Food Logic’s Splash Spa Aromatherapy line’s 35 different labels are digitally printed on clear film by Prestige Label.

Labels continue to multi-task in the beauty business. Ever more sophisticated, labels are now used to attract attention, communicate brand identity, meet government regulations, provide tamper evidence and, potentially, enable manufacturers and retailers to track product as never before.

Whether paper or plastic, pressure sensitive or in mold, single ply or extended text, labels are doing more and getting more attention in the cosmetics, fragrance and personal care market.

Business Trends Indicate Strong 2004
Business for label manufacturers supplying the cosmetic/personal care market started slowly in 2003, but ended strong with all indicators looking positive for 2004.

“Labels for the cosmetic side are up overall, but labels for personal care products are up in even more,” said Elisha Trooper, president of New York City-based Prestige Label. “And 2004 is shaping up to be good. We’re doing more design work than ever as a lot of projects for redesigns that were on hold are being released,” Trooper said, adding, “And when companies redesign, they usually upgrade. There’s more risk-taking and people are feeling more confident.”

“Early in 2003, business was slow to steady, but the last six months have been sold out,” said Andy Farquharson, president of Dow Industries, Wilmington, MA. The company is marking 25 years as a supplier of pressure sensitive labels and business is so strong that “Dow has invested in three new presses,” Farquharson noted.

Marketers appear to be holding down packaging costs and inventories by purchasing blank containers and then differentiating various products with labels rather than using silk screened or sprayed containers, Farquharson explained. “Then you fill and label only what you need.”

Label Styling Is Simply Elegant
The most important change in label styling for cosmetic, fragrance and personal care products, according to Trooper, is a simplification of design combined with more expensive materials, resulting in more prestige looks. He said, “There’s a trend to using matte foil stamping and fewer graphics. An example is the packaging for the Olay line from Procter & Gamble that is very simple, but has an expensive look. More matte lamination is also being used for a more elegant presentation that focuses attention on the product.”

There is a trend away from traditional hot stamping and finding other ways to communicate luxury, according to Roy Palmer, vice president of Paris Art Labels, Ronkonkoma, N.Y. “There’s now a larger call for printing on hologram stock and lenticular printing is catching on in the HBA market,” Palmer said.

Frosted and suede looks are also popular lately, according to Holly Young, president of Hirschhorn & Young, New York.

“Many products are no longer being sold in boxes,” added Farquharson, “so the marketers are putting more effort into the label to tempt the consumer to pick up the product. Once it’s picked up, there’s an 80% likelihood that it will be purchased.”

Today, there’s more call for process printing over hot stamping—primarily gold—for a luxury look, according to Farquharson, who added, “It makes it more challenging because the inks have to adhere to the gold.”

Clear Film and Digital Printing—Perfect Together
The proliferation of new container shapes today is driving demand for new shapes in labels as well, according to Trooper. Because some of these new shapes would be especially difficult to silk screen, there is a movement to ultra-clear pressure sensitive labels, digitally printed with four, five and six color process. Trooper said, “You can get much sharper definition now with digital printing. You have to match the label material to the container for the right look, but using digital labels allows a marketer to maintain lower inventory of containers, because it can differentiate products in a line with digital labels using the same bottle, rather than making different bottles or containers for each item.”

Digital printing is definitely coming of age, agreed Palmer of Paris Art Label. “Quality and speed are improving dramatically. There’s no make ready/set up time and the quality is equal to offset in every way,” Palmer stressed.

“Beauty is a core business for us,” stated Dow’s Farquharson. “We concentrate on pressure sensitive labels, where we’ve seen a switch from letter press to flex and from water-based inks to UV inks. There’s a also been a big push to digital printing,” he said. “The most recent digital presses print in perfect registration and speeds have improved. Quality is now equal to 180 dpi and is equal to flexo. And because digital presses don’t use plates, there is no ‘make ready’ time and cost, making it cost effective for smaller volumes.”

Aveda uses Ampersand’s EasyTab extended text labels on these Brilliant hair care products.

Spear USA, headquartered in Mason, OH, has been active in printing since the early 1980’s. The company is a source of advanced technology in printing, hot stamping, holography and film development in the pressure-sensitive label market, according to Dan Muenzer, Spear’s marketing director. “We specialize in pressure sensitive, primarily clear film labels. Our system was developed for personal care products, the largest segment for us,” Muenzer said. “We supply national brands including Neutrogena and L’Oréal and are seeing lots of growth with our beauty customers. The biggest change is a conversion to clear film labeling. Once the investment is in place, the cost compared to silk screening or heat transfer decorating is much less. And graphically, you can do more as well. It is important to match the type of resin used in the bottle/container with the type of substrate and also the type of adhesive used.”

Advice from the Experts
Prestige advises potential customers to investigate the limits of label manufacturing before they develop a design that is impractical or unworkable. “They should find out from the suppliers of services and materials such basics as size and color limitations. Perhaps if they make the label 1/4 inch smaller, it could mean a huge savings, or they might get a similar effect using four-color process instead of custom color,” Trooper said. “We also advise a customer on materials. If they’re using a plastic bottle, we’d recommend a plastic film label because it will adhere better and breath with the bottle, avoiding wrinkles and peeling.”

There are a variety of substrates available that also make a difference. “There is a growing shift from paper to film. The split is now about 50/50,” Trooper explained. “Any product used around water should have a plastic film label. There has been an explosion in bath and body products that are using clear film labels,” he added.

Extended Text Labels Solve Space Shortage
In order to meet various regulations, brand marketers are having to use extended text or peel-back labels, even on prestige brands, according to Young of Hirschhorn & Young, a design firm that specializes in developing label solutions for its clients.

“More and more info is being required from the regulatory agencies in the U.S. and especially now in the European Union,” said Young. “This creates the need for more labeling space on packaging that is already filled, so therefore many companies are going to the extended text labels in some form or another.”

Young explained that the latest regulations that involve the U.S. cosmetics and personal care segments are for various active ingredients. “The majority of these products, including anti-perspirants, anti-dandruff, anti-acne and skin protectants, have been given a compliance date. But the real biggie is sunscreens and this is still waiting for the final, final, final monograph with a compliance date,” stressed Young.

The need for labels to carry information and instructions for use in more than one language is another complex issue, according to Young. She said, “The packaging is usually created based on the countries that the product is to be marketed in. As many countries have totally specific requirements, this first bit of information is critical as to what will have to be on the labeling. Once this is known, we work to fit all of the required information on first.”

Once the required information is on the label, there’s often no room left for attention-grabbing graphics and/or exciting sell copy. “That’s where the extended text/peel-back labels play an important part,” Young stated. “Using these types of labels, we can have more room to fit all the requirements and even make it look attractive. There is usually a lot of back and forth with design, marketing and the label vendor, getting the right mix of copy, legal requirements and the size and folds of the label. Today’s label manufacturers have come up with new materials and technologies so that there is now much more flexibility with these kinds of labels.”

Ampersand Label, Garden Grove, CA, specializes in producing extended text labels, offering ways to comply with FDA regulations for cosmetics, anti-perspirants and acne treatments, according to Paulette Carnes, company president. “It’s more cost effective to put an extended label on a product than to have to put the product in a box and add a booklet,” Carnes stressed. “We can develop a beautiful label that is also functional.”

Ampersand’s HBA business is showing a switch to extended text labels. Carnes noted, “In 2002, that business was about 15% extended labels/85% primary labels. In 2003, it’s up to 35% extended text labels. The business is split between cosmetics/personal care and pharmaceuticals. With cosmetics products, there are lower quantities but more SKUs. We use flexographic presses with UV inks for multiple webs or multiple plies.”

Aveda chose Ampersand’s EasyTab extended text labels for several of its Brilliant hair care products. The multi-language labels contain instructions for use in English, French, Spanish, German and Italian. Ampersand’s patented EasyTab format features a resealable upper label panel that provides access to multiple pages of information. The unique resealing area allows for multiple viewings by the consumer while maintaining new product integrity.

Flexibility is key at Paris Art Labels, according to Palmer, who said, “We do paper, foil, film, metallized film and pattern stock—everything, including extended text labels that are achieved in a number of ways. We can supply multi-webs secured in booklet form as small as 1/2 inch wide and 3 1/2 inches long with seven pages. There are also butterfly fold labels that fold out like wings and labels that peel to reveal another layer of text and then can be resealed. We develop an approach to suit each project.”

Logotech, Fairfield, NJ, developed its Hinge Label for hair care products, according to Leslie Gurland, vice president of marketing, in order to hold all the required information.

“The extended content label goes on the back of the bottle, and the front of the bottle has a clear label,” Gurland said. “The back label, 1 1/2 x 3 3/8-inches, peels up from the bottom right hand corner to reveal approximately 6 1/8-inches additional label space.

Logotech offers a peelable coupon (left) that leaves the package perfectly clean when it is removed, and extended text labels (right) that triple the space available for copy.

Labels Double as Coupons
Many products are now carrying instantly redeemable coupons, according to Carnes, which can be a peelable layer that is removed at checkout. “The cosmetic segment is also beginning to use multi-part labels on gift packs and as marketing tools. It can be a brochure that carries a guarantee and/or mail-in offers. When the consumer fills it out and mails it in, it gives the marketer a way to compile a mailing list of customers or demographic information,” said Carnes.

Logotech has developed a label that looks exactly like the face of the printed carton to which it is attached, according to Gurland. She noted, “It’s a peelable label/coupon that leaves the box in perfect condition when it is removed.”

North Star Printing Group, Watertown, CT, has also introduced a peelable dual-layer pressure sensitive label that is perfect for on-product promotions like coupons, rebates and contests, according to the company. The peelable label has three printable surfaces. Customers can print on the bottom label as well as both sides of the top label. Important information such as ingredients, bar codes and instructions remain on the product after the top label has been removed. The top label peels off cleanly with no adhesive residue, leaving the bottom label affixed to the product. North Star’s peelable labels are flexo printed and available in combinations of up to nine colors and coatings.

A New Approach for Tubes
Marketers expect label suppliers to bring them new ideas, according to Carl J. Archambeault, Logotech’s vice president of sales. The company has developed the Seal-Thru, a 360o tube label. “This is a label that can now be applied to a tube product container where the label extends all the way to the end of the crimped edge of the tube,” noted Archambeault. “The marketer gets to use almost 95% of the tube’s length, not counting the cap and opening. They can have a metallic looking label, without the graphics stopping .375 inches from the end of the tube.”

Sleever International supplies the shrink sleeve for Carolina Herrera’s 212.

Shrink Sleeve Labels Have It Covered
Shrink sleeves, plastic covers that fully enclose containers, are on the increase in the U.S. personal care market.

Sleeves are already popular in Europe where they are turning up on fragrance bottles as well as on various personal care products.

The French supplier, Sleever International, with offices in Paris, London, Barcelona, Toronto and São Paulo, has created shrink sleeves for fragrances including Carolina Herrera’s 212 On Ice, YSL’s Kouros, and two Issey Miyake summer fragrances. Carolina Herrera’s 212 On Ice is presented in an ice cube shaped twin shell case with a Sleever overwrap. The sleeve provides three color gravure printed decoration, as well as a means to hold the shells together, tamper-evidence and easy opening features.

Seal-it provides a clear, narrow band that keeps products clean, offers tamper evidence and can carry a bar code.

Seal-It, based in Farmingdale, NY, is a leading U.S. manufacturer, converter and printer of heat shrink PVC, PET-G and OPS films, specializing in printed shrink labels, heat shrink bands used for tamper-evidence and shrink sleeves for promotional multi-packs and other shrink products. The company offers rotogravure and modified flexographic printing in up to 10 colors. For those who need both a great label and tamper-evident protection, Seal-It’s combination label offers a full sleeve heat shrink label and tamper-evident band all in one. The consumer can open the shrink seal, remove the lid and the label remains on the container.

“A lot of companies are going to sleeves as a cost effective way to make an inexpensive container look prestige,” said Sharon Lobel, president and chief executive of Seal-It. A shrink sleeve gives 360 degrees of coverage and can be printed in vibrant colors, and/or have a frosted or silk screened effect.”

For small items such as lip sticks and eye brow pencils, Seal-It provides a clear, narrow band that is sealed over the item that keeps it clean, offers tamper evidence and carries a bar code to identify the product and price.

Seal-It can also provide a heat shrink sleeve/label for multi-pack promotions that holds the products together even as it draws attention on shelf. To maximize shelf appeal, the heat shrink sleeves can be printed in up to 10 colors in any design. Multi-packs are also used to add stability during shipment and to prevent in-store tampering.

SleeveCo Inc., Dawsonville, GA, worked with Yves Rocher to create a PVC shrink-sleeve for Pur Désir, a line of skin care products. The sleeve has a matte finish that would be difficult to produce on a plastic bottle. “We offer a way to create a look that mimics frosted or colored glass for a much lower cost,” said Jennifer Helms, marketing and sales development manager of SleeveCo. “The sleeves can have more vibrant colors and offer 360 degrees of decoration. The sleeve can also provide tamper evidence and a layer of UV resistance if desired.

SleeveCo’s shrink sleeves are made of PVC, PETG or OBS. SleeveCo promises that its sleeves are easily recycled.

While most projects come in with art work, SleeveCo. has an art department that can develop a design for customers. The customer sends in a sample of the bottle that will carry the sleeve so that the best sleeve material can be chosen for the container. A design is created that suits the container and the customer’s needs. Once approved, the sleeves are printed using a rotagravure process with as many as 11 colors and then folded and seamed. Easy Contract Labeling, a sister company to SleeveCo., is available to put the sleeves on the containers. “They adjust the system for each project so the label will shrink perfectly to the bottle,” said Helms. “Turn around time for projects from new artwork is six weeks or less and minimum volume is 50,000.

Labels Carry Scented Messages Too
Because fragrance is such an important factor in personal care products, the ability to provide the consumer with a way to experience the scent without opening (and often damaging) the package is desirable. Rub’nSmell Scented Varnishes by Scentisphere, Pleasantville, NY, is the latest development in adding scent to printed surfaces.

Rub’nSmell uses a technologically advanced form of micro-encapsulation, which, when added to print varnish, creates the most versatile scent sampling process ever, according to Bob Bernstein, president of Scentisphere.

“The varnish printed on the label or carton becomes an extremely stable multi-use sampling vehicle that is activated by a gentle rubbing action,“ said Bernstein. “Consumers will now be able to walk up and down store aisles and know what the product smells like without damaging the product or smelling up the store.”

Rub’nSmell uses a synthetic polymer capsule wall (FOLCOScent) that allows the fragrance capsule to survive the printing process without breakage. The combination of a stronger capsule wall and the hardened varnish creates a stable environment for the encapsulated fragrance oil, offering a very long shelf life and the ability to withstand temperature and moisture extremes.

Scentisphere has formed an exclusive alliance with Flint Ink, Ann Arbor, MI, to manufacture Rub’nSmell varnish worldwide. It is currently offered in water-based aqueous flexographic and offset varnish, and also in resin-based heat set and sheet fed offset forms.

Cost Effective In-Mold Labels
When it comes to durability, in-mold labels (IMLs) are hard to beat. “A mold has two halves,” explained Tom Vogt, vice president sales consumer products for Multi-Color Corp., Cincinnati, OH. “When the mold is open, a mechanical arm places the label in the correct position over a vacuum port that holds it in place. The mold closes and the plastic pours in and is pressed up against the walls of the mold. The back side of the label is either a thin film or an adhesive which reacts to the heat and plastic. The label becomes an integral part of the container,’ Vogt explained.

In-mold labels are being used for shampoo and conditioner bottles and other products in the personal care market. “The number one reason marketers go with in-mold labels is cost; number two is durability,” Vogt said. “We can make clear, metallic or opaque labels and can do foil stamping in any color on the labels before they are shipped to the molder. Volumes are from about 250,000 to millions of containers.”

Multi-Color also offers heat transfer labels (HTLs) following the acquisition in January 2003 of Avery Dennison’s Dec Tech facility, in Framingham, MA. Vogt noted, “We print the label graphics in special inks on a liner, which is applied to the container. The ink then bonds to the container for a ‘no label’ look. We have developed Clear Advantage for heat transfer which eliminates the waxy halo effect that used to surround the ink on the container.”

Vogt stressed that because Multi-Color offers the four major types of labels: pressure sensitive, shrink sleeve, heat transfer and in-mold, “We are an unbiased source of information. We can tell our customer the pluses and minuses of the different types of labels and give them what they need.”