Plastic Bottles and Tottles: Shaping Up Nicely
The skincare bottles by Kenzo Parfum's Kenzoki line are rooted in nature. Resembling a bamboo shoot or a leaf, the bottles' design is inspired by the Asian concept of Ki. Plastic bottles take unique forms for some of the season's hottest launches.
By Jennifer Kwok, Managing Editorn the personal care market, standard-shaped, plastic bottles abound. To make their bottles stand out, companies have two packaging tactics—a container's form and its decoration. Read about how some of this season's hottest bottles took shape.
Sophisticated Stems
Few plastic bottles are as arrestingly distinct as those for Kenzoki, the skin-care line by Kenzo Parfums. Inspired by nature, the bottles look like a leaf, a stem, or a bamboo stalk. They are fine examples of what can result when a comprehensive marketing concept is paired with advanced technology.
Like all Kenzo products, the skincare line is rooted in nature. "The products are divided into four axes," says Audrey Caulonque, product manager for Kenzo Parfums (Paris). "Each axis is based on one plant, one mood, one color, and one fragrance." Kenzoki's four categories are Energizing Bamboo Leaf, Euphoric Ginger Flower, Relaxing White Lotus, and Sensual Rice Steam.
Fabien Baron of Baron & Baron helped Kenzo design the bottles. The bottles' organic contours mix straight lines and soft curves. This combination reflects another aspect of the Kenzoki line, which is the concept of Ki. The Kenzoki Web site explains Ki as an ancient philosophy practiced for thousands of years in Asia.
"The concept of Ki involves finding the ideal balance between energy and zen," says Caulonque. "This is why the Kenzoki bottles are based on contrasts, in harmony with the philosophy behind Ki: dynamic lines for energy, and ultrasoft curves for serenity. What we wanted for the bottles was a long shape that brought energy, but also a rounded back that had softness and sensuality."
The bottles were molded by Alcan Packaging Techpack (Challes, France). Bottles in sizes of 50, 100, and 250 ml were created. Some were made from PCTA, with a soft-touch polyurethane varnish, and some were coextruded from polypropylene/Adflex. "For the polypropylene/Adflex bottles, the complex shape was difficult to achieve," says Philippe Bolzer, key account manager for Alcan Packaging Techpack.
To highlight the flat, diagonal plane on the bottle's front, a colorful, glossy panel was created. Both silk-screening and pad printing were used to apply the colored layer. Black text and varnish were also added. Visually, the panel contrasts with the rest of the white, rounded, soft-touch bottle. The panels were colored according to the line's four categories.
The bottles are sure to delight customers. "The bottles are not ostentatious," says Caulonque. "The feeling of luxury comes from touching them and trying the products. In a way, the bottles look rather simple, but the attention to detail has been pushed very far."
The Kenzoki skin-care line first launched in France in fall 2002, and it began launching in the United States this spring.
Winning Form
For some companies, unique bottle shapes are not only smart marketing tools, but also award-winning designs. Hair-care brand Pureology (Irvine, CA) is known for its custom-molded, oval-shaped bottles. In 2002, the line's packaging won the 2002 HBA Global Packaging Award. With the launch of Pureology's new SuperStraight line this April, the company used a new bottle color but kept the bottle's award-winning shape the same.
Pureology's custom-molded hair-care bottles are award winning. One of the bottle's hallmark features is its footprint. Each bottle was sized to allow three bottles to fit next to each other on the corner ledge of a standard-sized bathtub. This design concept is not often considered by marketers.
Secondly, the bottle's oval shape, which tapers to a slim point at the sides, was designed to fit comfortably in the hands of Pureology customers, especially women.
The slim shape of the bottle's neck also makes it easy to pick it up. To further ensure an easy grip, grip marks were embossed and sandblasted onto the neck.
For added visual impact, a shimmer colorant was added to the bottle's high-density polyethylene material during blow molding, which adds a subtle sheen to the plastic's muted color. "The effect is a prestige look," says Joni Rae Russell, Pureology's spokesperson.
A completely custom bottle design like Pureology's takes time and money to produce. Russell estimates that the company took 12 months to take the bottle from design to production. Russell points out that getting a bottle's design perfected the first time often means less cost in the future. "The package is your primary mode of communication and it has a giant job to do," she says. "This is not the place to rush or to cut corners. Today's marketers must adhere to a new set of rules to break out of the clutter. Smart marketers realize that brand-building begins with the package."
Taking a Look at Tottles
Bottles aren't the only ones getting a splash of new style. Four suppliers have unveiled stylish stock tottle collections, which are sure to make any customer take a second look.
DieterBakicEnterprises' Josephine tottles are anything but standard. This year, DieterBakic Enterprises (Munich) launched three tottles in its new Josephine treatment packaging line. Available in sizes of 100, 150, and 200 ml, the tottles feature rounded curves near the bottom and straight lines near the top, forming a unique shape. Wide panels are designed to accommodate print and decoration. The tottles' two-colored flip-top caps add extra visual punch to the standard component.
The Cosmetic Packaging Group offers a large range of stylish stock tottles. The Cosmetic Packaging Group, a division of O. Berk Co. (Union, NJ), is also expanding its line of stock tottles. Available in a variety of styles, shapes, and sizes, the components are meant to make sourcing stylish packaging easy for marketers. Suited for lotion, cream, suntan, moisturizer, aromatherapy, and bath products, the tottles range in size from 0.5 to 12 oz. They are made from high-density polyethylene, in natural and white colors. Soft-touch finishing can be added. Snap-on and flip-top dispensing closures are also available.
The Ellipse tottle by Alcan Packaging Techpack can be made from Surlyn, which protects and enhances. Alcan Packaging Techpack offers its Ellipse tottle, designed with wide front and back panels. It can be produced in a wide range of colors and materials, including Surlyn. The shiny Surlyn not only enhances the tottle's color and its printed graphics, but also protects the tottle against scratching.
Custom colors are among the options for ABA Packaging's Julia line. Supplier ABA Packaging (Holtsville, NY) recently introduced its Julia line of tottles, tubes, and bottles. Made from high-density polyethylene, the containers are stocked in a white color, in sizes ranging from 30 to 400 ml. Custom colors are also an option.
Pick-Me-Up Packaging
Too Faced recently toasted its glamour-loving customers with the launch of the brand's Celebrity Spa line. Among the new products is Bubble Brulee, a moisturizing bath and shower gel that mixes sweet honey and crème brûlée. Like the rest of the line, described by Too Faced as "luxurious, over-the-top, at-home spa treatment products," Bubble Brulee's packaging has flair. The 6.08-oz bottle, borrowed directly from the food industry, looks like a vintage cocktail shaker.
As refreshing as it is hip, Too Faced's Celebrity Spa Bubble Brulee bottle emulates the look of a cocktail shaker. Too Faced first introduced the cocktail-shaker bottle to its line in an 8-oz size when it launched its Rip Off eye-makeup remover in summer 2003. "The bottle was inspired by retro 1950s-1960s cocktail shakers," says Jerrod Blandino, CEO and creator of Too Faced Cosmetics Inc. (Irvine, CA). "It has a very hip and glamorous celebrity feel, and [exudes] a very indulgent, party vibe. We decided to continue the cocktail [theme] with the spa products to further maintain the glamorous, retro vibe that Too Faced is known for. People just love the bottles! They say they want to leave them on their counters so people can see them, just like accessories."
The shaker-style bottle is made of high-density polyethylene. Originally a stock container used for beverages and food, the bottle was supplied by Bomal S.r.l. in Italy. The bottle's curved black cap is also a stock item from Bomal.
To continue the bottle's retro look, Too Faced applied a three-color printed label with a UV waterproof varnish. "I used a vintage-style sticker to label these containers, just like [companies] might have done in the 1950s," say Blandino. "I wanted a Zsa Zsa Gabor, Lucille Ball kind of feel." Blandino designed the labels, and Alros Label Co. (Van Nuys, CA) produced them.
The cocktail-shaker bottle's distinct shape works to promote Too Faced's brand image. "I feel that the bottle has a very retro, but still modern, look to it," he says. "Too Faced is known for merging the glamorous [styling] from Hollywood's heyday with the modern and sophisticated looks of today. This bottle is a great example of that. The look and shape of a product's container, particularly for batch products, are so important. Women not only want the actual product to pamper and dazzle them, they want the containers to do the same for their bathroom's decor. If a package looks good enough to leave [on a counter], chances are the product will be used and replenished quickly."