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Packages Are Part of the Indulgence

Artful Packaging

Beautiful products make a bath better, according to Ellen Davies, creator of the Davies Gate line of personal care products (Irwindale, CA). Unmoved by what she was seeing on store shelves, Davies decided to merge her love of personal care products with her background in creative arts. "Bath and personal care products are my cup of tea," says Davies. "Having something beautiful in your bathroom inspires you to take a bath."

One of Davies's most recent creations is the Sun Tree line. Nominated for a FIFI award, the Sun Tree products come in packages with a clean sensibility. The design is based on wood block printing, an artistic technique that Davies had been practicing in her spare time.

"I wanted [the line] to be subtle and convey a tranquil, Zen-like feel, but I didn't want the products [to be perceived] as traditionally Asian because they're not," says Davies. "The line is treatment-oriented and inspires consumers to treat themselves to personal care rituals." The packaging, she says, serves as the invitation.

The pattern, rich texture, and two-toned color of the packaging are consistent with the line's serene quality. Secondary cartons with rounded corners are folded in a style reminiscent of origami. Carefully chosen colors represent the products' citrus fragrances.

Packaging accessories, such as hand-applied raffia ties and ribbons, add a personal touch to Davies's products. "Even our cartons are folded and packaged by hand," she says.

Nowhere is Davies's personal touch more apparent than in Davies Babies, an infant care line inspired by the recent birth of Davies's twin sons. "The number one thing a mother needs when it comes to baby care products is ease of use," Davies says. "There have been times when I haven't had a hand free to unscrew a cap, so I decided to design the first baby care line for one-handed use."

The idea, she says, is simple package design for ease of product handling and dispensing.

Butter-yellow labels with playful graphics designed by an illustrator adorn the Davies Babies products. "Caring for a baby is hard work," says Davies, "so we designed these labels to inspire moms—even though they're doing a chore like changing a diaper—to have fun and interact with their babies."

The products are sold without secondary packaging, and each product dispenses conveniently through a pump and features a tagline that reads, "Designed by a mother for mothers with their hands full."

New Packages, Timeless Allure

The E. Coudray Bain Crème Moussant (Foaming Bath Cream) was created in France in 1822 during the reign of Louis XVIII, when Edmond Coudray, a doctor and chemist, was appointed the court perfumer and savonnier (soap maker). Today the bath line—still made by the company in Boulogne, France—transports consumers, as nearly as possible, back to the decadence of French royalty in the 19th century.

E. Coudray recently updated its packaging, using materials intended to meet the needs of today's consumer, according to Mdm. Du Montier, director of exports for the company. The firm retained its 19th century formulations. "E. Coudray keeps as its constant concern the quality of the essential oils and plant extracts that have made our name and that are again a trend in the beauty market," says Du Montier.

The line spans eight classic fragrances. The creams are housed in clear glass jars. "E. Coudray chose the glass jars to adapt to today's market needs," says Du Montier. "The bath line was relaunched in the 1960s according to the original formulas, but today's packaging is more practical, more visually interesting." The creamy consistency of the products is better presented by the glass jars, which allow consumers to see the color, adds Du Montier.

The company also enhanced the portability of its bath creams by marketing them in 3.3-oz translucent travel tubes. The tubes bare the E. Coudray logo in a type style reminiscent of the 19th century.

Packaging That's a Trip

While E. Coudray transports consumers back in time, the Terme D'Isola (Spa of the Island) line from Mary Kay (Dallas) whisks bathers off to an enchanted isle in the Mediterranean. The Terme D'Isola Body Smoothing Scrub, Moisturizing Body Wash, and Hydrating Lotion feature carefully selected packaging that underscores the concept behind the brand.

"The packaging design evokes the feeling of being in a relaxing, indulgent Mediterranean locale," says Beth Ludwig, fragrance and body care marketing associate for Mary Kay. "The shape of the bottle is feminine with its smooth, sensual curves." The tapered bottles, supplied by Owens-Brockway (Skokie, IL) have a translucent tint of aquamarine. The bottles are topped with transparent, deep-aquamarine-colored dispensing caps supplied by Poly-Seal (Baltimore).

Colors are key to the aesthetics of the line. Blues and coppers depict the richness found in the sea and the land of the Mediterranean region, according to Ludwig. "The varied shades of blue represent the stunning colors of the sea," she says. "The scrollwork on the base of the bottle and on the carton depicts a sea motif. Copper accents represent the richness of the land. These elements not only create a beautiful package, but also reinforce our ingredient story. Each product [contains] ingredients associated with the land and sea, which reinforces our choice of colors for the packaging."

Packages Get Personal

The line from SCO (New York City) comprises products and packaging that are personalized to suit individual needs and to streamline skin-care regimens. According to Theresa Ma, the company's founder, "The [packaging] design conveys a clean, modern feel that appeals to both men and women."

Each of the line's 18 formulations can be customized thanks to a blending process that incorporates as many as three infusions. The infusions range from traditional ingredients, like almond oil, aloe vera, calendula, and vitamins A, C, and E, to such additives as gingko biloba, juniper berry, parsley, and soy.

Once a customer's specific needs are determined, products are blended immediately to guarantee freshness and purity. A stylized, customized label on each SCO jar and bottle includes the customer's name, the infusion, the date of the infusion, and the expiration date for the product.

SCO's brand identity and sleek, minimalist packages were created by Lloyd & Co. (New York City). Colt's Plastic Co. (Dayville, CT) custom made the amber jars, caps, and bottles. Each package features simple decoration—a hot-stamped logo and white print. The outer cartons, produced by Arko Paper Products Company, Inc. (Piscataway, NJ), are matte UV-coated, white board stock with a hot-stamped SCO logo and amber-colored copy.

Marketing Tales

Bloom/Archive (Littleton, CO) packages its bath and body products with a bit of fiction. Paper labels direct the consumer's attention to a distinctive hangtag, which appears on each product and serves to unify the line. Each hangtag features a journal entry written by Katherine, a fictitious character who helps the consumer get in the right state of mind for enjoying the products.

"The vintage packaging gives the [products] the feeling of luxury and romance," says Stefanie Amundson, marketing director for Bloom/Archive. "The journal makes the line come to life with a romantic, nostalgic feeling we want our customers to [experience] when they're in the tub."

Some of the products have surprises tucked into their packaging to further heighten the consumer's experience."For example," says Amundson, "the Archive rosemary mint soap product features an old-fashioned picture of Katherine [that customers see] when they open the box. Take the soap out, and there's a journal entry hidden underneath."

Another fictitious character promoting personal care products is Barbie from Mattel Inc. Developed by the Cosrich Group (Bloomfield, NJ), the bath and body products are part of a 40 stock-keeping-unit line that is designed to be fun, fashionable, and functional.

Three products—Cosmic Cotton Candy Bubble Bath, Fantasmically Fruity Body Wash, and Blastin' Berry Shampoo—come in kid-friendly pouches manufactured by Kapak Corp. (Minneapolis). The clear, flexible pouches are environmentally friendly and feature colorful keepsake charms and bracelets that double as handles for retail display. The Body Wash pouch has a suction cup on its back panel so it can hang in the shower.

The Barbie-stylized pouch packaging was the brainchild of Cynthia Rapp, vice president creative worldwide for Barbie Consumer Products Division. Rapp, formerly of Liz Claiborne and designer of the FIFI-award-winning package for Curve fragrance, was attending the Cosmoprof show in Bologna, Italy, when she discovered that the flexible pouch was being used to market high-end Italian beauty
products.

The Cosrich Group made the pouch concept a reality and later received an outstanding licensee commendation from Mattel because the design was so well received. Interesting from a marketing standpoint is that Barbie's image is not part of the packaging, as Debbie Baker, vice president of marketing for the Cosrich Group, points out. "Mattel has completely revamped the Barbie line," says Baker. Because the demographic profile of the market is broadening, Baker explains, the Barbie image is one that only some girls in the market identify with. Mattel left Barbie's image out of the packaging to create products that would translate to all girls in the target market.

Packaging Invites, Delights

Companies that create bath and body products can add value to them with packages that make the consumer's experience that much more enjoyable. Marketing tools that range from island themes to fictitious characters not only invite consumers to try a product, but also can enrich their experience of it. Such enrichment helps to create repeat customers, which is always good for a company's bottom line.

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