Writing this month’s feature on Applicators and Brushes (page 28) was somewhat of an eye-opener for me. In speaking with brands, suppliers and industry experts, I became even more aware of the power of these tools in capturing attention and influencing consumer choice in stores and online. “Influencing” is perhaps the key word here as You Tube and social media influencers are changing the packaging market in this regard. If your applicator works well, consumers will be made aware; and if not, watch out—you may be generating the wrong “shares.”

With applicators’ growing importance, more brands, from indie to global, are working on developing custom tools. And in an increasing number of launches, applicators play an integral role in product development from the very start.

Consumers, too, continue to drive the applicator market, particularly when it comes to brushes. The category is rapidly evolving to a sustainable ethos, with many suppliers now focusing on synthetic, rather than animal hair fibers.

Ease of use is another criteria that’s a high priority in the beauty world, especially when it comes to applicator development. As Bryce G. Rutter, Ph.D., a leading specialist in ergonomic product design, writes in his article on page 38 in this issue, “Aesthetics cannot rescue a design that is hard to use.” In addition to Dr. Rutter’s tips on designing “the perfect beauty tool,” please check out my video interview with him at beautypackaging.com. You may be surprised at which field led to his expertise in developing beauty tools.

Dr. Rutter also presented his thoughts on innovation and design at a recent panel at Luxe Pack New York, which included Marisol Simard, president, Dandelion Clocks, an innovation consultancy; and Michelle Greenwald, CEO, Inventours. It was a lively discussion about ways to stimulate the thought process and approach problem solving. Stay tuned to Beauty Packaging for more from these experts in coming months.

Luxe Pack New York once again proved to be a hotbed of ideas for packaging in the Cosmetics and Fragrance industry. We look forward to sharing our rundown of supplier introductions, capabilities and innovations in our upcoming July/August issue. Until then, please enjoy our series of LPNY video interviews at www.beautypackaging.com/live-from-shows/luxe-pack.

We hope you enjoy this issue,