Showcase: Labels That Fit the Bill
Solutions abound for making you, your customers, and FDA happy.
Resealable foldout labels on the necks of PureOlogy hair-care products are positioned to catch the eye, and offer product information on the inside. Because labels are one of the first things a consumer spots on a package, they must function as a marketing tool. Logos, slogans, and snappy copy are standard label fare. But many cosmetic and personal care companies are relying on labels to convey much more.
Directions, ingredients, and instantly redeemable coupons have become commonplace on labels. Some companies are even printing multiple languages on a single label to avoid the costs associated with labeling packages separately for different markets. And makers of over-the-counter (OTC) drug products, such as antiperspirants, skin protectants, and sunscreens, must fit large amounts of text onto their labels to comply with new FDA regulations. Fortunately, label suppliers are developing new products that accommodate these needs.
Meeting FDA Requirements
Beginning this May, all OTC cosmetic-drug products with active ingredients must include a standardized Drug Facts label on their packages to be sold in the United States. The label must include active ingredients, purpose, uses, warnings, directions, and inactive ingredients. All of this information must fit onto the outermost package so that it's easily readable by the consumer at the retail level. The active ingredients and warnings must also be declared on the primary package's label. Products falling under this regulation include acne products, antibacterial hand washes, various skin protectants, fluoride toothpaste, and sunscreen products. Fortunately for the makers of OTC sunscreens, however, FDA has stayed indefinitely the effective date for the final sunscreen monograph. The new effective date is not expected before January 1, 2005.
Finding space for new information is proving to be a challenge for many companies, particularly those with products in small packages. "The warnings and the verbiage for acne products are very long and very extensive," says Holly Young, president of Hirschhorn & Young, a packaging production art studio based in New York City. "And [consumers] buy them in small sizes."
For the smallest products, FDA has approved a modified label format that allows for a slight reduction in the print size. "The other thing you can do is alter some of the graphics, such as eliminating the outside border," says Carl Geffken, a regulatory affairs consultant based in Guilford, CT. "FDA also allows a side-by-side column format within the same label, which can save some additonal space. Required information can also appear on two separate label panels, [with text] starting on one panel and wrapping to another. But the panels have to be on adjacent sides with an arrow to show continuity," he explains.
For everyone else, the options are somewhat limited. One obvious solution is to simply pare down excess marketing text and graphics to make room for the required text. "It becomes a creative challenge," says Elisha Tropper, president of Prestige Label (Brooklyn, NY). "Sometimes labels contain duplicate information that can be edited. Logos can be reduced, slogans can be eliminated, and smaller fonts can be utilized for certain information."
Sometimes labels can be enlarged just enough to make space for more information. But many companies may be reluctant to change the look of their package if the existing label fits perfectly. In these cases, foldouts may be the best option.
Expanded-Content Labels
Foldout labels—also known as accordian labels, extended-text labels, and expanded-content labels—are a way to increase the available space on a label without increasing its footprint. Some of these labels are designed to be completely removed, leaving behind only a clear base. In some cases, part of the label is designed to be torn off, leaving a base label that contains copy. The third possibility is a resealable label.
The label for Urban Decay Shot Gun Eye Shadow folds out to reveal a list of the product's ingredients and company contact information. The label was supplied by Ampersand Label (Garden Grove, CA). PureOlogy (Irvine, CA) uses resealable foldout labels from Ampersand Labels (Garden Grove, CA) on its line of hair-care products. "We had a lot of information and very little room," says Joni Rae Russell of Joni Rae & Associates, a marketing and creative services firm based in Los Angeles. "We wanted the label to be really impactful, so we put it right on the neck of the bottle where it gets immediate attention. It allowed us to put a strong headline on the front panel of the label while providing a whole lot of information on the inside," she explains.
"Multifolds are pretty standard in the industry," says Ampersand president Paulette Carnes. "Ours are different because we can machine-apply them in any direction. We've also added simple peel tabs and what we call pocket labels in order to apply them to irregular-shaped items or necks of shampoo bottles, for example."
LaVie Naturelle, a Baltimore-based manufacturer of OTC sports-therapy products and high-end cosmetics, also uses Ampersand's foldout labels on its products. "The [FlexView] label pulls apart and reaffixes every time," says LaVie Naturelle's Dave Bookoff. It is designed for completely conformable bottles. "We also use a top label that [fans] out. It peels out and folds back down onto the top of the jar," he adds.
Space-saving solutions are also produced by supplier Labels West Inc. at its plants in Seattle, WA, and San Marcos, CA. "We [make] a lot of multifold labels for medium-sized packages that require additional billboard space," says Lance Wilson, director of sales and marketing for Labels West. "Our biggest challenges have been very small packages, like lipstick and eye-shadow cases. [For example,] we produced a multiply label measuring 1/4 in. in diameter for a 1/2-in.-diameter perfume cap for Cosmetix West of El Segundo, CA," says Wilson. The multiply label construction is compact but still provides ample room for the necessary product information, he says.
Another supplier offering foldout labels is Rothchild Printing Group (Long Island City, NY). The supplier works with a variety of cosmetic and personal care companies including Calvin Klein (New York City) and Victoria's Secret (Intimate Brands Inc.; Columbus, OH). "We just did a label for a perfume [bottle] that measures 9/16 x 3/4 in.," says the supplier's Alan Rothchild. "It opens up into seven surfaces, not including the base."
Chicago-based supplier Impaxx recently received a patent on a new label design called Reveal-Estate. "It's a single-ply label, and can be clear or white," says Derek Sims, director of marketing for Impaxx. "We die-cut a tab, then turn the label over on the press and print on top of the barrier coat. We leave a little adhesive on the end so you can pull on the tab and read underneath. When you let go, it snaps back to the bottle so it doesn't flag on the shelf. It's a very clean solution," Sims says. What makes it clean, he says, is that it works with existing application equipment.
But some high-tech labels can come at a premium. "Foldout labels can mean higher costs in a lot of ways," says Holly Young. "Companies have to figure out how to apply them, and they may not work with their existing machinery." Dave Paul, quality and compliance manager for Standford Personal Care (Santa Clarita, CA), agrees. "I think designing [foldout labels] and making sure they're applied properly will drive up costs significantly," he says.
But this increase in label cost can be offset in other areas. "Take Calvin Klein's Color line," says Jeff Rothchild, president of Proforma Peak Printing & Promotions (Park City, UT). "On the outside of the folding carton, they have labels that unfold [revealing] ingredients and other information in multiple languages. These labels enable the company to use one package for all markets, which is definitely a cost savings, without seriously impacting the look of their secondary packaging," he says.
Cartons and Blisters
Diamond Packaging (Rochester, NY) has developed Design Relief cartons to provide a larger surface area for additional text and graphics. This design features a pull-tab panel that extends to display more drug information or promotional materials. Instead of increasing the size or configuration of their labels, some companies are placing their products in cartons instead. Cartons offer several advantages. They provide a great deal of space for text, graphics, and logos. They also stack neatly on the retail shelf.
But even with a carton, some companies are still having difficulty fitting all of the information required by FDA. "They're eliminating all of their promotional copy, and the drug-facts panel is taking up at least three panels if not more," says Holly Young. "I just reviewed something that Origins (Estée Lauder; New York City) did, and it was a tiny bottle. They were going to increase their carton size just slightly to accommodate it, and they would have had to [add] a fifth panel to cushion the product. So a lot of reengineering is having to be done."
Some companies are using blister cards to fit more text on smaller packages, particularly samples. "A lot of our customers are putting sample packages on blister cards, and we're doing extended-text labels on the blister cards," says Ampersand's Paulette Carnes. "That way the blister card doesn't have to be so big, and [consumers] can still open and read the information on the extended-text label."
Other Options
Besides using labels to convey all the necessary information, companies often silk-screen text and graphics directly onto the package. Silk-screening has long been an option, but some in the industry see its popularity beginning to wane. "With silk-screening, you have a tried-and-true way of putting information on a package," says Standford's Dave Paul. "But with the advances in label technology, you're going to see a lot more versatility and attention-capturing with applied labels."
Another option is the full-body shrink sleeve. "The personal care industry has a lot of irregularly shaped bottles, and some of those bottles are very difficult to label," says Derek Sims of Impaxx. "It's only a matter of time before more companies pick up on this type of packaging."
Finding Solutions
Today there are many solutions for cosmetic and personal care companies that are looking for ways to fit more information onto their packages. Whether it's creative editing of copy, a slightly larger label, a foldout label, or even a carton, there are proven methods of making it work. It all depends on the company's marketing strategy, overall package design, and of course, the impact on the bottom line.