Juicy Couture even glams up its men’s offerings with Dirty English, a fragrance that utilizes masculine charms and details to catch a guy’s (or his significant other’s) eye.

Accent on Accessories

Ribbons, charms and jewels help packages stand out in a saturated market.

By Lindsay Elkins, Contributing Writer

As consumers walk idly by the various fragrance and cosmetics counters in department stores, they are inundated with product offerings. In a sea of seemingly similar looking products, what acts to catch their eye? Beauty Packaging spoke to many industry executives who agreed that adornments such as ribbons, charms and jewels on packaging act to get products noticed.

“Embellishments offer a company a way to differentiate its products from the competition,” says Denis Pesante, vice president of industrial and export sales, BerwickOffray, LLC, one of the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of decorative ribbons and bows. “You only have seconds to attract a customer and have them review your goods,” he says. “Customers will not buy if you have not caught their interest.” Pesante also asserts that embellishments can help to get the marketing message across to consumers, so they get a true sense of the brand’s positioning.

According to Scott Kestenbaum, senior account manager-principal, Zorbit Resources, embellishments can offer consumers a perceived value, which is more important than ever given the current state of the economy.

Karen Grant, global industry analyst and vice president of beauty at The NPD Group (and a member of Beauty Packaging’s board of advisors), says consumers are spending their leftover dollars on beauty products; however they are spending more carefully and not buying as much on impulse.

Kestenbaum adds that the addition of jewels, ribbons or charms takes packaging from a disposable item to a reusable keepsake package, which ups the perceived value in a consumer’s mind.

Michael Flynn, director of marketing for MNC Stribbons, Miami, FL, stresses that in today’s troubling economy, embellishments are more important than ever to differentiate a package. “Embellishments can be an inexpensive way to enhance or decorate a package to help it sell at retail. It’s perceived added value.” Flynn adds that embellishments have historically helped packaging during troubling times.

The ribbons’ bright colors and playful prints tie the fragrance to Lilly Pulitzer’s preppy chic apparel line.

Ellie Joos, publicity/marketing consultant, Schiff Ribbons, says that embellished packaging can provide an attractive aesthetic value and thus present the consumer with beauty and quality, which is what they look for when purchasing a prestige item. “Depending on the type of embellishment, it can offer a sense of whimsy, charm or sophistication,” she says.

All Tied Up

The volatile economy not only has consumers looking to stretch their dollars further, but manufacturers are challenged as well. Ribbons and bows are a cost-effective solution to creating a package that has that extra touch that can catch a consumer’s eye, without breaking the bank.

“Ribbon is the most cost-effective way to embellish a package,” explains Zorbit’s Kestenbaum. “One of the best ways to enhance ribbon is to add silk screening, which really makes it feel proprietary to the brand. This adds amazing inherent value, which is the main goal of embellishments.”

Zorbit Resources recently developed and supplied the custom fragrance glass and ribbon for the launch of the trio of Lilly Pulitzer fragrances—Beachy, Squeeze and Wink. Each cap on the three fragrances was pre-tied with a custom, four-color printed ribbon. The ribbon, with its bright colors and playful prints, adds that extra eye-catching touch and helps to tie the fragrance back in with Lilly Pulitzer’s Palm Beach inspired, preppy chic apparel line.

Alcan’s Bubble Stick lipstick is a charm in itself.

Never known for being demure, the Juicy Couture franchise recently introduced Viva La Juicy, a women’s fragrance that invokes a rococo feel with a gilded crest hung on the 1.7- or 3.4oz flacon finished off with a fuschia pink bow tied around the cap. These adornments follow suit with Juicy Couture’s glamorous vibe, and the rich pink color of the bow stands out in a crowd.

“Ribbon is one of the most economical and versatile ways to dress up your package,” says Berwick-Offray’s Pesante. “It can be as simple or intricate as you want—plain, printed, metallic, satin or sheer.” Pesante adds that pre-made bows, stretch loops or ribbon strips help to further reduce costs while increasing packaging efficiencies.

The Charmed Life

Dangling charms help to add an element of glamour, whimsy and luxury to packages. Known for its flamboyant women’s fragrance packaging, Juicy Couture even glams up its men’s offerings, such as Dirty English, a fragrance that utilizes masculine charms and details to catch a guy’s (or his significant other’s) eye.

The square, heavy glass bottle features chain detail around the cap and a suede ribbon dangling two masculine charms, along with the Juicy Couture crest emblazoned on the glass packaging. It’s powered by Rexam’s super low profile pump (SLPP), known for its aesthetics and dependability.

Compacts go ultra-luxe with 18k gold plating and semi-precious stones for an exclusive feel.

Designer Carolina Herrera debuted CH, a fresh oriental in October. The short, cylindrical bottle is wrapped in red leather embossed with the CH logo. A silver CH logo charm hung on a red ribbon decorates the bottle’s neck. This subtle, classic touch keeps in line with the designer’s fashion collection known for its modern glamour.

“Utilizing packaging adornments adds elegance and romance to a package and sends a special message to the brand’s target audience,” says Shéhérazade Chamlou, vice president of marketing and global account executive for SGD N.A. Chamlou adds that packages with embellishments can create a vintage appeal and turn them into a collector’s item.

According to Zorbit’s Kestenbaum, cosmetics companies will continue to use both charms and ribbon on one package, in addition to molded cast plaques to help the package transition from disposable item to permanent keepsake.

Charms are also a great way to distinguish a limited edition item from the usual lineup. For example, Clinique introduced a limited edition bottle of its popular Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion complete with two silvertone charms: a Clinique “C” charm and Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Ribbon charm in support of breast cancer awareness. A portion of sales were donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and the charms were positioned as a free keychain, which ups the perceived value in consumers’ minds, in addition to helping them benefit a good cause.

Jean-Paul Gaultier channels the feminine look of a necklace, using a medallion to house his cult women’s scent Classique.

Alcan Packaging’s Bubble Stick is a charm in itself. According to the company, Bubble Stick is designed to inspire interest in lipstick from the younger generation. It’s dressed with bubbles at each end linked with a chain that can be adorned with tassels or charms, depending on the needs of the brand.

Semi-precious Packages

Jeweled adornments are a luxurious way to evoke glamour, elegance and prestige and give any item a high-end, special feel. L’Oréal Paris recently teamed up with fine jewelry company Carelle on a 2009 Golden Globes compact, dubbed Harmony, which is adorned with bold, colorful gemstones. It was presented to top female nominees in the Best Actress Drama and Best Actress Comedy categories.

The compact features a shimmering combination of lemon citrine and pale green quartz stones set in sterling silver plated in 18K yellow gold with diamond details. One compact was auctioned on www.ebay.com/lorealparis, with all proceeds benefiting the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

Estée Lauder Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia Parfum combines the rich essences of tuberose and exotic gardenia housed in a sleek bottle that features a cap embedded with natural semi-precious gems including aventurine, yellow and green jade, citrine, lemon and mustard stones. The shapes of the stones on each cap are different, making each a unique collector’s item.

Packaged to Go

A new trend in packaging brought on by fashion’s elite is to have the package itself as the entire embellishment. For example, designer extraordinaire Jean-Paul Gaultier teamed with Primapack, a subsidiary of the Cosfibel Group, to develop a package to house solid versions of his cult scents Classique and Le Male. Both packages were designed to look like pieces of jewelry for a collector’s feel.

This Gaultier military-inspired masculine package is perfect for the guy on the go.

Women’s fragrance Classique called for a soft, feminine touch, and is encased in a medallion, with three mini medallions hanging on the necklace itself for a splash of extra decoration. The male fragrance Le Male utilizes a military badge on a chain for a masculine feel. The tag slides open to reveal the fragrance.

In keeping with his vision of couture, designer John Galliano chose to create a bracelet dubbed the Rose Gold Charm Bracelet for the launch of his debut signature fragrance, Galliano Girl, under his own label. This collector’s item bracelet features six charms, with one housing a solid perfume and the remaining five acting as decoration personally selected by Galliano.

Ribbons Go Green

The green movement continues to gain momentum and is continuing to make its way into the embellishments arena. According to several sources who spoke to Beauty Packaging, the growing awareness for environmentally friendly products in turn creates a demand for embellishments that are made from organic and sustainable materials.

“Green is here,” states BerwickOffray’s Pesante. To meet the growing demand, BerwickOffray recently introduced a new line of ECO (environmentally creative options) ribbons, which are made from paper, jute and recycled water bottles. “They give the manufacturer a wide variety of ribbon options that are more eco-friendly and readily available.”

Before you picture ribbon that resembles a brown paper bag or recycled newspaper, eco-friendly ribbon options have all the elegance and sophistication of traditional materials and can be easily customized to match a specific need.

All-natural and organic ribbon can complement packages that house natural beauty products, to further drive home the green message.

According to Schiff’s Joos, the industry is not only seeing embellishments made of organic and environmentally friendly materials, but the green initiative is also taken quite literally using natural accents such as foliage and flowers when incorporating embellishments into a package for a natural beauty product.

“We have seen interest in embellishments that complement the other packaging materials, for example with the growing awareness for environmentally friendly products, and the move to recycled materials, natural products such as flowers, leaves and twigs are appearing as accents,” she says.

Joos also notes that organic ribbons used in conjunction with organic materials are currently in vogue.

MNC Stribbons’ Flynn states that while the green movement has spilled into many areas, it’s important to know how authentic a green product is. According to Flynn, MNC Stribbons takes a soup-to-nuts approach for greening, with a factory powered by renewable energy, a power plant that burns straw instead of coal and a philosophy that develops products with sustainability in mind.

“We have been manufacturing 100% recycled ribbon made from 100% recycled plastic from soda and water bottles to complement our exclusive, all natural cotton satin ribbon and our all natural pre-tied loops,” says Flynn.

Beauty industry giant Estée Lauder recently switched its Breast Cancer Awareness ribbon, which is featured on selected cosmetic and personal care items for a limited time during the month of October, to MNC Stribbons’ recycled satin ribbon. Flynn notes that the perceived notion is that recycled ribbon is expensive, but MNC’s prices are relatively comparable to its traditional satin ribbon.

According to Flynn, MNC Stribbons recently completed the acquisition of a Philippines-based company that produces 100% natural packaging components made primarily from the abaca plant, a species of banana native to the Philippines. The products are not only 100% natural, but biodegradable and compostable.

As consumer spending habits change and there is less disposable income to be spent on luxuries such as beauty products, it’s now more important than ever to create a package that gives the consumer a sense of value, while also maintaining a luxury standpoint. Charms and jewels create a prestige-like elegance and are great for limited edition products, while ribbons are a sophisticated, yet cost-effective add-on. “Packaging in our industry is still one of the most important differentiators at the point of sale,” says Zorbit Resources’ Kestenbaum.