The celebrity fragrance trend isn’t showing any signs of slowing—but this year, there seems to be more niche brands, retailers, artisan perfumers and even watchmakers launching fragrances, and they’re taking a different approach to package design.  

“With thousands of fragrance launches every year, the bar of excellence is constantly being raised. This applies to technical aspects as well as package design and decorative features, which must all come together to tell a compelling story,” says Sheherazade Chamlou, vice president of sales and marketing, SGD North America.

The “story” a design tells is often key to a fragrance having staying power.

 A Return to Elegance?

Some of the fragrance packaging designed for recent launches, especially celebrity and fashion designer brands, has been a little too “gimmicky in recent years,” experts say.  Is “elegance” coming back as a design trend, for fragrance launches in 2014?

“Much as I would like to agree, I don’t think that ‘elegance’ is coming back as a major trend–at least not for mainstream fragrances,” says Marc Rosen, renowned package designer and member of Beauty Packaging’s board of advisors. (ED NOTE: Please also see Rosen’s article in this issue.)

Jonathan Needham, president, Derxin USA, agrees, but also says that perhaps the design trends that were driven by the celebrity fragrances, which include a few ‘tricked-out’ bottles and bizarre caps, have peaked. “We’ve seen many unique glass and cap designs as well as the use of unique decorating techniques” he says “but now I am seeing more brands returning to designs that look simple and elegant’ to convey the prestige image to consumers,”  he explains.

SGD’s Chamlou says sophisticated designs are becoming more popular. “We’re seeing more bottles that look luxurious, with heavy caps for a premium feel,” she explains.

Rosen’s design philosophy is to tell a story through a package’s design—a story about the fragrance itself, to create a connection with the user. “Unfortunately, many of the fragrances being launched by major brands are in bottles that are still being adorned with all sorts of  ‘chachkas.’ These designs have nothing at all to do with what’s inside the bottle, or the brand,” says Rosen.

However, smaller brands have major opportunities right now, according to Rosen. “The market for fragrances is strong. Many women are shopping at private perfumeries, and there is a real opportunity for entrepreneurs to be more creative in their designs, because niche brands have the ability to do things differently,” he explains. “And I’d love to see more elegance,” he adds.

Elegant Color for a ‘Fragrance Wardrobe’

The new Diana Vreeland Parfums collection, which is launching in September 2014, pays homage to the late, great fashion editor, and is all about elegance—like one of her infamous quotes: “The only real elegance is in the mind; if you’ve got that, the rest really comes from it.”  

Rather than launch one scent, Vreeland’s grandson, Alexander Vreeland, president/CEO of Diana Vreeland Parfums, chose to launch a collection of five—which is in line with Vreeland’s belief that a woman should have a fragrance for every mood, like a “wardrobe” of scents.

The rectangular bottle is an iconic bottle shape from the 1920s, according to the brand, recreated in bold colors, which look striking when lined up side-by-side. The bottle’s extra tall cap is a reference to the way Vreeland exaggerated proportions while styling her fashion shoots. A tassel hangs on the bottle’s neck.

The collection includes: Extravagance Russe in a rich amber-colored bottle, which contains ambers and resins; Absolutely Vital is orange, with woods and rose absolute; Perfectly Marvelous is Vreeland’s signature red, featuring jasmine blended with cashmere woods; Outrageously Vibrant is pink, with cassis, rose and patchouli; and Simply Divine is purple—and described as “an ode to the tuberose flower.”

Fabien Baron, founder of Baron & Baron, designed the packaging. The bottles are described as encompassing Vreeland’s classic elegance and her “imaginative color-imbued world.” IFF created each of the scents, and France Lab manufactured the products. Brosse produced the vibrantly colored glass bottles.

Vintage Inspirations

J.Crew just launched its first fragrances in August—and since the retailer’s expertise lies in selling a lifestyle “story,” there’s a detailed tale behind the scents.  J.Crew’s two new fragrances are named No. 31 and No. 57, and were inspired by a different time and place—specifically, January 5, 1943.

The fragrance names were inspired by the first all-female modern art show in the U.S. that took place that day, called, “Exhibition by 31 Women” – on East 57th Street. The show was curated by Peggy Guggenheim at New York’s Art of This Century Gallery.

Carlos Huber, founder of the niche fragrance company Arquiste, developed the fragrances and designed the packaging. Huber chose double wall bottles, and says he wanted to make sure they would exude “quality.”

“I was looking for a style similar to the features of the bottles I use in my own Arquiste collection—stark, yet beautiful. The bottle I chose has a nice heavy base, well-made glass and elegant proportions,” explains Huber. “This bottle makes the juice inside stand out,” he adds. The caps are metal, and have an engraved “A” on top, to connect them to the Arquiste brand.   

J.Crew’s vintage fragrance packaging “story” continues with the juice—its notes are a throwback to the aromatic cocktails and perfumes of the 1940s. No. 31 has notes of red vermouth, eau-de-vie accord, Bulgarian rose, damson plum, patchouli and oak moss; No. 57 contains aged whiskey, cinnamon bark, oak wood, cedar wood, labdanum and vanilla. They were developed exclusively for J.Crew by Huber in collaboration with Rodrigo Flore-Roux and Yann Vasnier.

Fossil went with the year 1954 as its inspiration—and the name of its new fragrances, which also launched in August, in conjunction with the watchmaker’s 30th anniversary.   

1954 for Men is housed in a smoky amber glass bottle. It’s a woody oriental, reminiscent of the brand’s leather accessories. 1954 for Women is in a clear glass bottle, and includes notes of mandarin, grapefruit, cedar, white amber and bamboo.

The matching square, heavyweight bottles were inspired by the shape of vintage decanters from the 1950s and ’60s. The glass is decorated with patterns inspired by mid-century glass. The oval-shaped caps resemble wood.

“Using natural materials, such as wood, can help a brand to convey “elegant luxury,” but it’s also a sustainable material,” says Angel Pujolasos Jr., project manager, Pujolasos Wood Packaging. “We use certified sustainable wood,” he explains. Pujolasos is a third generation family-run company that specializes in packaging, including caps made from wood.  

Selling ‘Stories’

Other fragrance brands are also inspired by vintage elements—and they’re also offering women, and men, lots of options.

The Spadaro Luxury Fragrances collection was created by Kim Spadaro, and each scent is inspired by her travels around the globe. The personal connection Spadaro has with each place also inspired the designs on the decorative labels—and the “stories” are described on the brand’s website.

The brand just launched its fourth fragrance, Beso Del Mar, which means Kiss of the Sea. It was inspired by Las Ventanas in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico—more specifically, a sunset over the Sea of Cortez. The bottle is decorated with an illustration based on designs used on Mexican pottery. The fragrance contains notes of lime, agave, driftwood, musk and hibiscus.  

The fifth fragrance is scheduled to debut in 2015. It’s called Kasmarin, meaning “fall in love” in Javanese, a language Spadaro learned while travelling in Bali. Spadaro sells at Nordstrom in the U.S., and is on the way to becoming a more global brand; the collection will soon be available in South Africa, Russia, and The Middle East.

Indie brand Sweet Anthem is also building its image on storytelling. Meredith Smith is the founder, perfumer, and graphic designer for the craft perfumery based in Seattle, Washington, where it runs a custom DIY fragrance bar. The minimalist packaging is “a nod to the Victorian era perfumes and sundries, with a bit of an apothecary vibe.”

Smith describes Sweet Anthem as “bottled stories you can wear on your skin,” and most of her fragrances are named after a character in a classic book. New scents are launched seasonally. Lolita launched this past spring, and it’s a musky aldehydic floral named after the Vladimir Nabokov novel. Ella, named after the fairy tale, Cinderella, was one of the new fragrances that launched in July. Its notes include agar wood, black tea, lavender base and pumpkin.

Sweet Anthem offers nearly three dozen fragrances, which include six for men—all in various formats. Shoppers can choose from a 10- or 30ml eau de parfum in a round glass bottle with an atomizer; a perfume oil with a rollerball applicator; or solid scents in a frosted, oval shaped twist-up stick package.   

Customizing Stock Bottles, Elegant Decorations

As niche brands strive to offer consumers more fragrance options, choosing to use the same bottle shape is the most cost-efficient choice, but there are also aesthetic benefits. The same bottle shape will create a uniform look, delivering visual impact on shelf.   

Choosing a stock bottle allows Sweet Anthem to offer its customers a large number of options. “I don’t think modern fragrance users want to find a ‘signature’ scent—they want one for every mood,” says Smith. “I had always hoped to be able to offer an immense catalog of all my favorite inspirations and scents, but I didn’t realize the overhead I was getting myself into. Streamlining the packaging, and choosing a simple bottle shape has helped enable us to create as many fragrance options as possible, while keeping our bottom line in check,” she explains.

Kim Spadaro says she chose to use the same bottle for all the fragrances in her brand because she wanted to make sure the “juice” was the star.  “I like the uniform look of having the same bottle, when all of the fragrances are lined up. I didn’t want your eye to be distracted. That’s my take on design—simple—to showcase the perfume inside the bottle,” she explains. “The different label patterns add a visual element that looks elegant, giving each fragrance its own identity,” she adds.

Spadaro worked with Skaggs Design in New York City to create the initial label designs. She chose a square glass bottle with a round cap that has an extra-long collar, which enables it to fit perfectly and securely on the bottle.

To find the perfect stock bottle shape, Spadaro visited ABA Packaging’s showroom in Holtsville, New York, before launching her collection five years ago.

“We had never met, but I remember that I agreed to pick Kim up in the city,” says Michael Warford, national sales director, ABA Packaging. After spending the day with Warford, Spadaro found the bottle she wanted, and a pump that fit.

“Kim was able to combine the bottle with the right cap and labels, to create a very elegant brand identity,” says Warford. “She was able to order the bottle in smaller quantities, and we have been able to accommodate quick reorders,” he explains. “Building relationships is important—and we love to work with entrepreneurs,” he adds.   

SGD’s Chamlou agrees that customizing a stock bottle often leads to a great design—and is the ideal for any brand that is looking for a budget-conscious solution. “Stock packaging offers unlimited customization opportunities for brands. For glass, you can do colors, partial or complete engraving, and these techniques can be further personalized using a plethora of decoration processes, without taking a bite out of the bottom line and while creating a new look,” she explains.  

SGD recently applied its decorating expertise to the bottle developed for the new fragrance, Narciso Eau de Parfum by Narciso Rodriguez. The cube-shaped bottle’s inner walls are colored with a creamy “stone white.”  

“We used our color coating technology to decorate the inside of the bottle, which enhances the glass distribution, and creates an optical illusion so it seems as if the juice is suspended inside the bottle. This patented process allows us to color the inside of a bottle with multiple tints, from crystal to opaque, as well as pastels and darker shades,” explains Chamlou.   

The specific shade of white that was chosen matches a stone that Rodriguez found on the shore in Cypress, according to the brand. The color represents the softness of the juice, which contains white gardenia, rose, musk, vetiver, black cedar and white cedar.

Labels Make a Lasting Impression

Both the Spadaro and Sweet Anthem brands use labels to decorate their bottles. “Most people might think that our patterns are printed on our bottles, but labels were much more cost effective for such intricate patterns,” says Spadaro.

Jim Hartman, operations manager, Pro-Motion Industries, which specializes in label application, says it’s important to work with the right supplier to ensure that a fragrance bottle will convey “prestige.”

“Labels have come a long way in terms of quality, and are much more cost-effective than screen printing. Brands come to us for label application when they have a challenging design, and when they need perfection for a prestige fragrance, because we inspect every piece by hand,” Hartman says.  

Pro-Motion recently decorated a stock bottle and cap with a colorful label design, for the launch of Aeropostale’s Bethany Mota fragrance, developed for the YouTube star. A stock, cylinder-shaped bottle with a rollerball applicator complements the brand’s larger heart-shaped bottle. The cap and carton are decorated with a colorful pattern. Pro-Motion applied the decorative label with the brand’s logo to the bottle, and then oriented the label on the cap to match.

Hartman says Pro-Motion has been expanding its capabilities. “We can apply labels with multiple panels, and wax labels for a seamless look,” he says. “We’ve applied four-panel labels to tall, rectangular-shaped bottles, for a number of companies, and it looks like a print decoration—until you run your fingers over it,” Hartman adds.   

While their forte is pressure-sensitive labeling, and only a small percentage is heat transfer, Pro-Motion’s unusual heat-transfer thermal labeling process uses a wax label, applied onto a bottle or jar that is heat-treated. “Once the wax melts onto the package, it’s virtually impossible to tell it’s a label,” Hartman says.  

Cartons That Complement

Choosing a carton to complement a fragrance bottle can add sparkle or a pop of color. Bright red boxes add a contrasting color to the subdued look of the fragrances in the Spadaro collection.

“I knew the exact shade of red I wanted, to represent passion, and love,” says Kim Spadaro. “And I wanted the fragrance to be presented like a gift, on a platform inside the box—but all I was hearing was ‘No’ from suppliers, until I was referred to Howie Greenberg at Allstate Paper Box,” she says.

The boxes are decorated with a foil pattern. “I chose a bronze foil to represent the color of the artisan jewelry that I was inspired by around the world,” explains Spadaro.

Greenberg, sales manager, Allstate Paper Box Company, says he was able to execute Spadaro’s vision by coming up with a box that has a shorter bottom and a taller top. “When the cover is lifted, you see the tall perfume bottle sitting in a custom platform,” says Greenberg. “And, we were able to find a paper from Ecological Fibers which matched the red that Kim envisioned,” he adds.

Decorating a carton using certain processes can often help a brand achieve shelf presence, according to Dennis Bacchetta, director of marketing, Diamond Packaging. “Innovative graphics and structural designs can be used, as well as inline technologies, including specialty coatings, and special effects,” he says.

Diamond Packaging recently worked with the team at Elizabeth Arden on the carton created for the new fragrance, White Diamonds Lustre by Elizabeth Taylor. “The carton epitomizes the singular star quality of the brand—radiant and beautiful, and the packaging had to be as captivating as the product,” Bachetta explains.  

Diamond Packaging converted the carton using metallized polyester rainbow holographic board. It was offset printed with transparent purple, dense black, and opaque white inks, in-line with UV high gloss coating. “The tightly registered embossed logo beautifully complements the graphics and conveys the essence of modern-day glamour and femininity,” adds Bachetta.

Designed to Last

Even though Elizabeth Arden’s new fragrance, Elizabeth Taylor’s White Diamonds Lustre, is a flanker—it shows the staying power of this best-selling celebrity brand, which has had loyal fans since 1991.

The new scent is “a play on the original White Diamonds fragrance, exploring a youthful, fresher side of White Diamonds.”  The packaging is the same cylinder shape as the original, but now it’s colored purple, with a sparkling silver cap.

A bottle shape consistent with the original White Diamonds, with its bejeweled ring on the cap, maintains the strong connection to Taylor’s jewelry, according to the brand. And her passion for her diamonds is a story that her fans still love to hear.
 
Some say flankers are still popular for many brands because they are “safe.”

“The development of flankers seems to be driven by marketing teams—and they continue to be popular among our customers. Consumers appear to be more apt to purchase a variation of a brand they already like, rather than experiment with something new,” says Dave Desai, director of beauty sales, Piramal Glass USA.

What advice do some industry executives have for developing a new fragrance with enough staying power to define a brand for the next 10 years?

Derxin’s Needham says, “Keep packaging simple and elegant, and you can’t go wrong. At the end of the day, it’s the fragrance that will inspire a repeat purchase, or not—so let that be the star.”