Sun-Sational Skin Care

Melabel, a European sun care product, used Rexam Prodigio dispensers for its packaging: the Prodigio is airless, neutral—and dripless.

From powders and wipes to pumps and tubes, brands are turning up the creative heat on sun care formulations and packaging options.

By Leah Genuario, Contributing Editor

For consumers looking to hydrate thirsty skin in addition to applying SPF protection, the Lubriderm skin care brand offers Lubriderm Daily Moisture Lotion with Sunscreen. Its white bottle is highlighted with vibrant blue and yellow graphics. Raised shapes incorporated into both the bottle and cap/closure design add tactile appeal, and the packaging is completed with a custom GS Twist & Lock pump from Aptar Beauty + Home.

A decade ago, it might have seemed odd to begin a sun care packaging article by mentioning a skin care brand. Not anymore. The sun care segment of the beauty industry is undergoing a major evolution, not only in packaging, but in what actually constitutes sun care. With consumers’ increasing concerns over healthy living as well as their insatiable desire for convenience, the sun care umbrella has extended to include a plethora of products.

“SPF sun block has also found its way into many daily use skin care creams and cosmetic products, which seems to be both a convenience element and a shift in thinking, whereas protection from the sun is no longer just a consideration when going to the beach,” says Geoff van Eimeren, regional manager for Glenroy.

Hybrid products, as Virginie Lemeunier, global product manager-lotion for Rexam Personal Care, terms them, “are becoming more popular. Consumers value innovation that provides a real end-user benefit. Such hybrid products provide new levels of convenience and functionality.”

The proliferation of sun care formulations has spurred a number of different packaging trends, some functional and some design-oriented.

With the integration of pharmaceutical-type research and cosmetic applications, says Michel Lepage, operations manager for Plastube, Inc., “the primary focus today is speed to market and the development of more innovative and advanced formulas and products. Package development and package functionality are essential in order to meet the increasing requirements of the new products that are launched into the sun care market each year.”

One area of concern is protecting sensitive formulas from oxygen and moisture. Tube supplier Plastube meets this need by offering two tube structures: a five-layer co-extrusion tube and its proprietary Polyfoil tube structure featuring an aluminum layer.

Convenient Truth

The demand for convenience, in addition to spawning numerous hybrid products that combine desirable benefits, has also introduced many innovative application systems into the sun care market. These applicators accommodate the variety of different formulas available, as well as enhance user-friendliness.

AquaSun prides itself on complete do-it-yourself sunless tanning thanks to its innovative application system, the AquaSun Wand.

“We, as a society, have become extremely convenience oriented in all aspects of consumer products. Sun care packaging is no different and has seen more packages in this category with many types of dispensing venues including sprays, pumps, dispensing caps, wipes, tubes, roll-ons, and more,” comments Matthew S. Grimaldi, president, Padtech.

One of the more noticeable introductions in recent years is 360° continuous sprayers. According to an Aptar trend report, “Bag-on-valve has transformed sun care packaging. The 360° continuous spray allows for ease of use and provides complete coverage in

La Fresh Travel Wipes offer sun care in a convenient form.

hard-to-reach places.”

In one of many examples, Aptar Beauty + Home’s Portable Pump was utilized for the launch of Bull Frog Mosquito Coast SPF 30. The hoodless design of the pump offers a re-locking feature in addition to 360° spray.

Ease-of-use is important to consumers and a concern for marketers, especially for products intended for full-body coverage. There are several other technologies employed by sun care marketers that also address this need.

The ability to cover hard-to-reach places is one inspiration for the packaging of AquaSun, a sunless tanner created for home use. The packaging, designed by The Nutt House Inc., features an elongated and adjustable wand that snaps into interchangeable cans. Sunless-tanning mist is diffused out of the wand for a do-it-yourself, streak-free look.

Living up to its name, HandsFree Marketing offers “hands free” application of sun care products. “Originally, our products were developed for the sport enthusiast who did not want the application of sun care to interfere with their sport,” explains Scott Stevenson, vice president. “Over the past few years, many other packaging and marketing companies have embraced applicator tubes into their existing packaging. “The company has recently introduced a line of screw-on applicators to accommodate tube manufacturer partners.

Convenience comes in many shapes and forms. Sun care wipes have also seen a surge upward. “We have provided packaging for single-use sunscreen towelettes,” says Glenroy’s van Eimeren. “Based on the graphics [of customer packages], they seem to have been marketed for their carry and use convenience.”

“As a wet wipe manufacturer, we believe the consumer convenience factor is the primary reason for using a wipe as an applicator of sunscreen,” agrees Eve Yen, president and CEO of manufacturing company Diamond Wipes International and consumer brand La Fresh Group.

“Wet wipes can deliver controlled amounts of sunscreen with every application. The wipes can be packaged individually or in a smaller, flexible packaging, which allows users to carry these wipes in a purse, or even in a pocket without the possibility of a leak or explosion,” Yen adds, saying the company manufactures sunscreen items in a wipe form, packaged as single sachets or in multi-count flexible pouches.

Along a similar vein, Padtech is currently working with several sun care product manufacturers interested in single-use pads. The pads are filled with self-tanning or sun protection products and promise on-the-go, as well as uniform, application.

Hawaiian Tropic unveils a new look with its Sheer Touch products.

Foam applicators are also appearing within the sun care segment, revered for its even distribution and easy application. “Foam is made from very waterlike formulations that spread differently on the skin as compared with thicker, more viscous lotions,” adds Casper Kleiman, product manager-foam, Rexam Personal Care.

Rexam has especially seen foam pump dispensers used within sunless-tanning applications. Projects over the last few years have included Tan Max from Hawaiian Tropic, Tan-Do Attitude from Bath & Body Works and 17 Sundaze Body Foam from Boots. In addition to the application benefits of foam, Rexam maintains it is a streak-free solution.

The Right Looks

Of course, an applicator is only one piece of a well-executed sun care package. Graphics, shape and overall design play an equally critical role.
“We are always looking for new kinds of finishes and shapes that will give our sun care customers an edge over their market’s competition,” adds Sandy Nagel, vice president of JSN Cosmetics Packaging.

On crowded shelves, shape provides an excellent way to differentiate.

For brand By U, Maesa Beauty designed an 18-SKU line of sun care products with pebble-shaped packaging. The clean, curved lines of the package coordinate well with the fragrance—a critical focus of the project and one intended to capture the essence of exotic getaways. In addition to the standout shape, the color combinations pay homage to sun care while reinforcing the quality of the packaging and product.

Also differentiating through shape, Colorescience Pro recently launched Sunforgettable SPF 30 Eyescreen, an all-powder sunscreen for the eye area with no emollients or chemicals. The company touts the water-resistant powder as an environmentally responsible formulation. Equally innovative as its all-powder formulation is the packaging, supplied by World Wide Packaging.

The package is a small, round orb with an aqua-blue shimmer. A fan brush is included in the unit carton as Eyescreen is brushed around and under the eye. “The soft, weightless powder formula needed a package that was fun, easy to carry, and small enough to fit into a backpack, beach bag or purse,” says Diane Ranger, founder, Colorescience Pro.

For brand By U, Maesa Beauty designed a line of sun care products with pebble-shaped packaging and clean, curved lines.

In addition to shapes, decoration plays an equally important role in making sun care products stand out. JSN is a plastic manufacturer that also provides 8-color printing and decoration services. Nagel from JSN, for example, has seen the emergence of new, metallic matte and gloss finishes, specialized translucent plastics and natural pastel colors.

Plastube also realizes the crucial role color plays. The company can “duplicate flesh tones often used to promote sun care products,” adds Lepage, as well as print up to ten colors on the same tube through offset printing technologies.

As is the case in other beauty categories as well, mass sun care brands are moving toward more premium looks. “You see a much more professional presentation of brands. The difference between prestige and mass will remain; however, with mass becoming more and more sophisticated, the need for differentiation will push prestige brands to evolve. In other words, the so-called movement towards premiumization,” says Kleiman of Rexam.

For example, Hawaiian Tropic Sun Care recently unveiled a new look with the introduction of its Sheer Touch Crème Lotion, Sheer Touch Clear Spray Sunscreen and After-Sun Crème Lotion. The collection is housed in aluminum cans decorated with island-inspired graphics and colors. Allegra Foam Spouts and twist-to-lock Glencoe actuators were chosen for the line, both provided by Aptar Beauty + Home.

Impending Regulations Spell Major Changes For those involved in the sun care industry, proposed Sunscreen Monograph 21 CFR regulation looms on the horizon. After multiple delays and setbacks, many industry pundits wonder what this Food and Drug Administration regulation will mean should it finally see approval as scheduled in May. “From my understanding, the holdups are for a multitude of reasons. On the surface, this regulation looks simple and straightforward, but it is a very complex issue,” says Holly Young, president of H+Y Regulatory Graphics Consultants. Among proposed packaging changes is the inclusion of a UVA rating on product packaging encompassing all items claiming SPF within the health and beauty industry. This includes items such as makeup, lipstick and moisturizers with SPF, in addition to more traditional sun care products. “The new elements for the front panel include the new UVA 4-star rating system and text; additional text for the UVB SPF rating and a long information statement on UVA and UVB rays from the sun,” says Young. “The short story is that the packaging front, the focal point of the brand identity, must be re-designed. And actually, due to the inclusion of the Drug Facts Panel, the entire outer package needs to be re-designed.” Young says she has not seen any brands make the changes in anticipation of the regulation and advises against doing so until after final approvals. This being said, she doesn’t recommend that sun care brands rest on their laurels either. “As my focus is the product packaging and not the testing standards, my advice is to start now reviewing the monograph with your regulatory and packaging design staff together. While we are not 100 percent certain of when or what the exact final text/graphics will be, there will be a monograph calling for the inclusion of the Drug Facts Panel and the UVA notations on your packaging,” says Young. “Understanding what is required now will help the formulation of ideas on how to solve this creative problem in the near future.”