At the end of 2023, The Estée Lauder Companies announced that John Downey had made the decision to retire from ELC, effective September 30, 2023. During his time at ELC, he was a valued member of the Global Procurement Leadership team, handling packaging supplier procurement and innovation—as well as serving as a great ambassador of ELC among suppliers at many tradeshows around the world. Needless to say, he holds a vast knowledge of the industry.

I first met John during Cosmopack Bologna about 15 years ago, and have run into him many times and in numerous venues. I am always inspired by his enthusiasm for the packaging industry—and for his passion to find new and innovative solutions that can be brought to market. I also had the pleasure of interviewing him in 2014 when he was awarded a spot in NJPEC’s Hall of Fame.

Recently, I had the chance to speak with John about his many years in the industry, his career project highlights—and how he envisions the future of packaging, including the one essential requirement for all.

Jamie Matusow: How many years have you served in the packaging industry? Always in the Cosmetics Industry?

John Downey: I have served in the packaging industry in varying functions including QA, Packaging and Procurement for over forty years working for Ovaltine UK, Yardley UK, Revlon UK/France /US, and Estée Lauder USA.

JM: How did you get your start?

JD: I first worked in Packaging QA and as Packaging Analyst for Ovaltine in the UK, then moved to Yardley UK, initially in packaging development, and then into a combined procurement/development role.

This was followed by a move to Revlon in a development first-time buy role initially in the UK, later transferred to Paris and eventually to the U.S., where my final position was VP International Packaging Development.

After Revlon, I moved to Estée Lauder, starting in packaging then in procurement as VP Category followed by VP Innovation.

JM: Which projects are most memorable?

JD: My first memorable projects were for skincare and fragrance lines at Yardley UK, followed by seasonal and line procurement and development at Revlon, also in the UK. I was transferred from the UK to France in the 1980’s and supported many packaging and sourcing projects including the Pierre Balmain franchise for which Revlon owned the fragrance rights at the time. I was transferred to the U.S. in the 1980’s where, in my final position as VP Packaging International, I supported Revlon’s entry into the India and China local market—in the 1990’s, leading the packaging sourcing and development of important cosmetic and skin-care lines.

In my time at Estée Lauder in the early 00’s and after, I led the diversification of the supplier base, introducing many new global suppliers, technologies and innovations.

JM: What is the greatest change you have seen in the packaging industry over the years?

JD: China as a dominant market for cosmetics packaging; plastics-based packaging replacing materials such as tinplate, glass and aluminum; the reversion back to many of these materials as sustainable sources, and to a more balanced regional supply base.  

JM: What is the No.1 priority for a beauty/cosmetics brand to keep in mind when developing a package?

JD: Know your market—mass, masstige, luxury, super-luxe—and tailor your product packaging accordingly.

JM: Going forward, how do you anticipate cosmetic packaging evolving? 

JD: A more regional supply base with an understanding that sustainability is an essential requirement and not just a nice thing to have. If you are not sustainable, you will not have a business.