With the continuing evolution of the Internet and its effects on consumers and companies across the globe has come a quest for constant vitality in products and ideas. What was news yesterday, flashing across every screen, may be a distant memory tomorrow, when a whole slew of more current information appears while scrolling through multitudinous feeds. “Innovation”—and its many derivatives—has become the leading buzzword for indicating fresh ideas and differentiation. Whether in electronics or personal care, it can be the motivator to get consumers to take a second look at what might really be a game changer in some way.

In the beauty industry, this has been especially apparent in Skin Care, a category that has already progressed so far. It’s almost like the more breakthroughs that are made, the more that are demanded. This is true in other areas, too—from makeup to fragrance—where new applicators provide a different experience or gesture, or an interesting new package for lipstick brings a sense of delight when the consumer reaches into her purse for a quick re-application.

Here, we look at a number of suppliers and brands that have introduced products or techniques that stand out in a crowded marketplace, offering consumers a unique or exciting experience.

Color Cosmetics Packaging

The Color Cosmetics category has been enjoying a boon in the past couple of years, particularly in the Prestige sector, even overtaking Skin Care sales, thanks to the many physical and emotional benefits of a little pop of mauve or indigo used to highlight a facial feature. And to meet demand for convenience and portability, hygiene and protection, brands and suppliers have made the art of makeup more enjoyable, overall, thanks to inventive and highly functional applicators.

For instance, Quadpack’s Airtight Jumbo Stick is a high-performance pen that can be used for lip or eye color. The new format is specifically designed for long-lasting formulas, keeping them fresh inside a sealed container that helps prevent them from drying out.

What makes it innovative? Sonia Cerato, makeup category manager, Quadpack Group, explains that the product’s clever design closes off the entry points where air can flow into the pack. The base, which twists to eject the color bullet, features a rubber O-ring. A special snap-on cap blocks air entry from the top. The two measures effectively seal the pack to create an airtight environment. Jumbo Stick also features a smooth swivel mechanism to prevent tilting. As a result, the color bullet twists up and down in a perfect, straight line, preventing damage and making application easier and more comfortable.

The challenge here was to ensure airtightness. Cerato says, “Quadpack’s two-fold measures (cap and base) have been proven to be effective in our leakage test procedure at the group’s central test laboratory in Barcelona, Spain. The tests were conducted in a vacuum chamber to a pressure of -300mbar, with no leakage over a three-minute period.”

With consumer awareness growing as to features such as airtight, airless and dispensing, brands are passing on clever packaging messages to consumers.

Estée Lauder’s New Double Wear Makeup To Go Liquid Compact, which features Kendall Jenner in its advertising campaign, is designed for portability and ease. An ad for the product in Vogue mentions its innovative packaging—a move toward making consumers as aware of the packaging as of the product. The copy states: “8-hour wear at the push of a button. Hydrating, luminous, flawless all day. Innovative compact keeps liquid makeup fresh and spill-free. Press once for a light touch, twice for more coverage. Take it everywhere.”

No one could have missed Christian Louboutin’s color cosmetic launches that premiered in September. Following up on the designer’s category-shaking nail polish bottles that took their cue from his iconic shoes, came his first collection of lip color packages that resemble fine jewelry—and can actually be worn as such, given the black silk ribbon attached to the ring on top.

Inspired by Babylonian architecture, the design captures the ornate aesthetics of Middle Eastern antiquities and the Art-Deco movement. A solid black metal body, reminiscent of an ancient elixir vial, holds the hero Rouge Louboutin product. The cap is mounted with a turret-like crown of silver and gold featuring the red reveal accent (reminiscent of the famous soles) on the inside.

The other shades are encased in a gold base, crowned with a gold cap and offered with a gold ribbon. Designed with ergonomics in mind, the object is meant to rest comfortably in the hand, inspiring a beautiful gesture and a controlled and graceful application.

Papering the Nest for Sales

In the luxury market, it’s often the secondary packaging that first “speaks” to the shopper. And R&D discoveries in paper and board continue to grow, with innumerable finishes and features that can define a brand’s DNA at a glance.

This was the case at Neenah Packaging, when they created a custom solution for their client, Denver-based Rosy Rings. They laminated Neenah Environment Tortilla paper to a Flatpak board to achieve the look Rosy Rings was after—all while managing costs and ROI and maintaining the integrity of the finished box.

Rosy Rings, which makes luxury botanical candles and home gifts, had a successful run for over three years with their original packaging look. However, San Francisco-based Rosslyn Kasman, of Rosslyn Kasman Design, who works with the brand, says, “With their previous usage of a 28 pt Kraftpak sheet, the market had become saturated with the “kraft” look. She explains, “It was time for a major brand refresh in a new direction.” Kasman says the inspiration behind the new line for Rosy Rings was to look at ways to preserve the rustic, handcrafted feel to the package that also reflected the vision, the longevity, and success of the old packaging.” Her intention was to utilize the design language that was part of the existing brand to develop a new look and feel for the main product lines, Rosy Rings Reed Diffusers and Botanica Glass Candles.

While researching stocks for the packaging, Kasman and Rosy Rings fell in love with the natural flecks and neutral, earthy tones of the Environment Papers Tortilla sheet from Neenah Packaging. “These elements perfectly captured the essence of the Rosy Rings’ brand,” says Kasman. However, because the sheet they wanted was not offered in a weight that would be durable enough for a folding carton, they worked with Neenah to create a custom sheet. They initially explored doing a solid 24 pt board using Tortilla, but found it would be cost-prohibitive and would need a longer lead-time to produce. Kasman then worked with Neenah Packaging rep, Sharon Woo, who suggested the innovative idea of laminating a text weight to a rigid board back (an SBS Kraftpak).

“This solution gave us the flexibility of getting the exact color, look and texture we wanted and the structural integrity we needed out of our custom folding board,” says Kasman, adding, “The new packaging looks cohesive and beautiful when the products are displayed together in showrooms and retail stores.”

While lead-time in creating a custom sheet can sometimes cause a crimp in a project, Kasman says this cycle took only about four-and-a-half months.

Applicators Make the Difference

Applicators have taken on new importance in beauty, becoming part of the overall experience.

HCT Group is known for creating a steady stream of patented tips for applicators, made of materials from ceramics to Zamac. Most recently, the supplier introduced its new Gel Tip applicators.

Denis Maurin, vice president of sales and industrial innovation at HCT Group, tells Beauty Packaging: “This brand new applicator is patented and unlike any other applicator currently being seen on the market. The gel material is very durable and produces a ‘skin-to-skin’ experience that makes you feel as if you are applying the product with your finger.”

How is it different from competing products?  Maurin says, “Competing products use materials such as silicon and TPE to try and achieve the feeling that the Gel Tip provides. But with silicon and TPE, the softer the tip becomes, the more slick and sticky the applicator gets. Often these types of tips have a tendency to remove the product as it is being applied. With the Gel Tip, you get a smooth, even application every time without sacrificing the ultra-soft texture.”

Still, HCT Group faced some challenges in bringing the Gel Tips to market. “Gel Tip applicators are made using a different process than injection, that has not really been seen before in the cosmetic applicator sector,” explains Maurin. “The greatest challenge was to adapt this process to small applicators and make sure that these tips are compatible with most formulas. We anticipate that these applicators will become as popular with clients as have our globally patented Cooling Tip Technology, Zamac and Ceramic applicators.”

With low-viscosity formulas trending in the market, serums and oils are being introduced almost daily, and droppers have come back on the scene.

To meet this demand in a unique way, Quadpack added a new gesture to the traditional use of the pipette to dispense these particular formulas—a dropper tube.

David Reguill, skin care category manager, Quadpack Group, tells Beauty Packaging how it’s different. “This is the first dropper on the market that offers the dosage that each consumer requires. Using the Dropper Tube, consumers can control the dosage just by pressing the tube without the need to refill the pipette, and dispense all the bulk contained in the tube.”

Reguill says no matter how hard or soft you squeeze, the Dropper Tube actuates the liquid formula in 0.055ml drops, each and every one the same. “The tube allows you to place a single drop on your fingertip, for precise application to a local area, in a delicate gesture,” he says. The one-drop-at-a-time system uses a suck-back method to ensure accurate drop size. Any liquid not completely actuated gets automatically drawn back into the tube. Such precise control makes the tube perfect for oils and liquid serums for targeted skin care and hair care treatments.

Unlike challenges inherent with manufacturing, here it was more in changing consumers’ paradigms. “The biggest challenge here was to open the mind of consumers to new dropper formats, as people are very used to the traditional dropper packs,” says Reguill.

Aptar Beauty & Home took on the challenge of trying to revitalize the fragrance industry, developing a new applicator, called Note, to provide “a new fragrance application experience.” The idea was inspired by an era when fragrance was applied to the skin with a delicate, simple finesse using a glass stopper.

According to Sabine Bouillet-Lubot, strategic marketing manager Fragrance, Aptar France, “For several years now, we have noticed a slowdown in the fragrance market—especially in mature markets—with a loss of interest from consumers. For Aptar Beauty + Home, innovation was the answer. We needed to entice, surprise and re-inspire through ideas that, above all, are focused on the consumer experience.”

With Note, each time the cap is removed from the bottle, the transparent applicator fills itself with fragrance automatically, ready for application through capillary action upon contact with the skin.

Bouillet-Lubot says rather than the speed and efficiency delivered in a spray, with Note, “the technique is subtle, sophisticated and controlled, offering gentle and gradual application in precise areas. In this respect, it is also in line with modern trends, where the consumer is in control, choosing the dose and where to apply it.”

With an eye to affordability, Note was developed in a standard shape to fit all FEA 15 necks available on the market, while at the same time offering endless possibilities for customized decoration and shapes.

The idea took off instantly when the technique was adopted by J’adore Touche de Parfum. “We were blown away by this new system for applying fragrance and knew right away that it was a perfect fit for the product we were developing. We needed a new application method, something different than that of a traditional fragrance—in other words, a highly feminine and precise touch. On top of that, we were looking to make a bottle for women on the go, for them to carry in their purse and reapply at any time throughout the day,” explains the team behind J’adore by Parfums Christian Dior.

Fragrance Pulls Out All the Stops

Elizabeth Arden and Coty are of course known for inspired fragrance packaging, and some of their latest launches promise to be award winners.

Take Juicy Couture’s Viva La Juicy Rosé, from Arden for instance. The bottle is decorated with an all-over sparkle application. The gold sparkle is sprayed with a gradation of transparent pink over it to create the two-color sparkle effect.

Paul McLaughlin, vice president creative, Elizabeth Arden (and a member of Beauty Packaging’s Board of Advisors), says, “The production was complicated, with multiple development steps to achieve the final product.” He says challenges of this design included choosing the size of the sparkle, adhering the sparkle, and applying the correct amount of sparkles to the bottle, as well as the last step of applying an over spray to the final application to seal the sparkle deco. They also had to avoid getting sparkles on the neck finish of the bottle and had to test materials to ensure that the plates attached to the sparkle bottle without any complications.

McLaughlin says SGD, the bottle manufacturer of this design, had to purchase special equipment to spray the bottles with the sparkle material.

“As you can imagine,” says McLaughlin, “the approval process and creating production standards for all the steps to the final product were complicated.”

The sparkle application continues onto the carton. Balance was the supplier and again, had many steps to take to achieve the final product.

Arden also launched two new John Varvatos fragrances—Dark Rebel and Blu Aqua. Dark Rebel is a black bottle, which is wrapped with black cord around the center.

McLaughlin says, “The process to wrap the bottle was complicated as every cord is hand applied.” The cap, which was produced by Jackel, has a metal antique finish fleur-de-lis inserted in the top, with the brand name embossed in the collar. “The carton also has a cord design with varnishes and embossing to achieve the unification of concept and design of the primary and secondary package,” he adds.

Marc Jacobs Decadence, from Coty, is another category disrupter in Fragrance—and lives up to its name. Inspired by one of the designer’s handbags, the package carries a new level of luxury. In a palette of rich emerald green, Decadence features an exotically textured arched “python” cap, a gold chain “handle” and a silky black tassel. The prestige designer look also takes hold in the opulent dark green outer carton, with its sumptuous velvety finish and gold embossed logo.

Combinations of various materials like those in Decadence often cause consumers to take notice.

Pujolasos Wood & Pack joined wood and glass with its plaques and matching caps for the new Solo Loewe Cedro fragrance bottle. Here, Pujolasos showcases its exclusive line of hardwood caps, which enhance the tactile nature of each of the bottles and connote a sense of elegance at first sight. The bottle caps and supports were manufactured and laser-engraved with ash wood. The simple but elegant design is cube-shaped, and contrasts with the ocher color of the juice.

Angel Pujolasos, CEO and project manager, Pujolasos Wood & Pack, says they differ from other suppliers in that, “We have our own R+D department where we constantly look for new formulas that pursue wooden finishes that no one else has done yet, such as our Luxury Wood caps, which have a metallized appearance, or our colorful finishes, both shiny and matte, and other products like ‘Soft Touch.’ ”

Hair Care Packs Differentiate

With stiff competition in the hair care aisle as well as salons, brands are relying on decorative techniques and interesting shapes to stand out from the crowd.

Two deco techniques combined at TricorBraun for Chuckles hair care line. The brand’s All-Nutrient hair care styling product packaging, designed by TricorBraun, features a spray gradient color designation with silkscreen process.

What makes the deco innovative? Charmaine Laine, marketing communications manager, TricorBraun, explains. “The customer decided to go with a spray gradient to differentiate their styling products from their shampoos and conditioners.” The color of each spray corresponds to the color of the hair care “family” that the styling product belongs to. For example, the Volumize family includes all the products that add volume and their main color is magenta, so all the products within that family have a magenta leaf graphic regardless of whether it is travel size, a styling product or a shampoo. For further differentiation within the family, styling products have the magenta spray gradient coming down from the neck.

Laine says, “Only a small number of other hair care product companies use a spray gradient, and they seem to have done so with label printing and not silk screening.”

The biggest challenges with the Chuckles packaging, according to Laine, included remaining within budget, color matching, determining how far down the bottle to go with the gradient and retaining text readability. The inks used for the color of the spray and the color of the leaf graphics on the face of the bottles are not the same type so some of the colors were harder to replicate. Text closer to the neck of the bottles had to be thicker and printed in white to be legible over the gradient of color. Because the gradients are not exactly the same from bottle to bottle, adjustments also had to be made for readability on an as-needed basis. Finally, there is a limited window of time after the bottles are sprayed that they have to be silkscreened or the ink won’t adhere correctly. There are six families of spray bottles.

Nanokeratin System provides professional and home hair care blends to a global market. For the last three years, the brand says it has been focusing on intensive R&D in packaging design, molding and branding. According to Nanokeratin, their latest packaging, which has also been light weighted, adds value for the consumer, as it has been custom designed to fit the shape of a woman’s hand. Curvy shapes were used to imply a female shape. Nanokeratin System packages are designed as multi-panel diamond-shaped packages, as diamonds are “a girl’s best friend.” The panels also accommodate several labels for extended information.

Dual Chamber Options

Whether for hair care, skin or body, ever-more sophisticated and sensitive formulas require mixing at the time of application.
Viva Healthcare Packaging, partnering with distributor Kaufman Container and brand owner Sunless, Inc., has just announced the launch of what Bruno LeBeault, marketing director, North America, Viva, calls “the first injection molded one-piece dual-chamber tube with an in-mold label.” According to LeBeault, the new tube offers advantages to consumers, brands and fillers alike.

He says that advantages for consumers are many, including a visual reassurance that the package equally holds two separate contents. There is also a 50% reduction in packaging as well as a 50% reduction in waste with the Class 5 recyclable package. LeBeault says the flip-top cap can have two flaps enabling the consumer to either take only one of the formulas, or both mixed together. The flip-top cap can also have a shrink sleeve on it as tamper evidence, and there’s a foil seal option, too.

For brand owners, LeBeault highlights the tube as “an economical solution to multi-facet branding.” The package also offers high-quality graphics due to the in-mold label decorating on 100% of the tube surface; high sustainability, with all components 100% PP recyclable and using up to 35% less energy than other traditional tubes; and various cap options.

Tube fillers can expect automated high-speed filling and short lead-times.

The Packaging Company recently designed and manufactured a round body dual-chamber airless bottle. Michael Salemi, COO, tells Beauty Packaging, “While there are many dual-chamber airless bottles in the market, they are typically available in either rectangular or oval shaped bottles.” This bottle features two 15ml chambers for a total of 30ml. It allows you to package a product that requires mixing at the moment of application because of its active ingredients.

Salemi says there were many obstacles in the design and manufacturing process. Most of them involved the bottles’ mechanism, and making sure all of the components functioned well together. “We had to revisit the bottle renderings several times, and, after a year of readjustments, we have been able to launch it,” he says. It is available to manufacture in virtually any color and in a glossy, matte or UV coat finish.

Skin Care: Shape and Deco Dictate

In recent years, suppliers have developed a seemingly endless variety of decorative techniques, from those that are utilitarian and serve a functional need, like more space for a brand to tell its story, to dramatic, textural, multi-layer pop-off-the-shelf effects. Use of these techniques has elevated Skin Care packaging to a new level.

Chicago Paper Tube modified its eco-friendly EcoPush dispenser packaging to accommodate products that require maximum printable area on a small package. EcoPush+ provides nearly double the decoration space of the standard EcoPush. The inner sleeve can be printed with graphics that echo the exterior branding, or provide an extended space to print functional elements—like directions or ingredients—that could otherwise detract from a creative design on the outer package. “Additional creative space also means new decorative possibilities: a different paper stock, coating or finishing effect can create contrast,” says Jonathan Dudlak, general manager.

At HCP Packaging, skin care jars shine in the way of deco, which continually pushes the limits of what’s possible.

The supplier’s Shimmer Metallization is multi-layered, and achieved by adding shimmer colored spray to a metallized surface. Available in a multitude of festive colors, this finish is ideal for gifts meant for the holidays—or any time of year.

HCP’s Metallization Spray enhances packs with a metal look without the metallization. The supplier’s new spray technique is a quick and easy solution for when metallization can’t be applied, like on the inside of its Azure outer jar. 

At Elizabeth Arden, McLaughlin tells Beauty Packaging about the introduction of Elizabeth Arden Superstart, a product designed to restore, repair and renew the skin.

He says, “The package is designed to be comfortable and convenient for consumer usage.” Another key focus is evacuation and protection of the product itself. McLaughlin says the locking mechanism “is unique” and a key feature of the primary package. The actuator, when in the locked position, will not dispense product. This allows the consumer to use it daily whether at home or on the go.

The package involves an interior gradation of silver with the addition of a mirror metallization with an exterior gold hot stamping. The cap has vacuum metallization to match the gradation on the inside of the bottle.

The inner pouch system inside the bottle is made of CPP plus aluminum and PET materials, a unique element of this package.

The primary package pump system consists of a dip tube inside the inner pouch to successfully evacuate product to its label claim.

McLaughlin worked with Sue Intili, Arden’s director of package development Skin Care and Color Cosmetics to ensure that technical aspects of this program were successfully executed through final production.

La Prairie’s Skin Caviar Concealer Foundation SPF 15 is a complexion solution in a single luxurious package, which includes a foundation, concealer, precision brush and sponge.

The Skin Caviar Concealer Foundation SPF 15 includes caviar extracts. According to the brand, the luxuriously lightweight formula, enriched with a new peptide for increased firmness and elasticity, gives the look of a naturally flawless complexion and keeps the skin hydrated with a dewy finish. A perfectly matched concealer in the bottle cap camouflages under-eye darkness and imperfections.

The new design features the Skin Caviar Collection’s signature cobalt blue packaging. La Prairie says the inspiration for this iconic shade of blue came from sculpture and architecture that was prevalent during the 1980s. Seen in styles ranging from modern to flamboyant, this particular blue came to symbolize all that is royal and lavish—two words the brand says are synonymous with Skin Caviar.

Anil Kalyanapur, who leads La Prairie’s creative packaging design, states,“We were captivated by this particular shade of blue—a deep cobalt that immediately resonated as regal and upbeat. This blue became the perfect avenue to showcase Skin Caviar. Radically different from the rest of the packaging seen in the skin care market, it simply could not be ignored.”

La Prairie also joined with Baccarat for a just launched special limited edition called Caviar Spectaculaire ($2,200), which contains a limited edition 75ml jar of the brand’s lifting and firming Skin Caviar Luxe Cream nestled in an exquisite Baccarat crystal caviar server. The Baccarat limited edition jar transforms into a caviar server after use by simply removing the jar that contains the cream, and replacing it with the caviar server bowl. Each brilliant, limited edition server—only 1,500 produced worldwide—is comprised of handcrafted crystal. Near the base of the piece is a ring of cobalt blue.

Genaissance de la Mer™ Launches in Custom Bottle

Written by Manpreet Pannone, Executive Director Global Package Development, La Mer

The serum essence package for Genaissance de la Mer™ was designed and developed to exude luxury. The custom bottle has a metallic overlay that gradually fades, eventually revealing the product and the curve of the interior shape. This arc is integral to the design, it is subtle, but this makes the inside surface critical.  The challenge lies in consistently achieving the same inside profile.

Inspired by the warm color of Crystal Miracle Broth™, the sensuous champagne-gold flacon was crafted to envelop this most precious formula. The gradated metallization and the amber spray give it the appearance of liquid gold, the color of The Crystal Miracle Broth, making the package look very luxurious and even delicate. It required multiple, separate decoration processes to complete this effect.

The combination of different materials for the collar and bottle add to the elegance of this package, which also proved to be most challenging during development. The collar shape is unique and complex, requiring cutting edge technology to consistently achieve the precise geometry. Our aesthetic challenge was ensuring that the color of the anodized aluminum collar, along with the dropper, matched and married up perfectly to the color of the bottle. The elegant dropper is a unique and custom new shape. It was fashioned to precisely dispense each drop of the serum essence, a design reminiscent of a cellar-master drawing wine from a barrel to taste.

We paid as much attention to the setup box as we did to the primary package. Functionality, luxury and beauty were all considered. The doors are molded and the edge of the lid is metallized to produce the perfect finish and appearance. Magnets are incorporated in the doors to enhance the experience. The overall effect is a buildup of luxe, culminating in the unveiling of the bottle.

We had outstanding suppliers throughout the development process, all collaborating with each other, brand packaging, and design teams. High quality standards were the main focus point of each discussion, for a perfect execution of this launch.


Avon’s Fragrance Attraction

The Avon Attraction masterbrand has launched both male and female fragrances in stylish packaging that perfectly exemplifies female/male Attraction. The bottle for Her (from Heinz Glas) is the heart of this appealing design, and nests perfectly with the men’s bottle. The EDP colors the logo, which drops out of the gold tampo printed side panel. Topping this is the lavish gold, crisp, masked and metallized gold weighted polypropylene open-center square closure (C+N/Texen). Visible through and matching the closure is the gold push-on pump (Aptar). 

With its elegant but masculine stance, the Attraction for Him bottle complements the one for Her with the well-executed rectangular bottle (Heinz Glas). The men’s bottle takes on the same silhouette and asymmetry as the women’s bottle, but on a taller and larger scale, enabling the women’s and men’s bottles to perfectly attract and fit together. The closure is the same as the women’s but metallized silver.

Avon packaging designer, Jane Tarallo, tells Beauty Packaging: “Designed to capture the shared magnetic musk accord’s power of attraction… the bottles are formed by the simple yet complex geometry of inverting trapezoidal shapes. When standing alone, the bottles are dynamic, powerful and beautiful, forming opposing diagonals creating motion and fluidity. When they come together, they create a single silhouette standing shoulder to shoulder as an intensely dynamic form as one.”

Marilee Egan, senior manager, global NPE&D, Avon, says, “The development of both the bottle and the closure presented opportunities for our vendors to showcase their state of the art technology.”  

Egan says the asymmetric spiraling shape presented both molding and decoration challenges. “Achieving good glass distribution was accomplished by a center parting line,” she explains. “However,” she explains, “the center parting line presented decoration challenges as the reverse print fully decorated side panel necessitated paint coverage over the seam. Heinz did an excellent job achieving both feats.”

When it came to the closures, Egan says, “Both molding and metallization of the weighted polypropylene closure put C+N to the test. The combination of the material and the geometry made molding prone to sinkage. However, they were quite successful in molding the component with minimal sinkage.” Metallization was also critical, says Egan, and the supplier was successful in masking the part so as to have a clean orifice.

“Both vendors are to be commended on their excellent work,” says Egan.—JM


trèStiQue Packaging ‘Clicks’ with Consumers

Written by Jennifer Kapahi, Co-Founder, trèStiQue

trèStiQue is a portable collection of makeup pencils, crayons and sticks created by former Revlon executive Jennifer Kapahi and beauty veteran Jack Bensason. Together they took the almost unprecedented approach of getting patents on packaging for the entire line, which they custom tooled—the first time it’s been done in years. Their patents cover the unique design of the collection from the magnetic caps that seal with an airtight click to improve the longevity of each formula to even the slim pencil shape and smooth exterior texture that allows for easy portability. Here, Jennifer Kapahi fills us in on the brand.

Jack Bensason and I launched trèStiQue on May 28, 2015 after developing the brand, concept, packaging and product line for just over a year. As a small team of only two people, we were able to bring a 100% custom tooled line of products (consisting of 42 product skus and seven tool and accessory skus) to market very quickly due to our combined 20+ years of insider industry experience. The key relationships we formed during our time in the industry with top packaging engineers, manufacturers and formulators, as well as our direct access to market, formula and packaging trends, made the innovative development possible.

We believed custom tooling our line of products would not only give us a differentiated look and feel, but also provide us with an opportunity to stand out against competition. Custom tooling also gave us an incredible opportunity to innovate each part of the product experience. We continued to elevate our tools to the next level by also engineering the first twist-on, twist-off, replaceable tool system for pencils; allowing the customer to customize her experience and refresh her tools when needed. Together with our package supplier, we engineered the first magnetic airtight pencil, providing longer wearing, higher performance formulas in a mechanical pencil package. The magnetic cap also helps to enhance the customer user experience since the cap seals and locks, preventing it from getting lost in her bag. Our trèStiQue package design, magnetic airtight seal and replaceable tool system is currently patent-pending.

Our brand name, trèStiQue, comes from the French phase “très chic” and “stique” meaning stick. We were inspired by effortless, simple French beauty and the pencil trend in the marketplace. Our tagline “Beauty Meets Simple” addresses the modern women’s need for a more intelligent, simpler routine that fits into her busy on-the-go lifestyle. We developed a complete line of chic mechanical sticks, pencils and crayons that have 2-in-1 multi-functional benefits for easier application. We partnered with a top global manufacturing company to formulate a line of new generation cream-gel textures that offer higher performance, longer wear, and a lighter feel. Each product is infused with natural ingredients such as coconut oil and positioned cruelty free and “free of” talc, parabens, synthetic fragrances and petrochemicals.

We have the opportunity to bring real innovation to the market and want to continue to inspire our consumer with ingenuity and creativity.