We text on our phones all day long and share Instagram posts, keeping up with friends and family near and far. Messaging goes a long way. In today’s beauty world, suppliers and brands work hard to get their individual messaging right—in large part because consumers are eager to endorse and purchase from a company that can provide a relatable story of substance—especially when it comes to sustainability. From packaging materials to philanthropy, recyclability to carbon neutrality, brands and end-users are looking behind the pack to gather additional data that makes them feel good about their purchase.

Packaging legislation compliance is also set to play a larger role in a brand’s messaging. In a recent Beauty Packaging webinar, Dan Felton, executive director of AMERIPEN, said beauty product packaging could soon look very different. (View the Webinar )

He explained that the U. S. packaging industry is currently experiencing unprecedented legislative activity. This year alone, more than 500 bills—many of which focus on end-of-life issues such as recycled content and financing for recovery—have the potential to significantly affect packaging design in the near future. In 2021, both Maine and Oregon passed bills that establish extended producer responsibility (EPR) for packaging. EPR is the concept that packaging producers should help cover the costs of recovering their packaging at its end of life.

Research company Smithers recently issued a report saying that EPR programs are fast emerging as the preferred legislative choice for managing single-use plastics, and implementing a truly circular economy for all packaging materials, especially in the EU which is leading the drive. The Impact of EPR Legislation on the Packaging Industry to 2032 provides seven design priorities for suppliers, brands and consumers to take note of. (See Beauty Packaging’s Expert’s View article from Smithers’ John Nelson, for details.)

L’Oréal’s CEO Nicolas Hieronimus took end-of-life guidelines into account recently when he spoke at the World Economic Forum about “Responsible Consumption” and how the world’s largest beauty company is working toward this long-term goal. (See what Hieronimus said.)

As suppliers and brands forge ahead with messaging—often via wording and symbols printed directly on their product packaging—Beauty Packaging will keep you informed.

Lastly, I can’t resist ending with a humorous beauty-related message, brought to us by Mintel’s David Luttenberger, via Twitter: “Did you hear Julie Andrews will no longer endorse cheap lipstick? It crumbles easily and makes her breath smell. She explained, ‘The super color fragil (sic) lipstic gives me halitosis.’