To Protect and Sell

Serving as a marketing tool and as a protective outer shell, secondary packages fill two roles.

By Christine Esposito

Secondary packaging’s primary role is to protect the product inside, but in many cases, it helps sell that product too. With thousands of products in the beauty industry competing for consumer attention and dollars, packaging that falls short can’t be tolerated.

“Secondary packaging has a job of primary importance—it needs to protect the product, communicate the legally mandated product information, deliver the brand image and in two seconds or less, it needs to capture the eye and the heart of the consumer,” says Camilla Taft, business development manager for the cosmetic sales division of Tri-Plex Packaging located in New York City.  

John Frieda Luminous Color Glaze is the industry’s first at-home salon-glazing hair product. Kao Brands chose AGI/Klearfold’s InSight secondary packaging to showcase the primary package and help the product stand out on the shelf.

Todd Waxgiser, national accounts manager at Keene Valley, NY-based J.L. Clark, agrees. “You must create packaging that the consumer cannot live without. Sure, they love the product and use the product. But it is the secondary packaging that may get them to purchase the product sooner than they normally would.”

In an ever-more crowded marketplace, secondary packaging — be it plastic, metal or paperboard — needs to showcase, mimic or enhance the primary package, the brand or the company’s overall image.  Executives Beauty Packaging spoke with offered insight into ways companies can create visually appealing and functional secondary packaging that can help their products shine on the shelf.

According to Paul Morris, director of sales for AGI/Klearfold, when Kao Brands needed  eye-catching packaging that would allow its innovative John Frieda Luminous Color Glaze to stand out among all the tubes and bottles in the hair care aisle, it selected InSight Visual Packaging. This patent-pending packaging system combines printed plastic or paperboard sleeves and injection molded end caps with a unique locking feature. The result, according to Morris, is a package that is beautiful and supports the brand’s image as well as the emerging image of Kao Brands as a premium beauty care company.

According to Waxgiser, companies looking for high-powered secondary packaging will always look to tins. “A decorative tin offers a lasting packaging that keeps selling long after the initial purchase is made,” he says.

Improvements in metal decorating have taken tins to new heights. “In the past it was good enough to just have a decorated tin. Nowadays, the designs have embossing, debossing and the use of metallic designs,” notes Waxgiser, who said technological advancements such as computer-to-plate technology have decreased errors when printing while upping customers’ satisfaction levels.

Companies can also turn to specialized materials to achieve desired effects that can lure consumers. Current options include UV inks and coatings that can produce a high gloss, almost wet look, as well as metallized papers, holographic or prismatic films and foil stamping.

Along those lines, when Beiersdorf was creating the secondary packaging for its new Nivea bodyline, it called for blue and white pearlescent coating and silver hot stamping. MeadWestvaco’s Crescendo premium coated paperboard was chosen as the substrate because of its aesthetic properties and uniformity, according to the company.  

Getting Sensual

Secondary packaging is not only more visually appealing than ever before, it is also more sensual, as companies are paying closer attention to how a package will feel in the consumer’s hand. Aesthetic features designed to produce visual impact or surface enhancements designed to create a unique tactile experience can help a brand “owner break through the clutter,” according to Andy Luke, senior marketing director, packaging, at MeadWestvaco – Packaging Resources Group.   

Beiersdorf selected Crescendo coated paperboard for its new Nivea body line.

“Brand owners recognize that a consumer’s experience with their product begins well before he or she uses it,” says Luke. “The moment a consumer sees the product on the shelf or picks up the package is an opportunity to create an impression or build brand identity.  Packaging that supports the brand at these initial touch points can create huge advantages.” For example, Luke says by reversing the paperboard and using the non-clay coated side as the exterior surface, companies can achieve a different look and create a different tactile experience for the consumer.  

On a functional level, suppliers of secondary packaging are working hard to answer customer demands in areas such as materials reduction and product security.     

MeadWestvaco reports increased demand for printing on the inside of the carton — allowing companies to avoid using inserts — as well as a desire to reduce the overall package weight. In addition, some customers want to eliminate internal fluting, which is putting new demands on package performance.

Product and brand security remain growing concerns for consumer and luxury goods companies. Firms are always looking for packaging that can work in concert with other measures to reduce the threat of counterfeit goods. According to Luke, cost effective solutions are multi-layer, involving security measures in board, printing and other converting processes. And as an alternative to hard to open blisters or thermoformed clamshell packaging, MeadWestvaco offers Natralock, a plastic protective clamshell packaging that is a predominantly paperboard package. The company contends it lets consumers in, but keeps thieves out.

Picking the Right Package — and Partner

Packaging executives are quick to note the importance of looking beyond the basic price of the secondary packaging.  They say selecting the right package — and packaging supplier — are critical to success.    

“[Companies] want the most bang for their buck,” says Waxgiser. “It is not just about a can. It is about the right can that makes the right statement before the consumer picks it up.”

Beauty companies also must consider how a package will be displayed.  “You want the majority of the can doing the selling with as much surface pointing up and out toward the consumer,” Waxgiser says, adding that companies need to allot ample time for the entire project.  “The most important thing is having enough time—that is time to think things through to ensure you are making the best decision.”  

According to Tri-Plex, the best supplier will offer peace of mind.  “At the end of the day, a supplier needs to deliver security. When the goods hit the delivery dock, there should be no surprises,” says Taft. “Customers should be spending their time on product issues, not vendor issues or vendor limitations that require more of their time.”

Lastly, find a secondary packaging company that will deliver, says Morris. “Beauty companies should collaborate with secondary packaging supplier that have a proven track record of innovation, creativity and design excellence—in other words suppliers that have the ability to execute their vision and to create packaging that successfully supports their brands.”