Story Tellers

By Christine Esposito, Contributing Editor

With sales that rose 9% globally in 2006 to $27.6 billion, and forecasted to hit $31.9 billion by 2010, fine fragrance is an enticing market for beauty companies. But competition is stiff; scores of scents come to market year after year. In fact, in 2006 alone, there were—at the very least—146 new fragrances launches, according to the Fragrance Foundation.

And, as has been the case in the past few years, celebrity scents continue to be a dominant strategy. Marketers are hedging their bets, taking advantage of a music, film or sports star’s established fan base to generate sales. In addition, flankers and limited editions continue to bow, as companies hope to invigorate established brands and keep costs in check.

Throughout the distribution chain, this activity is more than welcome, especially among packaging suppliers. After all, every celebrity chypre, new oriental and revitalized vetiver needs a bottle, not to mention secondary packaging, caps, pumps and sprayers. And while the juice is what ultimately sells the scent, packaging is a critical step in attracting customers, especially when the rapid-fire pace of celebrity launches is changing the business.

“These launches tend to have a short life and, consequently, there is a heavy emphasis on frequent launches and short editions, which means that packaging suppliers must be flexible, fast and provide excellent service to meet customers’ demands,” says Sandy Gregory, marketing manager with the fragrance division of MeadWestvaco Calmar.

Inspiration and Execution

In many ways, packaging fine fragrance has become easier and more difficult at the same time. Expanded supplier stock, new materials and improved capabilities mean almost anything is possible. However, stepped up competition puts greater pressure on marketers (and their suppliers) to generate a design that helps sell the scent.

“Because there are more and more product launches every year, and as the cycle between launches becomes shorter and shorter, it is critical that marketers make a point-of-difference impression almost immediately,” notes Eric Desmaris, marketing manager with Rexam Dispensing Systems.

A designer with a point of difference, Betsey Johnson has entered the fine fragrance market with a signature scent that launched nationally in 2006 at Nordstrom, Macy’s, Bloomingdales and Sephora shops. The look of the packaging incorporates elements that have influenced her fashions, including chandeliers, antique frames, mirrors, paintings and china. The bottle was inspired by one Johnson found in an antique shop.

“The bottle is a reflection of my boudoir side; it’s inspired by my favorite bottle that I held onto for 20 years hoping to make a fragrance one day,” said the eccentric designer. “I wanted a bottle that looks great on every girl’s vanity.”

And while it took 20 years for Johnson to launch a fragrance, she was able to quickly get it to market—once she found the right companies to execute her ultimate vision.

“It took a while to find the right connection, but when we found one another we knew it was meant to be,” Johnson says. “The design process was a lot quicker than it normally is for fragrance. We signed in fall 2005 and poof, everything was 100% ready for sale the following fall.”

Flankers Flourish

In addition to the deluge of celebrity fragrances, there has been a steady stream of flankers too, the result of the enormous costs involved in introducing a new product, say industry experts.

With flankers and limited editions, companies often stick close to the initial packaging design theme, opting to modify colors and materials.

“From a development standpoint, this becomes an easier mission since existing tooling is used with color or finish modifications,” says Stephen T. Pearlman, president of Risdon International, Inc.

The scent that defined the “shared” market, ck One, is a prime example. Its flankers and limited edition summer fragrances are housed in the same highly recognized flask-style bottle as the original, which launched in 1994. Each variant, however, features a different color combination. The latest, cK One Electric, features a bold neon-green juice visible through the bottle and a neon-green acrylic carton.

Many of the limited editions released in 2006 were seasonal scents—a trend that should continue.

This past fall, Coty released Marc Jacobs Splash in Violet, Ivy and Amber, a trio of body splashes. To tie the body splash trio together, each fragrance is packed in a minimalist-inspired, 10oz. clear glass bottle with a black and white label and polished black cap. The bottle is housed in a box tinted with each splash’s distinctive color. In addition, Coty included a separate spray pump for all-over body misting.

Yet there are times when a new look can signal new life for a brand. Such is the case with OS Signature, a new masstige fragrance from venerable Old Spice. Aimed at 18-34 year olds, the scent comes in an ergonomic, cylindrical shape bottle with a square, ribbed base to appear more “prestige-like” and masculine, according to the company. For retailers without testers, P&G included special scratch n’ sniff tickers (from Arcade) on the package. EDT andaftershave bottles were supplied by Vitro, with closures from Valois.

Disappearing Act

Minimizing the appearance of a fragrance bottle’s mechanics has been another design trend sweeping through the industry, as companies want a buyer’s attention focused on the product itself, not the inner workings of the package. But execution means more than simply shrinking the mechanisms.

“Beauty companies are looking for more invisibility and transparency in packaging so that the end-user’s attention is focused on the product and not the pump mechanism. Also, transparency adds to the overall elegance of the package,” says Desmaris.

Rexam Dispensing Systems’ Invisible Dip Tube on its super low profile pump (SLPP) pump or SP7, both of which feature a glass ball bearing rather than a metal ball, are two new products that offer low-profile, upscale transparency. The glass ball increases the neutrality of the overall spray mechanism and it also presents a cleaner, more invisible appearance when coupled with the transparent dip tube, notes Desmaris. According to Rexam, a new plastic material makes the dip tube invisible when immersed in the perfume, and the new SLPP assembly also contains no elastomers that might contaminate the product formula. The technology made its commercial debut in Coty Prestige’s Vera Wang Princess.

Also recognizing the need for greater transparency is MeadWestvaco Calmar, supplier of NoC, an invisible dip tube that literally disappears when in contact with the fragrance. NoC technology can been “seen” in Rumeur by Lanvin and the new scents from Banana Republic, which include Jade, Rosewood, Alabaster, Slate and Black Walnut.

Smaller mechanisms and invisibility also allow for greater design freedom.

“The fragrance market constantly requires smaller pumps in order to offer increased flexibility for packaging design. Moreover, it is very important for the future market to guarantee maximum compatibility of the fragrance with the packaging,” says Cindy D’Antonio, vice president, Pfeiffer of America.

Pfeiffer’s Inspiration and Progress pumps were created to be as discrete as possible and have no metal contact with the medium. “Moreover, the pump is heat-resistant up to 60°C,” adds D’Antonio, who notes the pumps’ robustness is critical to maintaining high-speed production and filling processes.

Details, Details

Fragrance marketing is often about storytelling, and details can help communicate the essence of the scent to the potential consumer.

Tommy Bahama is a lifestyle brand well known for its casual island feel. Gemini Cosmetics, New York, turned to Risdon to help make caps for Tommy Bahama for Men flow well with the line’s heavy use of natural fabrics and materials. Through a hydrographic process, Risdon made a plastic cap look like wood for the 2005 launch, and more recently, it enlisted the same process to replicate cork for the 2006 launch of Tommy Bahama Very Cool for Men.

For the newest Naomi Campbell fragrance, Cat Deluxe, the bottle’s embossed leopard print and pink coloration help communicate the scent’s wild side, while a pink pompom showcases its playfulness. P&G Prestige Fragrance selected Pfeiffer’s LPP2 pumpwith an accessory safety clip to hold the pompom, which can be detached and used as a cellular phone accessory.

Customization is often necessary to achieve the subtle differences that take a package to the next level. This attention to detail is especially key in the prestige end of the market.

Tom Ford’s Black Orchid features a jet black, fluted bottle with art deco-inspired lines, a hand tied cord, 23K gold-plated name plaque and engraved lettering. The centerpiece of the collection is a limited edition pure black crystal perfume bottle designed by Ford. Each bottle is crafted by Lalique and is signed and numbered. Exemplified by the intense black of Ford’s Black Orchid, color is playing a greater role in fragrance packaging, with companies incorporating more vivid color and working with spray-on coatings and decals.

“This seems to be a trend that will continue as it is an effective way of customizing a clear stock bottle,” says packaging consultant Robert DuGrenier of Robert DuGrenier Assoc. in Townshend, VT. “New spraying techniques and materials have made this trend start to expand and should continue in years to come.”(For more on glass decoration techniques see, The Art of Glass Decoration at nitesh_bp.rodpub.com)

Not one to shy away from the use of color is Bond No. 9, which uses unique designs and intricate details to make each of its signature bottles (supplied by Bormioli) a true work of art. The superstar bottle for the fragrance house’s newest scent, Bryant Park, features swirls of pink, lavender and black on a white background. The New York-based company contends the design recalls the exuberant gossamer silk pre-mod textiles of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The scent, which debuts March 1, is offered in the 3.4 oz. superstar bottle and box ($185) as well as a travel size ($125), basic spray flacon with gilt honeycomb cap ($40-$150) and in Bond No. 9’s vintage or art bottles, which cost between ($60 – $200).

For Love…and Money

For Bond No. 9, the secret to its packaging success has been its relationship with key
suppliers.

“Our suppliers are very willing to work with us. They do it because they love what they do, not just for the money,” says Laurice Rahme, president and founder of Bond No. 9.

But, in reality, it is about money—to be made and to be lost. And with more materials and techniques available from today’s packaging suppliers, keeping up with all new technologies that can help speed production, cut costs or create subtle details is a daunting task. The best suppliers will be able to help you navigate the waters.

“It would be very difficult for our customers to investigate all new materials and technologies available and therefore it is [our] responsibility to inform the customer of the options available,” says Gregory of Calmar. “In such a manner a type of partnership relationship is created where both companies cooper

Fashion Scents

Fashion and fragrance have a long-running relationship. Today, in an era when a successful brand name can capture consumer dollars in a variety of markets, clothing designers and retailers are looking for the sweet smell of success in fine fragrance.

A clothier must carefully consider its bottles and secondary packaging, as its customers tend to be fiercely loyal to the style it has cultivated. If a shopper is going to purchase and wear a scent from their favorite designer or retailer, the juice must be enticing, and the bottle be as attractive as the apparel.

A long-running success story in matching fragrance packaging to fashion is Calvin Klein. From Eternity to ck One to Contradiction, Klein’s packaging has always echoed his sense of style. His newest fragrance is no exception. The weighted glass bottle of Euphoria Men (left) features clean lines and curved contours encased with a silver frame, topped with a rectangular aluminum cap. The outer carton is a burnished platinum bronze color with a matte finish.

As more designers and retailers enter the fragrance market, they too are opting for packaging that captures the essence of their brands.

KEEPING IT REAL.Just as an elaborate cap is a perfect match for Betsey Johnson’s debut scent (right), so too is the clean line design of Real, the new fragrance from American Eagle, the Warrendale, PA-based clothing retailer hip with 15 to 25 year olds. Real’s bottles are made of heavy glass textured with the subtle imprint of a belt buckle. Real For Her (page 34) is housed in an organic orb-shaped bottle in a soft nude pink, while the men’s bottle is angular in a rich tobacco grey/brown hue. In addition, American Eagle is offering Real in forms popular with its younger clientele—a roller-ball vial (for women) and body spray (for men)—in addition to traditional EDT and cologne.

ZERO TO (MISS) 60.Trendy Italian label Miss Sixty has also lent its name to fragrance for the first time, working with Coty Prestige on an EDT that launched in September at Sephora shops. Billed as an unconventional and vibrant scent inspired by the cocktail colors, sensations and freedom of the 1970s, the packaging reportedly echoes the unique ambience of Miss Sixty boutiques. The design features a pink-purple glass bottle with an off-center cap and a shimmery, sequin-like logo. A vibrant pink and purple shade hologram adorns the box.

BAND OF GOLD.Vera Wang—a fashion icon especially among the bridal set—entered the fragrance market in 2006 with Princess. The packaging evokes images of love, royalty (shouldn’t every bride feel like a princess?) and wedded bliss. The heart-shaped, faceted glass bottle has a bejeweled crown cap and a gold band inlaid with sparkling amethyst-hued crystals, according to Coty Prestige.

IN THE BAG.The fashion-fragrance connection is trickling down to the accessory side of the business too. While packaging details have yet to be released, a new scent is set to launch from leather specialist Coachand the BeautyBank division of Estée Lauder. It will be sold in Coach’s U.S. retail stores.