Beauty Industry

Thinking Outside The Box

Stila exec talks up firm's innovative packaging.

September 28, 2010

Editor-in-Chief

When it comes to innovation, the adage is that you need to think “outside the box.” Speakers at the “Design Innovations: Working Magic with New Materials” session at HBA Global discussed projects in which they did just that—looked to other industries, materials and markets to inspire their own businesses and create great packaging.

“It is really innovate or die. Any company that is launching a product or has a product at maturity has to reinvent itself over and over again,” said moderator Robert Brands, chief executive officer of Brands and Co., LLC, who opened the afternoon session at the Javits Center.

Jill Tomandl, creative director and vice president of packaging development at Stila Cosmetics, discussed how a change in Stila’s retail environment prompted changes in its packaging. When it moved to an open sell environment, the big issue for this cosmetic company was how it would still teach customers application techniques, a major part of its DNA.

“The solution was to create a compact that was essentially a makeup artist,” Tomandl told the audience. To that end, Stila created a compact that featured a lenticular label, booklet and accompanying internal audio recording that provided instructions on how to build the perfect “smoky eye.”

Another challenge CPG firms face is how to reduce packaging and still have enough space to promote a product’s unique features.

“There is a constant challenge to have enough space to communicate our message, “ Tomandl said. “Consumers want to know what benefits they get from their products.” To address this issue, Stila has packaging with a QR tag that provides consumers with additional product information.

The Stila expert also highlighted projects in which her firm found inspiration outside the beauty industry. For example, for one holiday promotion, the company created a compact that came pre-packaged with a bow on the outside, and a way the buyer could record a personalized message for the recipient inside—a tool utilized by the greeting card industry.