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Editors' Choice Awards

The Best Commercial Beauty Packages of 2003

It's that time of year again, when CPC Packaging celebrates the best in beauty packaging. After reviewing the commercial packages launched on U.S. shelves in 2003, the editors have chosen 20 that we feel deserve special recognition. On the following pages, we bring you coverage of our top packaging picks in the cosmetic, fragrance, personal care, and sampling and promotional categories.

Our awards coverage once again includes commentary by our awards panelists. This year’s panel comprised seven beauty packaging professionals with industry expertise. This year’s panelists are Deborah Fine, CEO of Victoria’s Secret’s Pink brand; Gary Korba, COO of MG New York; George Kress, vice president of corporate package innovation for The Estée Lauder Companies; Chad Lavigne, president of Chad Lavigne LLC; Linda Treska, product development manager for Vincent Longo Inc.; Essie Weingarten, founder and president of Essie Cosmetics Ltd.; and Wende Zomnir, executive creative director for Urban Decay and Hard Candy Cosmetics.

The criteria for judging included packaging concept, design, and marketability. The editors assessed specialty, department, and mass markets to find the packages that we think advance the state of beauty packaging.

This year, seven beauty packaging professionals took part in our awards' roundtable discussion. With their industry expertise, these individuals brought new perspectives to the packages the editors chose. Their comments are published throughout our awards coverage.

This year's panelists include Harry Bennett, vice president of technical packaging for Estée Lauder Companies Inc.; Rochelle Bloom, president of The Fragrance Foundation; Laurent Hainaut, president of design firm Raison Pure International; Dale Brandon Kan, founder of design company Brandonology Inc.; James Neri, director of global package engineering for Avon Products Inc.; Carol Pasley, director of product development for Sephora; and Armand Tatis, senior designer/manager for Neutrogena Corp.

Three of our panelists also bring firsthand insights to a few of our award winners, which their companies helped bring to fruition. Harry Bennett gives us direct details on the work involved for Estée Lauder's Beyond Paradise, sample-sized Beyond Paradise, and Artist's Pencil packages. Laurent Hainaut comments on the design work his company, Raison Pure, did for the Dove Essential Nutrients line. Finally, Armand Tatis speaks about Neutrogena's makeup samplers.

The CPC Packaging editors hope that these stories about the 20 award winners inspire excellence in the packaging industry. Congratulations to all of the winners of our 2004 Editors' Choice Awards!

Participants in CPC Packaging's Roundtable Discussion of the Editors' Choice Award Winners

As vice president of technical packaging for Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (New York City), Harry Bennett oversees technical packaging for the global corporation's 16 independent brands. He holds a master's degree in chemistry and has worked in the cosmetics and toiletries industry since 1966. Bennett has held positions in the areas of product development, package development, purchasing, and package engineering with prominent brands including Avon and L'Oréal's Cosmair division (Lancôme, Ralph Lauren, and Biotherm).

As president of The Fragrance Foundation since January 2003, Rochelle Bloom brings years of beauty industry experience with her. Bloom started her career as marketing director for Estée Lauder Canada in 1976 and, from then on, held positions for many of the company's brands. Among her roles, Bloom led the launch of Prescriptives International as vice president and general manager. Next, she was promoted to senior vice president and general manager of Estée Lauder International, and then to executive vice president of the International Division. In February 2000, Bloom became president of Bobbi Brown Professional Cosmetics Inc.

Design specialist Laurent Hainaut has more than 20 years of experience in global brand identity, graphic and structural design, and strategic marketing. In 1987, he founded and was a partner of Raison Pure Paris. In 1999, he founded and became president of Raison Pure International LLC in New York. His knowledge of international markets and design has helped make Raison Pure a leader in global branding. The firm's clients span a range of industries and include brands such as Unilever (Dove, Ponds, Lever 2000, Vaseline), Revlon, Liz Claiborne, and Guerlain.

Dale Brandon Kan is founder and principal designer of Brandonology Inc. (New York City), a design and creative marketing group that provides innovative packaging solutions. Prior to founding Brandonology, Kan was vice president of creative services worldwide for Revlon. At Revlon, he created and maintained visual brand equities for such brands as Ultima II, Revlon Creations, Almay, High Dimension hair color, and Revlon's fragrances. Kan has also served as director of special projects for Bloomingdale's, and as senior designer of exhibition design at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

As director of global package engineering for Avon Products Inc. (New York City), James Neri oversees package engineering for Avon's skincare, fragrance, and health and wellness categories, as well as for Avon's BeComing line. A graduate of the Rochester Institute of Technology, Neri has held various engineering positions at Avon over the past nine years. He was part of the launch team for two of Avon's most successful skincare product launches, Anew Retroactive and Anew Clinical Line and Wrinkle Corrector. Prior to joining Avon, he worked for Unilever's package development group.

Carol Pasley started her career in cosmetics a decade ago, beginning with the sales and training department for Estée Lauder, and then marketing for MAC Cosmetics. She joined Sephora in 2000 to oversee its color cosmetics business and is now its director of product development. She coordinates with Sephora's European offices on trend and product innovation, and oversees enhancement of the North American division's product offerings. The new Sephora bath and body line Pasley created launched in North American stores in May 2004.

Armand Tatis has 23 years of experience in creative design and package design. With more than ten years at Neutrogena, he serves as senior designer/manager, in charge of the brand's cosmetic and men's lines. Tatis has also been a designer for Redken laboratories, a graphic designer for hair-care brand Mastey de Paris, a package designer for Max Factor, and head designer for Bijan Fragrances. He holds a fine arts degree from California State University, Northridge.

The winners representing the best cosmetic, fragrance, sampling and promotional, and personal care product packaging launched in the United States in 2003 are:

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