes in a tube or a bottle, while the 125ml version comes in a bottle with a pump.

The Origins brand was introduced in 1990 as the first department store wellness brand. Sold in nearly 30 countries and territories, Origins products are manufactured using a combination of renewable resources, wind energy and earth-friendly practices. The mission at Origins is to create high-performance natural skin care products that are “Powered by Nature. Proven by Science.” Origins products use potent plants, organic ingredients and 100% natural essential oils.

With facial oils being one of the fastest growing categories in skin care, Origins Plantscription Youth-renewing Face Oil launched in October 2013. According to the brand, the product features a non-acnegenic formula that specifically targets “good” facial oils to create youthful, radiant skin.

Origins’ “natural” DNA extends to its packaging. All of the brand’s collateral materials are printed on recycled paper. Cartons are made from 50% Forest Stewardship Council certified paperboard with 50% post-consumer recycled fiber. These paperboards and cartons are manufactured using wind power or hydro power, both renewable energy resources. In a given year, Origins uses approximately 307,386 lbs of this paper in place of virgin fiber. In doing so, the brand says it preserves 1,475 trees for the future, saves 626,735 gallons of

Aveda’s Invati Collection for hair care uses post-consumer recycled components.

wastewater flow, conserves 1,045,112,400 BTUs of energy, and prevents 136,541 lbs of net greenhouse gases.

In addition, products are transported in recycled cardboard shippers and packing materials are reused whenever possible. No Styrofoam peanuts or any PVCs (poly vinyl chloride) are used in packaging materials.

Hair Care

Hair Care may be ELC’s shortest pillar, although there are a variety of brand offerings nevertheless.

The most prominent, perhaps, comes from another plant-based “naturals” brand: Aveda.

Aveda joined The Estée Lauder Companies family of brands in 1997. It is currently sold in more than 30 countries and territories

Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick is a new formula packaged in Estée Lauder’s first new lipstick case since 1992.

around the world. Aveda innovates in botanical technologies, drawing inspiration from ancient Ayurvedic wisdom to develop performance-driven, plant-based professional and consumer hair, skin, body and makeup products, and a comprehensive menu of ritual-based treatments. Guided by its Mission, Aveda has been a beauty leader in environmental responsibility since its founding in 1978.

In 2012-2013, Aveda’s Invati Collection for Hair Care took the world by storm with its new three-step system of thickening products: Shampoo, Conditioner and Scalp Revitalizer. All are naturally derived and developed to strengthen and improve elasticity and prevent hair loss.

The shampoo is packaged in a 100% post-consumer recycled HDPE (high-density polyethylene) bottle. The conditioner is packaged in a 45% post-consumer recycled HDPE (high-density polyethylene) tube. The Revitalizer comes in a 100% post-consumer recycled PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottle with a targeted sprayer. Its unit carton is printed on 80% post-consumer recycled/Forest Stewardship Council-certified fiber.

Sustainable Packaging Practices

The Origins and Aveda brands represent some of The Estée Lauder Companies’ strongest programs in sustainable packaging.

Henry Renella tells Beauty Packaging: “Sustainability is an area where we are placing focus. We are looking at how we can better work with our suppliers to continue to find more sustainable materials that meet the design criteria for our brands. As a company, we recognized early on that we could be an influence in this area.”

And in fact, Renella says that the company is a leader in “take back” programs.

“We have a number of successful take-back programs designed to make it easy for consumers to bring back product packaging for reuse or recycling,” he says.

In 2008, Aveda created the first bottle cap collection program of its kind in the continental U.S., helping to eliminate this type of plastic from landfills and waterways, and educate recyclers and municipalities about the need to accept #5 plastics at curbside—collecting more than 115 million plastic bottle caps. Newly molded 85% post consumer recycled content caps are now included on Aveda products such as Full Spectrum Hair Color and retail sample tubes due to the success of the Aveda Caps Program.

In June 2013, Aveda introduced its recycling program in the U.S. [ED NOTE: For more on the Full Circle recycling program, please see the article on page 41 in this issue.] Aveda partnered with g2 revolution, a leading recycling innovations company, to provide guests the chance to return Aveda packaging not accepted by municipal curbside recycling programs to all 107 Aveda Experience Center retail locations in the U.S.

Renella says Origins launched the “Return to Origins” Recycling Program in 2009. A first-of-its-kind cosmetics recycling program, it accepts all cosmetic empty containers regardless of brand at any Origins retail stores and Origins department store counters. Each participating Origins store has a dedicated recycling receptacle for cosmetic and toiletry bottles, tubes, caps, jars and compacts that consumers can drop off from any cosmetic company regardless of the manufacturer. Origins is leading the beauty industry in taking the guesswork out of recycling by submitting the collected cosmetic packaging to be recycled, when possible, or responsibly converted to energy. Since the inception of the program, Origins has collected over 24,000 lbs of cosmetic packaging, says Renella.

Into the Future

With the current market for Prestige Beauty stronger than ever, The Estée Lauder Companies’ anticipates another healthy year in 2014.

And classic, simple but beautiful packaging will undoubtedly continue to play a major role.

Take, for instance, the namesake brand’s new cosmetics launch set for March, tagged as a symbol of the modernization of the brand. The Pure Color Envy Sculpting Lipstick is a new formula packaged in Estée Lauder’s first new lipstick case since 1992. Inspired by modern architecture, the new and iconic package design is powerful, yet feminine, according to the brand. Its lines are contemporary, with a strong, sleek and elegant silhouette. The color cues reflect Estée Lauder’s signature navy and gold, while golden plaques at each end of the case, and golden tones within the interior, convey the brand’s modern glamour and style. An innovative, magnetic closure that always clicks the case perfectly into place and the new aspirational bullet shape—which promises to intensify, sculpt and hydrate lips—make this lipstick a statement in pure luxury.

The face of the collection is supermodel Carolyn Murphy. Shade names such as Defiant Coral, Tumultous Pink, Vengeful Red and Insolent Plum convey the range of personalities among today’s consumers.

In Asia, the line will be packaged in slimline cases, which are reportedly preferable among consumers in that market.

Product launches in sophisticated updated or new packaging, such as Pure Color Envy and Modern Muse, have been designed to build Estée Lauder brand appeal with a whole new generation of consumers—whatever their ages.

And as we have seen, the Estée Lauder brand is not alone in its forward thinking, as many of the more than 25 brands in the group portfolio continue to gain speed and market share.

Jonathan Ford, founding partner and chief creative officer, Pearlfisher, tells Beauty Packaging, “With such an expanding and diverse product portfolio, the craft and care that The Estée Lauder Companies puts into its packaging is a wonderful reflection of the attention to detail that consumers take with their own personal care routines. It’s an incredibly intimate approach and shows a strong level of awareness of—and connection to—their consumer and what is most important to them.

“We have talked about the future need for brands to create and design for the individual on a mass level, but Lauder’s establishment and continued realization of this approach underlines why they remain a relevant, inspirational and iconic beauty brand leader.”

The Estée Lauder Companies’ Brand Portfolio Since 1946, The Estée Lauder Companies has gathered a remarkable group of beauty brands under its corporate umbrella. While all share a common packaging bond, each also clearly holds recognizable imprints of its own. More than 25 brands, covering categories of cosmetics, skin care, fragrance and hair care, include: Estée Lauder, M.A.C., Bumble and bumble, Tom Ford, Aramis, AERIN, Kiton, Michael Kors, Coach, Clinique, La Mer, Darphin, Ojon, Prescriptives, Bobbi Brown, American Beauty, Smashbox, Lab Series Skincare For Men, Donna Karan, Flirt!, Ermenegildo Zegna, Origins, Aveda, GoodSkin Labs, Tommy Hilfiger, Jo Malone, Grassroots Research Labs and Osiao, the company’s first brand developed specifically for the Asian market. The Estée Lauder Companies sells in more than 150 countries worldwide.

Multiple Brands, Multiple Packaging Personalities Robin Coe-Hutshing, founder/creative director, Gold Grenade LLC/Boldface Licensing and Branding, sums up the mastery involved in presiding over numerous brands. Written by Robin Coe-Hutshing If ELC ever had to rename itself, perhaps “Sybil” would be a good choice, since the company has experience with multiple personalities—with its diverse brand entities. These multifarious, and wildly successful identities, each with its own instantly recognizable packaging, under the ELC umbrella, are a tribute to an abiding respect for powerful branding stories. Each of its divisions is, in essence, a separate and unique brand with its own powerful voice and own image clearly embodied in every aspect of its packaging execution. The essence of each ELC brand is communicated in every packaging detail. Since each brand is unique under the ELC auspices, the details on each brand are truly unique to each brand, from the prestige imbued gold and aqua in its namesake brand, to the iconic faceted Tom Ford fragrance bottles, the subtle authority of Bobbi Brown, the pristine lines of Clinique, the artistic persona of M.A.C, to the design edge of Bumble and bumble… and on and on. Each ELC brand reflects its exclusive DNA through its packaging. With all of this, ELC remains a family of brands, held together with the same values of quality and integrity both inside and out. The elevated quality of the packaging on every entity reflects this fact, uniting each brand under the ELC umbrella that customers have known and trusted for so many years.

Meet the Man Behind the Packaging Teams Henry Renella, senior vice president, global package development, The Estée Lauder Companies, joined the beauty giant in 2000. Henry Renella’s career started in the pharmaceutical industry working in manufacturing for American Cyanamid, Lederle Laboratories. He also held positions in Purchasing and Packaging for Lederle. After 10 years in pharmaceuticals, he spent his next 11 years in Package Development for Reckitt & Colman Household Products. He holds several patents in the area of design and utility for package components and delivery systems. Renella joined The Estée Lauder Companies in 2000, working on Estée Lauder treatment products. His next assignment was as an executive director for Origins. After a year at Origins, he transitioned to become the vice president of packaging of Aramis & Designer Fragrances and Specialty Brands. His next assignment was the position of vice president of packaging for the Estée Lauder brand. In 2006, he was promoted to his current position. Renella holds an undergraduate degree in Management from St. Thomas Aquinas and an M.B.A. in management from Long Island University. He is also a Certified Packaging Professional (CPP).