Cosmceuticals: Packaging for Advanced Formulations
The repackaged SkinCeuticals line is designed for functional as well as aesthetic appeal.Cosmeceutical packaging runs the gamut from clinical to colorful.
By Marie Redding, Senior EditorScience continues to have a huge impact on the beauty industry, especially in the development of new formulations. The latest skin care launches, for instance, are packed with vitamins, antioxidants, or other active ingredients meant to prevent wrinkles or to firm or smooth the skin. These products are called cosmeceuticals by nearly everyone in the beauty industry, but the term doesn't really exist in the eyes of FDA. In the United States, products that contain drug-like ingredients or that claim to offer drug-like benefits are considered to be drugs. FDA automatically puts them into the over-the-counter (OTC) drug category, which means stricter labeling laws. (See "Opening Lines" for more on labeling.) Nonetheless, the term cosmeceuticals is still used.
A study by The Freedonia Group Inc. says that U.S. demand for cosmeceuticals will exceed $5 billion in 2007, which represents a major increase from the current figure of $3.4 billion for 2002. As further proof of the health of this industry, another report, titled "The U.S. Cosmeceuticals Market," by Packaged Facts and marketresearch.com, sees booming growth. "By applying the latest biochemical techniques, from anti-aging facial moisturizers to anti-cellulite thigh creams, hair growth, and vitamin-packed shampoos, companies have created a multi-billion- dollar market that has revolutionized the traditional personal care marketplace," the report claims.
Pharmaceutical Influences
Since the niche borrows part of its name from the pharmaceutical industry, it makes sense to emulate its packaging. "The blending of the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries will be driven by the packaging industry," says Howard Thau, president of Sonic Packaging Industries Inc. (Westwood, NJ). "If cosmetic companies want to differentiate themselves from the competition, they need to look toward the pharmaceutical industry for unique package designs, in order to incorporate ease-of-use features without sacrificing stability or compatibility."
Easy-to-use pharmaceutical packaging was the inspiration behind Elysee Scientific Cosmetics' Lift 'N Go Instant Wrinkle-Smoothing Serum swabs. Thau sees a growing trend toward incorporating applicators with premeasured product doses. At Sonic, Thau is currently developing several packaging options in which the product and the applicator are separate until the point of use. "The products we are working with vary from exfoliators to hormone-replacement creams," says Thau.
An example of this type of product is the Lift 'N Go Instant Wrinkle-Smoothing Serum by Elysee Scientific Cosmetics. Its patented application system is manufactured by Swab-Plus (Rancho Cucamonga, CA). Cotton swabs are filled with a light serum formulated to temporarily smooth wrinkles. The user breaks the seal on one end, and the serum travels down the swab, saturating the cotton tip at the other end.
As far as Elysee's business is concerned, Linda Marshall explains that her customer often prefers a practical application over a pretty package. "Makeup artists working on television sets or photo shoots love using Lift 'N Go, because the small, light case is easy to carry. The one-step application can be done quickly. The small amount inside the swab is perfect for touch-ups during shoots," says Marshall.
"Swabs are a great vehicle to assist in delivering a premeasured dose to a specific location," says Thau. "However, in the cosmetic industry, where everything is based on aesthetics, our challenge is to develop a cosmetically appealing package with the function and simplicity of a fine medical instrument." Sonic Packaging has eight brand-new concepts for applicator packages currently in development, all shown as renderings on its Web site.
Airless Pumps versus Eyedropper Bottles
"The days of the eyedropper bottle and serum bottle are coming to an end," predicts Joseph Contorno, president and CEO of the Doctor's Dermatologic Formula (DDF) skin care line. "Airless packages will have the most longevity in this market."
DDF's Vitamin C Plus Moisturizer is packaged in a plastic, airless pump by Arrowpak Inc. (Richmond Hill, NY) and Mega Pumps L.P. (Eatontown, NJ). The airless pump has many admirers among consumers, because it is easy to use and the product is kept sanitary. Contorno has no concerns about the plastic's compatibility with the firm's formulas. The airtight quality of the container is a benefit and helps keep the product's Vitamin C ingredient at full strength. Contorno explains, "The key for us is to continue to develop more-advanced formulations, in order to take advantage of the new airless packaging technology."
Contorno even believes that airless pumps will one day replace jars. The DDF line does include some jars, but that's because "consumers prefer them right now," he says. "Maybe it harkens back to the days of Oil of Olay and Pond's Cold Cream. Consumers stick to old habits. [However,] we may switch in the future because there are many more benefits to a pump."
For the SkinCeuticals line, however, the glass eyedropper bottle proved ideal. The amber-colored glass bottle containing the line's C + E Combination Antioxidant Treatment wasn't chosen simply to give the line a clinical look, says Eric Cowles, marketing director. "It is well-suited for our vitamin-packed serums and other formulations with high concentrations of pure active ingredients," he adds.
How does Cowles feel about the plastic airless pump? "The plastic lining inside an airless pump's bottle would not be compatible with many of our formulas. For products with high concentrations of Vitamin C or other active ingredients formulated at a low pH, glass remains the best option," explains Cowles.
SkinCeuticals' packaging is based on "functionality first," says Cowles, who adds that the eyedropper helps to deliver the precise dosage.
Packages with airless pumps, as seen on DDF's Fade Cream 30 bottle, help to protect cosmeceutical product formulations. New Packaging Approaches
Even though SkinCeuticals is sticking to the traditional eyedropper, the firm is forging ahead with a new look. One of the first companies to research and recognize the benefits of topically applying vitamin C to the skin, SkinCeuticals has repackaged its entire line. Its brand-new look was designed by Pentagram (Austin, TX). The new packages began shipping to stores in January. A spokesperson for the line says, "A unified blue and white color palette and coordinating design elements were chosen to consolidate our growing product lines while reflecting our company's clinical and scientific heritage." The labels and boxes were designed to subtly resemble laboratory vessels, with milliliter tick marks printed on the sides like those on a test tube or beaker.
Packaging performance, however, was the top priority. "The packaging, for us, is really about function. One of the key things we look at is how the component will function best with our highly concentrated formulations," says Cowles. "We kept the primary components the same, and we changed the labels and the aesthetic look of the line. There are specific functions and reasons for each component choice that we didn't want to move away from."
In its new professional size, SkinCeuticals Revitalizing Toner and Equalizing Toner are both packaged in tall cylinders with cotton-swab pump mechanisms. "This component was designed for the esthetician," says Cowles. "It is better than a spray pump, because you can directly dispense the product to a swab or cloth without ever picking up the container. When designing products for professional use, you always have to keep in mind that they should be able to work with one hand. This feature gives skin-care professionals easy access and allows them to always keep a hand on the patient."
The newest additions to the SkinCeuticals line are Skin Firming Cream and Eye Cream, which launched in January in glass bottles with pumps by Pfeiffer of America (Princeton, NJ). All of the products in the newly redesigned packages are in cartons supplied by ColorMark (Dallas).
Color Me Beautiful
Despite their reliance on science, cosmeceuticals often turn to colorful packaging and other aesthetics to convey benefits.
"Osmotics is a high-end line based on scientific technology," says president and cofounder Francine Porter. Copper, an element traditionally used in the pharmaceutical industry for wound healing, is used in Osmotics' Blue Copper 5. It is packaged in both a jar and in single-dose ampules, which are packaged in blue cartons. Osmotics latest launch is Lipoduction, a skin cream meant to smooth and firm cellulite. Packaged in a shiny tube, it conveys the message that skin will feel just as smooth as the tube after use. The tube is sourced overseas, and its shiny terracotta-colored carton is by Great Plains Packaging (Hastings, NE). The carton's color matches the product color, which comes from the natural grape-seed extract ingredient in the formula.
Next, Osmotics will be launching Osmotics Male, a cosmeceutical line based on blue copper for men. Starter kits make their debut in May, consisting of four 50-ml tubes containing a cleanser, shave butter, after-shave lotion, and moisturizer with sunscreen. The line's see-through carton is taupe and bronze, and the four small tubes are visible through the packaging. "The kit is a great way to get men to try the entire line," says Porter.
DDF's 7-Day Radiance Peel Kit includes sets of active ingredients that customers can mix together.The Next Generation of Skin Care
Packaging plays a key role in Lab 21's line, but only after customers' orders are filled. Even more unique, the bioscience company has found a way to create a completely customized skin care program based on each customer's own genetic information.
"The science-based approach to beauty is here to stay," says Mei Lin Wan, marketing director for Lab 21. Every formula is made-to-order for one specific person's skin. At the Lab 21 department store counter, a cotton swab is swiped on the inside of the consumer's cheek. The swab is then sealed in a plastic bag and bar coded so that consumer identities remain anonymous. Consumers are then asked to fill out questionnaires about their skin and lifestyle, such as how much water is consumed and how much time is spent in the sun. Answers and DNA tests are then sent to the lab for analysis.
Wan explains, "From the DNA test, we can analyze specific genes pertaining to skin health and skin aging. But environmental factors such as climate can also affect skin, so the answers to our questions will help us to determine the optimal formula."
Once the formula is made, it is packaged and sent to the store with a list of ingredients printed on a computer-generated label that resembles a doctor's prescription. This prescription label identifies the specific formulation code as well as the date the product was created.
Since each product is made on demand, the company keeps a warehouse filled with empty packaging components, ready to be filled individually as needed.
"The formulas are made fresh from our lab. The ingredients are much more active than if they were made in large batches and then stored in a warehouse or stockroom for a month," says Wan.
Cobalt-blue and silver components give Lab 21's packaging a contemporary edge. Lab 21's DNA Face Cream was launched in December 2002, and the line has gained such a following that there were three new launches in January. To satisfy customers who were ordering two or three jars of DNA Face Cream at once (because some customers use it all over their neck and shoulders), a luxury size was created. It is housed in a 200-ml jar by Colt's Plastics Company, Inc. (Dayville, CT), and retails for $750. Its cap is supplied by Romatic Manufacturing (Southbury, CT). The new DNA Anti-Oxidant Fluid SPF 18 is packaged with a lockable pump mechanism by Pfeiffer of America, and its bottle is by Inoac Packaging Group (Bardstown, KY). This summer, DNA Face Lotion, a lighter version of the cream, will be launched in the same container.
The entire Lab 21 line is housed in cobalt blue and silver packaging, with the exception of the new DNA Accelerator (launched in January), which is supplied in a silver bottle by Techpack-Cosmetech Mably International (New York City). "The beauty of this pump is that its outer bottle is left clear, while the inner PET component was sprayed with a silver finish for a more upscale look," says Vanessa Allo, account executive Techpack-CMI. The same silver component will be used for a new line of treatment serums launching later this year.
Future Formulations, Future Packaging Leaps
DDF's Contorno predicts that cosmeceuticals will soon be made up of what he calls "fresh-mix" components. For instance, the firm's 7-Day Radiance Peel Kit, which launches in March, is a fresh-mix formula. It contains two separate sets of active ingredients meant to be mixed by the consumer because they can begin to break down soon after blending. "By mixing just before application, the product is used when the ingredients are at their strongest. I predict that many companies will be going down this path and finding ways to use fresh-mix technology, " says Contorno.
Also, environmentally friendly packaging components are currently in development for the DDF line. Contorno says, "We are looking for ways to design reusable packages." He envisions a beautiful bottle bought only once and then having consumers replace the product with an insert containing a new, sanitary lining.