World Wide Packaging has developed ‘bottle within a bottle’ packaging as well as jars available in a range of sizes for the skin care category, which is a growth market segment for the supplier.

Standout packaging, aggressive graphics, eye-popping colors and unique container shapes are vying for our attention everywhere, from upscale salons, spas and department stores to mass retail outlets and even our own powder rooms. In both the hair and skin care markets a thrust toward differentiation across all product segments and price points continues and a precarious economic backdrop has only added fuel to this fire.

“Because of the economy, the first thing people look at are new stand-apart packaging options,” explained Richard Sonnen, vice president, marketing for Drug & Cosmetic Sales Corp., a packaging component supplier selling an upscale line from its Delray Beach, FL headquarters. “This is even more important because products are being displayed on vanities and are not hidden away in cabinets anymore,” he said.

Another effect of the current economic situation is that suppliers are being asked to produce “just in time inventory” for increasingly cautious customers. According to Jenifer Brady, vice president, sales and marketing at Brad-Pak Enterprises, Garwood, NJ, “No one seems to hold on to a large inventory of products anymore. Everyone is watching their money.”

“The recent downturn in the economy has impacted the industry without a doubt,” agreed Kate Harrington, marketing manager for Custom Bottle, Naugatuck, CT. “Sometimes companies’’actions are not as obvious as canceling orders or shutting down plants. Their actions are often more subtle, for instance, budget cuts, squeezing suppliers for better prices and trying to get more packaging for less money,” she said.

CCL Aerosol offers aluminum containers in a variety of shapes, sizes and finishes.

Then There’s The Up Side
Despite a problematic global economy, many suppliers are maintaining an optimistic viewpoint, basing their confidence on the assumption that some hair and skin care products are somewhat recession-proof. One such company is Peerless Tube, a Bloomfield, NJ-based manufacturer. “The economy affects our business to some extent,” said Alex Siejk, the company’s national sales representative, “but a good product will always sell under any conditions.” Siejk also stressed the importance of differentiation. “Marketshare for new products is always the driving force for every company. Something new or a newly shaped container to set the line apart from the rest of the field is always the target.”

John Miller, vice president of sales for Harrisonburg, VA-based CCL Container-Tube Division, characterized the current market as “robust” with many new products in the developmental stage or test market. “We see many products being repackaged or resized for a new introduction and market promotion. There seems to be a renewed interest to promote brand names rather than to introduce an entirely new product line,” he said.

One company that has been pleasantly surprised by sales results this year is Medfield, MA-based Europack, a North American sales representative for several European packaging suppliers. “Market conditions are stronger now than we expected they would be one year ago,” explained Europack’s sales manager Mike Meyer. “Companies continue to launch new product lines and look for packaging ideas. Judging by the steady pace of orders and inquiries from marketers of hair and skin care brands, we believe American consumers are spending disposable income on beauty products at a healthy rate.”

Look At Me, Look At Me!
Whether the cause is a troubled economy or other complex market influences, the ongoing push toward product differentiation has gathered so much steam that what was once considered “unconventional” packaging is spreading from the teen market to mainstream and upscale arenas. “More than ever before, packaging is bright, colorful, multifunctional, crazy, shocking and surprising,” offered Custom Bottle’s Harrington. “There is some serious competition to jump off the shelves right now. Not just in the youth markets, where shocking or colorful was a prerequisite, but across the board,” she said.

David Seuss, vice president of label supplier Color Craft Label Company, Memphis, TN, explained “The cosmetic industry is seeing tremendous dollar amounts being spent on packaging design, and it is not just the big players. Now, more than ever, the smaller competitors are spending money on quality labels and custom packaging designs.”

“Customers in both the hair and skin care markets are asking for the potential to differentiate” concurred Bertrand Daru, marketing manager for Cebal Americas, Norwalk, CT. “In response to this demand, we offer five-color silk screening and a new 1-3/16 inch oriented dispensing cap with a shrink-sleeve.” To help customers make their mark, the company offers new packaging options in both hair and skin care.

Cosmetic Packaging Group, a division of O.Berk Company, is introducing a complete line of stand-up tubes or tottles available in HDPE natural or white with a soft-touch option.

“Brighter packaging colors help to brighten the consumer’s mindset and stand out on the shelf,” said Steven Nussbaum, director of marketing for Cosmetic Packaging Group/O.Berk Company, Union, NJ. “Hair/skin care products are both therapeutic and ‘feel good’ items. Consumers want more products that make them look younger; baby boomers are growing up.”

CCL-Tube’s Miller also acknowledged the influence of an aging consumer base. “Hair color continues to see expansion in all market areas due to several reasons. One is the aging of the marketplace and a desire to look youthful. The other is the youth market and their desire to be different using both colors as a highlight effect,” he said.

The Annabelle line is a collection of plastic bottles from DieterBakicEnterprises suitable for skin care and hair care products with a large surface for labels or decoration.

“In today’s Western culture, we are witnessing an aging population,” offered Peter Smorscek, communications manager for DieterBakicEnterprises (DBE), München, Germany. “This group will become an even more important and interesting consumer target group. It means that companies will have to keep or make their brands attractive for this group, or create new niche brands. It also means that the whole value creation chain will have to be adapted to the ‘young and dynamic’ elderly.”

CCL Container-Aerosol Division, a Hermitage, PA-based packaging supplier, is spotting similar trends. “Within the styling aids category, there is a trend toward very bold, innovative and highly stylized packaging for the 20-26 age group,” said Edward Martin, vice president of sales and marketing. He referred to brands such as TIGI and the Big Sexy Hair Company as examples of this movement. “What is unique is the fact that these bold statements are being made in the salon at least as much as at retail,” said Martin.

Kenzo-Kenzoki packaging by Techpack features Soft Touch finishes.

A Material World
As packaging trends go, Soft-Touch remains popular among plastic packaging materials. One packaging supplier specializing in Soft-Touch finishes is Techpack Decoplast, New York, NY, which offers both Adflex and Santoprene coatings. “With Soft-Touch packaging, design goes hand-in-hand with sensuality as visual and tactile sensations combine for the consumer’s pleasure,” explained Florence Bailly, Techpack’s executive director of sales.

Cris-Pak supplies jars from its ISO 9002-certified facility in Metuchen, NJ. “Our cosmetic and pharmaceutical products division has expanded its line of thick wall jars to include a full range of low profile jars,” commented Andrew Donofri, president and chief executive officer.

Thanks to improved quality and clarity, suppliers are continuing to reap the benefits of PET as a safe, cost-effective material that delivers the upscale look of glass.

“Most of our customers seem to be gravitating toward these PET jars and phasing out the standard glass jars they have used for years,” said Brad-Pak’s Brady. With advancements in technology, PET can be virtually any color, either solid or translucent.

Another company attracting attention with clear packaging choices is World Wide Packaging, Florham Park, NJ, a supplier that has historically been more involved in the color cosmetics market (where 70% of sales are generated) than skin care (representing 30% of revenue). The company is making an effort to develop its skin care business through a growing customer base and an expanding product line. “Skin and hair care are slowly growing areas for us,” commented company president, Jeffrey Schneider, who predicted that this will be the biggest growth area for WWP in 2003. “It will even surpass our color business by 2004/2005. These things take time, but the market is huge and we have clients that we are already selling to. This is just a natural fit for us,” he said.

World Wide Packaging expects its new “baseball” jar to be a hit in personal care.

World Wide Packaging has introduced the “baseball jar,” which includes an acrylic cover and base and resembles a baseball. The new design, which can be metallized, has been successful for hair care and is now being promoted for skin care applications. Featuring a smooth top and cover, it is a container that is unique, handy and fun. “One of the bigger worldwide brands is launching the new jar by early November,” said Schneider.

In addition to its acrylic offerings, WWP offers new lotion pumps with new applicators as well as a number of different size PETG bottles with a variety of orifice opening sizes. Another hot packaging idea from the company is the “bottle within a bottle” concept, which is a PETG bottle inside an acrylic bottle. The upscale innovation targets the prestige skin care market, particularly lotion and astringent applications. The outer bottle can be clear while the translucent inner bottle can be tinted.

Transparency is also playing a role in outer packaging, where multi-layered materials such as colored transparent plastic and cardboard are combined to achieve interesting effects. “We believe that secondary packaging is becoming more and more important,” commented DBE’s Smorscek. Another trend is fully transparent outside packaging, in the form of clear-folding boxes. “This additional transparent outside packaging has many advantages. To the designer, it opens up new perspectives for creativity. For the marketer, it’s a good way to make a difference in packaging other brands,” he explained.

An Ally in Aluminum
Metallization, particularly in silver hues, continues to ride a wave of demand in health and beauty aid product packaging. While satin silver has been popular for several years, shiny silver has also gained momentum. Metal or metallized components include overshells for the bottle, cap and actuators.

CCL’s Tube Division continues to innovate using aluminum and laminate tubes with new base materials, inks and hot stamping to give the product a different look and market appeal. “In addition we have seen old standard materials used in new ways to attract market and product attention,” said CCL’s Miller. “We also see a renewed interest in high-resistance materials and coatings for products that have been unable to be packaged in tubes due to stability issues,” he said.

CCL’s aerosol cans, available in a range of sizes and shapes, are a popular choice in the hair care and skin care categories.

At CCL-Aerosol, the aluminum monobloc container is the preferred aerosol package for personal care and hair styling aids worldwide. “Aluminum cans can be decorated in many different ways to create unique metallic looks. We eventually see cans made from aluminum alloy having a greater place in the aerosol container market,” he said. Martin added that there are some cost opportunities that will drive this trend.

On the hair care front, Europack has seen growth in two-piece tins for applications including pomades and sculpting gels. “There is so much plastic out there, and marketers are looking for points of difference on the store shelf,” commented Meyer. “With the proper internal coating, you can turn a shoe-polish tin into a funky package for sculpting wax. Our straight-side aluminum screw-top cans are also used for a range of hair gels by Schwarzkopf in Germany,” he said.

In the skin care area, Meyer pointed to the popularity of aluminum tubes for both skin care products and color cosmetics. “Using the most modern offset presses available, aluminum tubes can now be printed with up to six colors plus a base lacquer,” he explained. According to Meyer, another area of growth is the high end skin care market with oxygen-sensitive skin creams containing retinol and vitamin C-based formulations. “Aluminum tubes are a natural choice, thanks to their excellent barrier properties and cost-effectiveness.”

Airless & Other Innovations
One key technological innovation from a dispensing point of view is the airless system for bottles and jars. Designed for use with preservative-free formulas, the technology dispenses products without air contamination. 3C Inc., Hawthorne, NJ, which sells bottles, tubes and jars, supplies a range of airless spray or lotion containers used for hair and skin care applications. “Recent packaging trends include more use of tottles and airless containers,” stated Lou Della Pesca, president. He added that airless dispensers are now available in a larger range of sizes. “These trends are being driven by new product formulations and convenience of use. Consumer awareness is driving highly technical product introductions and there is a growing demand and interest from both men and women in hair and skin.”

The Mercury flip-top cap fits all DBE treatment packages.

In the skin care arena, Pfeiffer GmbH, Radolfzell, Germany, has introduced a product featuring side actuation in 30 and 50 ml product formats. “The development of these types of products is being driven by the necessity of differentiation and better ergonomics,” commented Andrea Vollmer, marketing manager. She added that growth in cosmetic gels and lotions is also stemming from new ingredients and and applications.

At DBE, innovation has come in the form of Mercury, a flip-top cap, which is designed to fit all its treatment packaging while being elegant and ergonomic. The company has also turned its Laurie packaging line into a complete product line for skin and hair care, featuring plastic and glass bottles and jars in a variety of sizes (15 200 ml). DBE’s Annabel bottle offers a large decoration area suitable for labeling.

‘Customized Without Cost’
Despite impressive advances in the design, shape, technology and materials for hair and skin care packaging, cost remains a major roadblock to further innovation. “We clearly see a customer desire to be able to differentiate their products without adding cost to the package,” offered CCL Aerosol’s Martin. “A succinct way of saying it would be ‘Customized without Cost.’ That’s certainly a challenge requiring a lot of thought. Differentiation can be difficult without the cost element.”

For CCL-Aerosol, one key approach to keeping costs down while adding value was enhancing the printing capabilities of its impact extrusion lines over the past few years. The company considers this to be an effective way to create additional value and differentiation without adding a lot of cost. In 2002, CCL-Aerosol introduced Sparkle Flake Overvarnish, which was developed to meet requirements for enhanced metallic looks.

Edison, NJ-based Toly Products also has an eye on keeping costs down and value high. The company offers skin care product packaging consisting of heavy-walled jars in clear and colors and a special pump package. “Currently all customers are searching for value,” commented Jerry Sapienza, president. “This includes both the cosmetic houses we sell to and their ultimate customers. We need to provide interesting packaging at affordable prices.”

Another company working hard to dress up packaging without adding cost is NorthStar Print Group, Watertown, WI. In conjunction with label specialist Avery Dennison, the company has recently launched new clear film in-mold labels that provide a quality look and are an economical alternative to pressure sensitive labels. Designed to offer a “no label” look, the new labels are a cost effective alternative to clear pressure sensitive labels on HDPE containers, according to Terry Fowler, NorthStar’s marketing services manager, who said, “Clear film in-mold labels eliminate image issues like bubbles and wrinkling, so users get the quality look they want on every container.”