Teens will spend a little extra on niche brand items with a must-have sensibility, such as Urban Decay’s Pocket Rocket lipgloss. Created with HCT, gorgeous male hunks appear to undress when the pack is moved—and the ink used to print the logo releases pheromones when rubbed.

Bringing Beauty Value to Youth

Mass beauty brands have stepped up packaging designs, taking their cues from high-end products because, with today’s savvy young consumers, value per dollar is key to sales at any price.

By Jamie Matusow, Editor

A day spa in Brooklyn, NY, offers services for infants to 12 year olds. Beauty treatments include everything from a $10 baby manicure-pedicure (“purely decorative, no cutting, trimming or filing of nails”) to a $20 chocolate facial and a $25 evening hairstyle. Plastic surgery is on the rise for kids under 20 looking for plumper lips, smoother skin and straighter noses. Alternatively, topical anti-aging products are becoming synonymous with teens’ definition of healthy.

One of the greatest effects of the “kids getting older younger” phenomenon, according to a March 2009 Euromonitor report, is that this generation is becoming more interested in their appearance at a younger age.

As young beauty consumers (and in some cases, their parents acting on their behalf) continue to aspire up, the lines between age groups blur. “If marketing to those in their 20s,” advises Adriann Fonstein, consumer strategist for AMP Agency, a division of Alloy Media + Marketing,“consider that you’re marketing to teens; when marketing to teens, consider tweens, and right on down the line.”

Avon, Maybelline and Cover Girl are three brands that rise to the top in every teen cosmetics category, according to AMP. Shown here, Cover Girl’s double-value AmazeMint is a lipgloss and a breath freshener.

Doug Akin, managing partner, Mr. Youth, a social marketing agency in New York, NY, concurs. “In beauty, I think teens tend to want to age up with their products,” he says. “Teens want to be adults, so if they can afford the adult product, they will go after it. However what they want, they can’t always afford, so there are brands that are built with the teen consumer in mind, like Mark, which has connected well with a younger audience.” Akin says a line extension that has a youthful personality and packaging can sometimes deliver what the master brand failed to strike a chord with. (In this case however, Mark and Avon are both popular choices; according to AMP, Avon, Maybelline and Cover Girl are three brands that consistently rise to the top in every cosmetics category with this age group.)

Tweens and teens, of course, says Akin, are going to look for value, but there is also a “badge value” to owning certain brands. “If your brand has that must-have sensibility,” he says, “teens will likely nag their parents for it, and they may put up the extra dollars. But if you are a me-too brand, then they will probably have little loyalty and go with a more affordable option, possibly generic beauty and personal care brands.”

Cutbacks on Spending

According to Alloy, teens comprise a $175 billion consumer market. While their demographic is large, their individual beauty purchases can be relatively small. Fonstein cites a 2008 Teen Mark survey that reports, on average, 12-18 year old girls spent less than $50 in the last six months on cosmetics and personal care. However, like Akin, Fonstein notes that parents are often picking up the tab on teen purchases.

Like everyone else, teens are cutting back on purchases due to the recession. “They’re saving more and spending less on discretionary items,” says Rebecca McQuigg, trend analyst with The Intelligence Group (the company that produces The Cassandra Report, a Gen X and Gen Y lifestyle study). Recent data from the report’s “Recession Special” update, shows that 50% or more of all 14-18-year-olds are spending less on clothing, music, beauty items, electronics and entertainment than they were three months ago.

Sephora’s Color Play Palette offers 10,000 combinations in a “clean graphic layout that communicates quality design and good value.”

Nancy Trent, president of Trent & Company, Inc., New York, NY, notes, however, that more teens have credit cards and says that the percentage of money they spend on beauty products over clothes is growing, and that they are even frequenting spas more often.“Reaching teens is more difficult than adults,” says Trent, “but it can be a more productive long-term investment in new business.” Most kids today, she says, are getting their information online in social networks and through word-of-mouth—all tools that can teach them about the benefits of products. “They talk in ‘real time’ through mobile content networks like Facebook or Twitter, says Trent. “They are looking for knowledge, not information, and they want it texted and on YouTube. They also need to see video. Words and pictures don’t give them the full story. Teens want to be educated in their communication.”

“Teenage consumers today are definitely savvier than they have been in the past,” adds McQuigg. “They’re aware that they have lots of options and that marketers are attracted to them like moths to a flame. As a result, their ‘what have you done for me lately?’ mentality has only been magnified by current economic conditions.”

Packaging Style

At present, young girls are tending toward a minimal look in makeup, and this is carrying over to packaging as well. “Teens used to buy products that made them look older,” says Trent. “Now they want products that make them look healthy. Their preference went from glitter to natural. They want products for strong lashes, clear skin, rosy cheeks, moistened lips and shiny hair.”

Marianne Rosner Klimchuk, associate chairperson, Brand Packaging Design Department, Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, concurs: “Although they don’t want what their mothers wear, they also are not as attracted to the ‘bling’ look of the recent past. They have a more sophisticated sense of themselves and are attracted to packaging designs that convey this sensibility with a light, clean style.”

Klimchuk says the Sephora brand is a clear example of the trend in packaging style. “Their lines of products from the Ultimate Palette to their lip colors depict the products in a clean, graphic layout that communicates quality design and good value.”

Another packaging trend shows itself in a transparent nature. Packaging doesn’t necessarily have to be pretty [to gain attention],” says Fonstein of AMP. Newer trends such as showing the brush or applicator are popular. Tools are more technologically advanced—so show the tool or tube and the texture,” she advises. “Expose the product so consumers know what they’re getting.”

Mass Upgrades

Like their parents, while teens are cutting back, when they do spend, they want innovation and added value in their purchases. Rebecca Goswell, global creative director for HCT Packaging, says they may even be willing to pay a little more for better products with a more engaging story—which may be why Goswell says she has noticed an up-market shift in mass brands, “which are surprisingly seeing a drop in sales as the economy worsens.

Rexam’s Illusion lacquering technique can make teen brands “pop” on shelf.

“We are finding that the mass brands are taking their inspiration from the higher end/niche brands, which have historically been the ones with the flexibility to innovate,” says Goswell. She says HCT has been advising its mass customers, especially, that in order to keep current, they have to give their customers more value for the money even if the costs creep up a little, rather than concentrate on discounting and compromising by cheapening the packaging.

Norbert de Jong, worldwide marketing director, Rexam Personal Care Division, Suresnes, France, has also noticed the trend in mass, but in a slightly different way than Goswell. “What we see,” he says, “is the global upgrading of mass product packaging and the increasing desirability of mass market products in these times of economic challenge.” He says the technologies, look and feel of prestige personal care products are very desirable to all consumers, even youngsters, and they have come to expect certain levels of packaging performance from their favorite brands, even in mass markets.

Rexam has focused on packaging solutions for kids, tweens and teens, “all [markets] which hold tremendous potential,” he says. These segments, in particular, he says, require innovative, fun-to-use, eye-catching solutions in order to capture the consumer’s attention. “And the good news,” says de Jong, “is that while parents may cut back on incremental purchases for themselves, they continue to spend on personal care products for their kids.” Teens and tweens, he says, have had their discretionary spending pinched a bit, but they still spend.Today, they are looking for brands that deliver lots of fun-per-dollar and make them feel like they’re making intelligent purchasing decisions. “Products have to be hip, stylish and fun,” adds de Jong, “but value is a much bigger driver.”

Packaging to Go

One key youth trend Rexam has been working with is that of portability. De Jong says the company first noted the trend toward what it calls “nomadism” several years ago, particularly for the tween market. “For example, those in this age group love to ‘wear’ their brands—display the actual product—on their backpack, dangling from their cell phone, belt, key chain, etc.” He says that’s how Rexam came to develop the Sof’Cell sampler package.

Charms, too, add to the youthful desire to accessorize by wearing brands. “The youth demographic likes to personalize everything they do,” says Scott Kestenbaum, vice president marketing for the Maesa Group. “In designing and producing packaging marketed toward this group, we often employ materials and decorating techniques that are fun, interactive, and engaging. For example, we’ll incorporate charms on the package, which can be removed and worn as accessories.”

Rocket in Your Pocket

Portability, personalization and added value have also been key trends for both youth and older consumers at HCT over the last few years, says Goswell. Shapes have become more pocket-friendly. She cites Bare Essentials’ Flow-Through Brush, as well as “an increased interest in shapes and forms with quirky personality”—such as Guerlain Tajine Eyeshadow, and Lancome’s Lotus Splendor—“items to be treasured and increasingly, to be refilled.”

Maesa Beauty’s private label line for Wet Seal combines a fresh, fashionable look with a low price so it’s easily affordable by young value shoppers.

Nothing could be quirkier or more pocket friendly—or attract more teen attention—than HCT’s latest innovative launch for Urban Decay—the Pocket Rocket Lipgloss. HCT’s creative team worked with the internal development team at Urban Decay, headed by Wende Zomnir and Amy Zunzunegui, to develop this lighthearted yet revolutionary lipgloss. The Pocket Rocket packaging features clever lenticular images of eight hunks, each with a name and brief bio, who, with a flick of the wrist, miraculously lose the majority of their clothes. Not only is the sleek PCTA bottle designed to be as streamlined as possible to slip into back pockets, the ink used to print the logo was impregnated with pheromones, which are released to give a flirty, feel-good vibe when rubbed. The eight highly pigmented shades of gloss each vary in texture and opacity, and all contain high-tech hyaluronic spheres to moisturize and plump up lines for a perfectly conditioned pout—no cosmetic procedures needed.

Color Attraction

Color also acts as an effective hook to attract young consumers. Mr. Youth’s Akin says tween females tend to be drawn toward packaging that “comes alive with color for personal care products (Herbal Essence), and more sophisticated, modernized packaging designs for beauty (MAC).” Today’s teens/tweens, he says, want products that make a statement about them and show off their personality, and the ability to personalize and customize. “Ultimately,” says Akin, “you need a product that will stand out on the shelves, have a modern look and feel that appeals to the iPod generation: sleek and sexy with a straightforward message on the package (like Neutrogena Wave).”


Maesa Beauty’s new cosmetics line for Wet Seal, the trendy fashion youth retailer, pops with color and gives tween and teen girls real bang for their buck. The Urban Vibe line features compacts, loose eyeshadow, lipgloss and nail polish, all of which provide a higher end look in a private label line, and retail between $2.50-$6.

“Wet Seal asked us to create a graphic aesthetic that was funky, flirty, and eye-catching,” says Ludovic Berton, Maesa designer. “We presented them with a concept revolving around neon lights that they felt perfectly embodied the Urban Vibe brand. The light painting abstract was modern, vibrant and colorful. We decided to print on a metallic foil to amplify the intensity of the effect.”

Sustainable Investments

All youth marketing agencies and packaging suppliers I spoke with for this article emphasized the growing interest in eco-friendly packaging and practices amongst this demographic.

Here, Goswell of HCT again mentions the trickle-down effect from prestige to mass brands. She says sustainable packaging in this market segment is still small, “but the potential is absolutely massive.” While niche brands such as Cargo and Urban Decay have been able to explore more exotic materials such as bamboo and PLA, Goswell says mass brands with their million-piece orders, costs and technical constraints have had to sit on the sidelines. “The good news,” she says, “is that it’s becoming more accessible.”

Goswell refers to Almay’s new paperboard line made with a high percentage of post consumer recycled materials (for more info, please go to nitesh_bp.rodpub.com/articles/2009/05/
sustainable-packaging-new-strides-strategies) as a sustainable success in the mass market. HCT is investing in a new line of stock PET refillable compacts and jars that will disassemble and
recycle domestically along with soda bottles.

While organic products appeal to teens and tweens, Akin of Mr. Youth says the brand must
be truly invested in this space from product to packaging—such as with Origins. He adds that with online merchants, specialty stores like Sephora and small entrepreneurial brands,
teens are faced with more beauty choices than ever before. “Couple that with the surge in
gossip mags and everyone wanting to look like their favorite celebrity,” he says, “teens’ options have grown, and they are being introduced at a much younger age to style and beauty. This said, they are likely more mature than you think. They can likely spot BS quicker than you can.”