Metal use in beauty packaging has a long reach. It extends from an aluminum container used in a 99 cents bottle of hairspray to a prestige cap on a $99 bottle of perfume. No matter where it’s used, metal conveys a message of value and has long been a beauty favorite. And lately metal has been spotted reaching further into the beauty market.

Elizabeth Arden’s Sheer Body Bronzer uses J.L. Clark’s tin.

Tanning Products Turn Toward Metal
The days are growing longer and the temperature is rising. With the large volume of products out there promising a sun-kissed tan—real or fake—some companies are turning to metal packaging as a way to differentiate.

Elizabeth Arden’s Sheer Body Bronzer, for instance, is housed in a tin-plated steel container created by J.L. Clark, Rockford, IL. The largest of the seven SKUs in the new Bronzing Story line, the bronzer’s package features a copper-colored, rectangular shaped tin embossed with a giant sun graphic. The container is held together with a plastic hinge ring and snap.

Why metal packaging? In addition to satisfying size and availability needs, “We were looking for something different. We wanted complete packaging and also wanted a component that had a large area for artwork,” said Michael Mastrogiacomo, packaging development manager for Elizabeth Arden in Stamford, CT. “The finished product is a fantastic package and certainly striking.”

Coppertone Sport has also discovered metal packaging. The sun block makes use of CCL Container’s TrimWave shaped aluminum package. “It’s an aluminum can with a bag-on-valve system,” said Ed Martin, vice president of sales and marketing for CCL Container in Norwalk, CT.

The bag-on-valve system contains the product in a sealed, multilayered pouch inside the container. “One of the great things about that package is you can turn it 360° and apply sunscreen to a squirmy kid. We’ve seen a great interest in what we call bag-on-valve systems for sun care products this summer,” Martin explained.

No matter what the segment of beauty, metal enhances the look of the packaging. Various metals and finishes can achieve a variety of affects.

Alcan’s CD Compacts make smart use of metal.

Maybelline Slimline chose Anomatic to supply its packaging.

Metal in Beauty
There are a number of different metals found in beauty packages. “The most popular metal used in today’s cosmetic packaging is aluminum. It is commonly utilized for caps, pans, A-shells, plaques and decorative medallions,” said Caroline Defrance, operational marketing manager for Alcan Packaging Beauty (Techpack) in New York City.

Aluminum components are often utilized for luxury lines. “Aluminum caps with anodized finishes are very common. Anodized aluminum gives you the feel of some richness when you hold it. Companies are also adding weight to the caps,” said Aviva Himoff, president of Preface Deux in New York City.

“You’ll see a large quantity of fragrances with aluminum closures in different shapes and colors,” agreed Peter Philip, vice president of sales and marketing for Eyelematic Manufacturing in Watertown, CT.

The mid-mass beauty market has also followed suit. “Traditionally, the mid-mass market used plastic caps for fragrance. But now, we notice they are starting to use metal caps in order to close the gap between them and the prestige market. They use upscale packaging to attract other customers,” said Boris Schaefer, director of customer relations for Seidel, headquartered in Marburg, Germany, with offices in the U.S. and France.

Aluminum bottles are also commonly chosen, especially for mass lines. Two types of aluminum bottles are used by beauty packagers, according to Benoit Ramet, sales manager for Elemental Container in Union, NJ. Aerosol cans are used for pressurized personal care products. “The other type less commonly known is pairing a non-pressurized bottle with a regular sprayer or lotion pump. For instance, this can be used for a lotion or a massage oil,” Ramet said.

Besides aluminum, the beauty industry also uses Zamac, a heavy metal used for luxurious packaging, brass and steel.

Two types of steel are seen in beauty packaging, said Todd Waxgiser, national account manager for J.L. Clark. “We use two types of steel to make cans. One is a tin-free steel or better known as TFS. That has a duller finish. The other one is commonly referred to as TP, or tin-plated steel, which has a shinier finish.”

Metal in its various forms offers a number of benefits to the brand marketer. “The reason most people choose metal to begin with is that it is a material that, when decorated, can really get the attention of the shopper. It is a package that can have extended use, where the packaging stays around long after the product is consumed,” said Laura Geiman, business development manager at United States Can Company (USCC) in Baltimore, MD.

“A metal look, either achieved by using metal or more often metalized plastic, is often sought after in the cosmetics and perfume industries when a high-end, upscale or hip and stylish appearance is desired,” said Alcan’s Defrance.

Aside from aesthetic advantages, metal containers can offer functional features as well. In the case of aerosol containers, “metal is used in spray cans because of its resistance to pressure,” added Patrick Fraillon, vice president of engineering for Alcan Packaging Beauty (Techpack).

Coppertone Sport uses CCL’s aluminum container.

New Techniques for Metal
Perhaps the main challenge when working with metal is its shape limitations. Unlike plastic, which is melted and molded, a metal package begins as a flat sheet or a “slug” that is forced into the appropriate shape. The manufacturing process makes certain shapes and sizes more difficult to execute. The most sophisticated of shapes often requires more than one component.

“With the technology today, we can execute many more things in aluminum than in the past. But there are some limitations when you use metal, with certain designs and certain shapes,” said Himoff. For example, Himoff said miniatures and very large pieces are hard to create.

Still, metal formers and brand marketers have worked hard to push the limits of metal manufacturing. Martin of CCL Label has seen tremendous demand for shaped metal containers. Because of this, “we are investing approximately $5 million dollars to do full body shaping (of aluminum impact extruded containers),” said Martin. The full body shaping allows CCL to create curves near the bottom of the container. “Right now you are going to see things that are still symmetrical, but you are going to go down to within about 20 mm of the bottom of the container.”

In addition to forming metal into interesting shapes, some brands pair innovative components or materials for a look that differentiates. Procter & Gamble’s Secret Sparkle Body Spray, for instance, combines metal containers with creatively designed actuators. The brightly colored, translucent actuators feature sparkles that match the main can.

“People are looking for synergy between the aerosol container and the actuators that are coming out. That’s a really important trend,” said Martin.

United States Can Company is working with plastic laminated to steel. “This is brand new. It is the first year we are offering it into the cosmetics market,” said Geiman. “You would choose plastic laminated to steel for two reasons. One is that on the interior of the container, it allows you to create a barrier between a water-based product, for example, and metal. Another reason is decorative. We are using a plastic laminate that has a holographic effect.”

Combining metal with another material is used in other ways as well. “We noticed that the packages get more complex–for instance, a combination of clear plastic and metal. It’s not a simple metal cap anymore, it’s a combination of different parts and materials which require sophisticated engineering,” said Seidel’s Schaefer.

While some marketers are employing new technologies to achieve different affects, other companies choose metal packages for its classic appeal.

Bunny Balm

Metal Packaging Trends
In keeping with the goal of balancing old-time Hollywood glamour with today’s modern woman, Too Faced decided to use a tin-plated steel container from J.L. Clark for its March 2004 launch of Bunny Balm lip balm. The circular tin features a background with two shades of pink, a black graphic and black text.

The reason a tin was chosen was that “metal has a vintage look and feel, is more durable and the curve of the tin has a seductive feel to the hand,” said Jerrod Blandino, creative director. The packaging for Too Faced reflects two important trends in beauty packaging: a move to simpler designs and a return to the “good old days.”

According to Waxgiser, instead of choosing designs with as many as eight colors, companies have started choosing fewer colors. “They are going with a simpler design. It’s not across-the-board, but that’s what I’ve started to see,” he said.

A vintage feel is also a desirable characteristic for packaging. “Lately a lot of retro looks—a 1950s feel—have been used for metal pots in the cosmetic and food industries,” noted Defrance.

Secret Sparkle Body Spray pairs metal containers with creative actuators.

Other suppliers have noticed an increased interest in showing off a metal package in its simplest form. “There seems to be a lot of interest in taking the metal packaging in its purest form, meaning that some people want it to have just a copper look or a just a metal look to the can,” said Geiman of USCC.

Aluminum aerosol containers are also playing up the metallic look, which is a departure from the recent past, agreed Martin of CCL Container.

“Five years ago, you would see a lot of people who were looking to cover up the fact that this is an aluminum container. Today, we are seeing a big interest in customers wanting to make it very clear to their end use customers that this packaging is made of metal,” Martin said. “I think customers are saying to themselves, ‘Well since I’m paying for this metal, why should I hide it?’”

Metal Market Feels Price Squeeze
Unfortunately, these are not the only trends hitting the metal packaging market. In many industries, a lot of eyes have been watching the exploding Asian market. The beauty packaging industry is no different. Increased demand for raw materials in the Orient has caused significant price increases around the world. Metal packaging suppliers have felt the squeeze.

“It’s been extremely difficult. There’s a huge demand for raw materials throughout the world. That’s been the basis for recent cost increases of aluminum, which went up about 15% last year and this year have gone up 8% so far,” said Philip of Eyelematic.

Steel is no different. “Very simply put, it is a supply/ demand situation where there is more demand at the moment than there is supply,” said Geiman. “The same material that we use to make our custom, specialized tins is the same material being used to build some of China’s cities. The demand is just so high that prices have gone up dramatically.”

Capacity can also be an issue for aluminum bottles. “For these particular aluminum bottles, it’s more the demand of all other markets and a small number of suppliers. That doesn’t put pressure on the price so much, but it puts pressure on getting supplied,” said Ramet of Elemental Container. “It’s been true for over two years in the United States. It has been hurting the aluminum market because in the beauty world when it is not a pressurized bottle, they don’t especially need aluminum. If they cannot launch the product in aluminum, then they will launch it in plastic or glass.”

Some suppliers remain optimistic about today’s market despite ongoing concerns. “Marketers see the value in adding metal to the package in terms of the appearance of the package being critical to the sale. At the moment, we have not seen metal coming off packages,” said Scott Rusch, vice president of Anomatic in Newark, OH.

Advice for Brand Marketers
An understanding about the manufacturing process can go a long way in helping brand marketers plan effectively. One thing marketers must keep in mind, said Geiman, is that lead times can be longer with metal.

“The process of going from resin to a finished package is not as long for plastics as it is going from raw steel to a finished tin in the steel industry. There is a certain amount of lead-time involved. A lot of the tins are made from multiple parts,” she said.

For marketers concerned that their fragrance may harmfully interact with an aluminum component, suppliers are quick to reassure. Two ways to decorate aluminum are through anodizing and lacquering. Both processes protect against contamination.

“Anodizing in the technical definition is the electrochemical oxidation of aluminum. In the process, it forms a very thin film of aluminum oxide on the surface of the part. That provides the barrier for natural oxidation or corrosion of the aluminum,” said Rusch.

“Anodizing creates a very hard surface, resists scuffing and scratching, and it is inert to anything other than acids. Then you also have a process called buff and lacquer where you polish the parts with a cotton wheel. You put a coat of lacquer on top that determines the color. Very, very rarely will a fragrance attack it because they’ve been developed so strongly over the years,” said Philip.

Finally, one supplier urged marketers to look at metal use in other industries for innovative packaging ideas. “There are so many types of metal packages used today—everyone from America Online to Godiva chocolate. There are a lot of great packages out there. I would hope that they would cross reference some other industries to see what else is available to them,” said Geiman.

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