The Paperboard Packaging Council12.04.17
Today’s most discerning and distinguished cosmetics brands look to folding cartons, not only for product protection, but also for brand-boosting billboard space and sustainable options that attract consumers. The recently-revealed winners of the Paperboard Packaging Council’s 2017 design competition show that carton manufacturers are stepping up their game, providing the cosmetics industry with packaging that sells.
Take, for example, the 2017 Folding Carton of the Year. Designed and manufactured by Thoro Packaging, this glamorous carton for Lancer Legacy Youth Treatment was designed in the spirit of a beautiful shell. To underscore the value and exclusivity of its “pearl,” the design spared no expense when it came to embellishment. Most striking is the choice to forgo printed graphics and text for foil stamping throughout. Hidden magnets serve as a closure mechanism, and even the area underneath the lid is foil stamped and embossed. The outer sleeve features a similarly striking foil-stamped pattern as well as soft touch coating that imparts a rich, velvety feel to the package.
Thoro’s top-winning carton combines the two most common finishing elements seen among the competition’s cosmetics entries—soft touch coating and foil stamping. Surprisingly, almost 100% of the cosmetics cartons (and about 30% of all of the competition’s entries) featured soft touch coating. Only five years ago, approximately three or four entries had soft touch, and they all would have merited special recognition because of it.
Many carton converters used cold foil stamping to create luxurious and sustainable designs. As opposed to hot foil stamping and other methods, cold foil can be done in-line and without dies, thereby boosting efficiency and sustainability in the manufacturing process. Diamond Packaging—which took home two Excellence Awards for their Pur Mascara Trifecta and L’Oreal Paris Pure-Clay Mask cartons—used cold foil stamping as part of their Green Chic model, which delivers “beauty without compromise.” This year’s competition entries did an excellent job affirming that beauty and sustainability do, in fact, go hand in hand.
Other award winners in the cosmetics category include Frankston Packaging, which received an Excellence Award for a men’s skincare promotional package for Esquire Magazine; McLean Packaging which took home three Excellence Awards for Clinique, Lancôme, and Yves Saint Laurent boxes; and Southern Champion Tray which received an Excellence Award for a tiered counter display for nail polish.
