Online Exclusive: Counter-worthy Beauty Packaging
Beauty and household products are using structures and graphics to move into homes as decorative accessories.

by Andrea Golliher, Interbrand

Sure, your beauty product package may look good on the store shelf, but is it “counter-worthy?” Does it

Andrea Golliher, Interbrand

merit a place on a consumer’s vanity, in their shower, or on the guest bathroom sink?

It’s no longer enough to stop consumers at shelf with packaging that is designed merely to differentiate a brand from its competitors. When making a purchase decision, consumers increasingly consider how a brand’s packaging reflects and fits their lifestyle, and how it looks when moved from a public store shelf into the personal ambiance of their home. For this reason, numerous beauty brands are raising the bar on packaging design to create structures and graphics that are truly counter-worthy.

Premium, department store beauty brands have long reinforced their upscale position through sleek packaging with modern shapes and eye-catching graphics that help to justify their higher price point. “If I look this good on the outside, just imagine what’s inside,” they seem to say, luring consumers with promises of an upscale “beauty experience.”

Sephora and other niche beauty outlets have taken cues from these premium brands by designing entire stores around the concept of delivering a beauty experience, with flattering lights, enticing signage, and well-manicured associates in black aprons – who are looking great and living the brand – standing ready

Sephora’s innovative “store within a store” retail concept transcends the standard beauty counter.

to help you create your special look. Sephora’s innovative “store within a store” retail concept transcends the standard beauty counter, giving shoppers the freedom to peruse at their leisure various zones and shelf blocks emblazoned with distinctive, counter-worthy packaging and engendering the same feelings of creativity, empowerment and satisfaction that consumers get when crafting their individual beauty routine. Both Sephora’s in-store environment and the packaging for the brands Sephora sells offer consumers an elevated shopping experience.

Even value-seekers who typify the profile of the mass-market beauty shopper are yearning for an elevated experience that transcends the convenience-store environment of tile floors and metal shelving. Consumers want to be rewarded for their bargain-savvy shopping with a product that surpasses the functional and fits within the emotional context of their lifestyles. They crave a package that tells a story about what the brand stands for; one that promises an aspirational version of themselves they can achieve by using the product and that they can openly display to demonstrate their commitment to that aspiration.

As an example, UK-based Boots drugstore has brought its line of health and beauty products to Target, smartly appealing to consumers looking for budget-friendly finds with quality that doesn’t disappoint. Boots’ clean, fresh packaging and self-described “affordable quality” deliver on the complete beauty experience that Target shoppers crave.

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands are taking cues from the beauty category and using

Palmolive’s designer series prioritizes aesthetic delivery over traditional brand/product communication to show consumers that the brand understands them and that it deserves a place on their counters.

packaging’s power to extend their brand message and experience beyond functional claims to validate their place on consumers’ counters. How are they doing this? More sophisticated graphics, colors and shapes speak louder than words – these savvy brands employ a design aesthetic that consumers “get” without having to scan the micro-type that pervades most packages with screaming violators about size, performance, or value. Thoughtful package design results in something that consumers feel good – even proud – about putting in their carts and, more importantly, in their homes.

Palmolive has done an admirable job of leveraging consumers’ desires to conveniently store their dishwashing liquid on countertops by designing packaging that complements and even enhances kitchen décor. Palmolive’s designer series prioritizes aesthetic delivery over traditional brand/product communication to show consumers that the brand understands them and that it deserves a place on their counters. Palmolive’s packaging is truly beautiful, and a bright spot in a category that features functional, look-alike packaging that (perhaps, negatively) reminds consumers that the product is used for a daily domestic chore.

Similarly, tissue boxes have become part of the consideration set for home décor. Because the consumer mindset has shifted from the functional benefits of tissues to a more emotional connection with the box that contains them, the package design must embody the personality of the targeted consumer segment for each product offering. From an in-store perspective, the consumer target must be able to find a product with the benefit she desires (lotion, ultra soft and strong, basic), as well as a design that reflects her personal sense of in-home style.

Whether used to “spice up a room” or simply complement the décor, tissue boxes are selected with extra

Tissue boxes have become part of the consideration set for home décor.

care and consideration because consumers believe their choice is a reflection of their sense of style. A walk down a store’s home care/paper products aisle will show that Puffs has expertly leveraged (and set the category standard for) interior design trends – especially patterns and textures – to provide consumers with a constant array of new box design options (such as seasonal packaging) that delights and keeps them interested in category developments.

While iconic brands with a longstanding or leadership position in their respective categories have an advantage when making a break from typical category design cues, expected graphics and standard language, beauty brands both old to new have a right to win shelf space and consumer attention with counter-worthy packaging. Consumers respect and respond to progressive “lifestyle” brands that deliver on the functional and make the emotional leap to broader application across home décor and personal style. Packages that accomplish this feat serve as trophies for beauty battles fought and won; a reward for the careful investment of time, money, and creativity. To the victor goes the package.