Business Beat
The Allergan Rocket Bottle for Allergan's Complete Multi-Purpose Solution received AmeriStar
best-of-category and best-of-show awards. IoPP, NJPEC Present Awards
By Jennifer KwokLate in 2001, numerous cosmetic and personal care packages received awards for excellence in two competitions. The Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP; Naperville, IL) presented its 13th annual AmeriStar Awards December 7 at Northern Illinois University. The New Jersey Packaging Executives Club Inc. (NJPEC) bestowed its 24th Annual awards November 1 at the Hanover Marriott hotel in Whippany, NJ.
IoPP's AmeriStar Awards honored packages for health and beauty aids that were judged outstanding by a panel of 18 packaging professionals. Criteria included innovation, product protection, economical features, package performance, marketing strength, and environmental impact.
The Allergan Rocket Bottle, created for Allergan's Complete Multi-Purpose Solution for contact lenses, received the best-of-category and best-of-show awards.
Another AmeriStar award went to the package for the Venus razor by The Gillette Co. (Boston). The package's fluid contours are designed to communicate the message that the razor provides a smooth shave. "The package conveys the high-quality image of the product, while being functional and cost-effective," says Dennis Bacchetta of folding carton and contract manufacturer Diamond Packaging (Rochester, NY).
Johnson & Johnson's Bedtime Bath soft-touch package also received an AmeriStar award.
In the NJPEC awards program, gold, silver, bronze, and honorable mention awards went to beauty packages in several categories.
In the cosmetics and fragrances category, NJPEC's gold award went to packages for Linda Cantello/CEI cosmetics. The loose-powder container, a lipstick case, and various compacts are from the "Pure" Range line of packaging by supplier HCT Packaging Inc. (Bedminster, NJ). Molded from a SAN/ABS blend, the packages' lids were sprayed with an iridescent UV lacquer, and the bases were finished with a frosted soft-touch spray. "The iridescent color that [the manufacturer] chose was difficult to match, but we were able to accomplish it," says Dennis Anderson, executive vice president of HCT Packaging Inc.
Johnson & Johnson's Bedtime Bath package won an AmeriStar award. Honorable mentions in the cosmetics and fragrances category included manufacturer Signature Crafts and supplier O. Berk Co. (Union, NJ) for the packaging for a body-glitter product; manufacturer Liz Claiborne Cosmetics and suppliers Coursegreen Ltd. (Blackburn, England), Heinz Glas USA (Linden, NJ), and Newburgh Molded Products (North Caldwell, NJ) for packages for the Mambo fragrances; and manufacturer AM Cosmetics and supplier Label Graphics Manufacturing Inc. (Little Falls, NJ) for packaging for Wet 'n' Wild Loose Confetti.
In the personal care category, the silver award went to the packaging for the 2-in-1 Toothpaste & Mouthwash by Colgate-Palmolive Co. The squeezable PET bottles were injection-molded by Fibrenyle, a div. of Alcan Packaging (Flanders, NJ), in two sizes—75 ml for the European market and 100 ml for the North American market. Because the product went from conception to launch so quickly, the dispensing closure was designed to fit both bottle sizes, "saving production time and costs," says Richard Misdom, national account manager for Alcan Packaging.
Knud Nielson Co. and supplier O. Berk Co. (Union, NJ) took home the bronze award in the personal care category for the package for Lime Tea Body Crème. Pleasures for Men Shave Gel by Estée Lauder received an honorable mention for its packaging, which was supplied by CCL Container (Chappaqua, NY).
Beauty product packages also won awards in the promotional, folding carton, and graphics categories.
For complete lists of winners in the AmeriStar and NJPEC competitions, go to http://www.iopp.net and contact NJPEC Award chairperson Ken Gerhardt at 908/995-7143, respectively.
Crown Cork & Seal to Sell Fragrance Pump Business
International packaging supplier Crown Cork & Seal Company, Inc. (Philadelphia) has announced an agreement to sell its Thomaston, CT–based fragrance pump manufacturing business. Global consumer-packaging company Rexam PLC (London) has agreed to purchase it for roughly $107 million in cash, subject to net-asset and other adjustments. Net proceeds from the transaction will be used to reduce outstanding short-term indebtedness. The companies expect the transaction to be complete following regulatory approvals.
According to Rexam, the acquisition "opens up the United States as a new geographical market for Rexam beauty pumps, and enhances Rexam Beauty & Closures global manufacturing capability."
The Thomaston plant is one of nine facilities operated by Crown's Risdon-AMS (Watertown, CT) cosmetics packaging subsidiary. Primary products manufactured at the plant, which employs approximately 300 people, are fine-mist spray pumps for fragrance applications.
All other Risdon-AMS businesses in the United States and Europe will remain as usual. The supplier's remaining product lines will include decorated, injection-molded, and assembled plastic packaging, and metal packaging products for global manufacturers of lipstick, lip gloss, mascara, compacts, and fragrance caps.
Raison Pure Opens Third West Coast Office
Design agency Raison Pure (Paris; New York City) recently opened its third West Coast office in Los Angeles. Headed by senior designer Carol Durkel, the office serves clients in a wide range of industries, including beauty and fashion. Recent projects have included Liz Claiborne's Mambo fragrance bottle and Revlon's Absolutely Fabulous Lipstick case. The office has the full support and resources of both the Paris and New York offices for all aspects of product development, including market research, trend analysis, packaging design, and advertising.
Laurent Hainaut, one of Raison Pure's founding members and head of the New York office, says the California team will help Raison Pure gain a deeper understanding of the West Coast mentality and the markets there. "Now we can expand our vision and analyze American trends from coast to coast," says Hainaut.
FACES & PLACES
Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, group president of The Estée Lauder Companies, Inc. (New York City), has been elected chairman of the board of The Fragrance Foundation (New York City). Bousquet-Chavanne takes over for Philip Shearer, group president of Estée Lauder International Inc., who resigned as the board's chairman and as a board member on November 12.
Margo Sokol has been named vice president, marketing, for Liz Claiborne Cosmetics (New York City). Neil Katz, president of the company, says Sokol was instrumental in the launches of Curve, Lucky You, and Mambo. In her new role, Sokol will be charged with advertising, promotion, market research, new product development, packaging, sourcing, and purchasing.
Uwe Röhrhoff is managing the new glass-packaging division of the Gerresheimer Group (Dusseldorf, Germany). Röhrhoff is based in the United States. The division produces glass packaging for the international cosmetics and pharmaceuticals industries. Within the division, Bruno Bürkel heads up the glass container department.
Lindsay Owen-Jones, chairman and CEO of Paris-based L'Oreal Group, has appointed Jean-Paul Agon president and CEO of L'Oreal USA, the Group's largest affiliate. Agon succeeds Guy Peyrelongue, who is retiring after more than 15 years at the helm. Among Peyrelongue's many accomplishments have been such brand acquisitions as Maybelline, Redken, and Matrix. Agon has been with the Group since 1978, and was most recently responsible for its activities in Asia, including salon, consumer, luxury, and active cosmetics products.