Opening Lines
At the recent WestPack trade show, held in Anaheim, CA, this January, exhibitors had much to share with cosmetic and personal care packagers.
Key International Inc., a marketer and manufacturer of packaging machinery, was showcasing its newest item, a thermoform-fill-seal machine. But it wasn't the machine that first got our attention. What did cause us to walk into the booth and chat with Key International's CEO, Primo Ianieri, was a fish-shaped blister pack made with the new machine.
It turned out that the blister held an air freshener by SC Johnson Rally. We were very impressed with the blister's dual lidding. Ianieri showed me how, beneath the blister's initial foil lidding, lay a secondary plastic membrane. This membrane keeps a liquid product in the blister while allowing the product's fragrance to permeate the plastic.
Immediately, we began thinking about the unique possibilities a blister like this holds. Maybe the blister could be used to house a sample based on a cosmetic company's candle. Or perhaps it could hold a room freshener associated with a fragrance company's perfume. We were hooked.
Later that afternoon, way over in the MedPak aisle of the Medical Design & Manufacturing show (which is always collocated with WestPack), we took a turn and ended up at the Thoro Packaging booth. We were a little surprised to see this carton manufacturer located so far away from the Cosmetic and Personal Care Packaging pavilion—especially since this was the company responsible for producing the amazing Jaqua gift-set cartons, which CPC Packaging featured on its September 2004 cover.
It became more understandable when we learned how much business Thoro does with the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. The company's representatives gave us a little goody bag—which, to be honest, is another reason why we like wandering trade show aisles. This goody bag—actually, in this case, a goody carton—didn't disappoint. It was stuffed with chocolate truffles, my favorite.
The promotional carton that the chocolates came in delighted me even more than the candy. The carton was shaped like a little purse complete with handles and a magnetic closure. It was an adorable carton that would make a great secondary package for cosmetics.
These were only two of the exciting things we saw at the trade show. We look forward to 2005 and the new packaging concepts to come.
Jennifer Kwok
Managing Editor