Latest Launches
The Scent of Summer Waters
In March, Estée Lauder launched its limited-edition Summer Waters fragrance collection. The collection comprises lighter versions of three of Lauder’s popular scents: beyond paradise, pleasures, and Beautiful. The fragrances were infused with aloe, spring water, and sea-derived ingredients.
The packaging was changed slightly to convey the new formulations to the consumer. Lauder chose to use the same fragrance bottles that are used for the original fragrances, but decided to decorate them differently. The new versions feature vibrant splashes of color—orange for Pleasures, red for Beautiful, and purple for beyond paradise. According to Harry Bennett, Estée Lauder’s vice president of technical packaging, the bottles were sprayed with organic inks to achieve a gradation of colors. The fragrances’ logos and the name Summer Waters were silk-screened in white.
The fragrances are sold in a clear vinyl bag with a colorful polka-dot design. The bags were supplied by China-based C Group. According to Musa Dias, executive director of global fragrance marketing for C Group, adding an item such as a bag can definitely make a difference in terms of sales. “It is key to pair a fragrance with an item such as a bag,” says Dias. “It is an added value for the consumer, and it makes a strong statement at the counter.”
How much thought goes into choosing the right bag? Caroline Imbert, manager of global fragrance marketing for Lauder, says, “We chose this type of bag because the bright, translucent gel-filled circular designs correlate with the colors of each fragrance.” The gels inside the plastic squares are suggestive of the moisturizing properties of the scents. Dias adds a final word of advice: “Customers are always attracted to color.”
A Pearl in Every Bottle
Noa Fleur, a new fragrance by Cacharel, was launched in February. The round bottle, which contains a pearl inside, was designed by Annegret Beier. Beier describes the bottle’s shape as “a sphere with accidents.” She also compares it to a planet with craters.
Saint-Gobain Desjonquères (New York City) molded the clear glass bottle, which is filled with the light-pink juice. MBF Plastiques (Oyonnax, France) supplied the plastic collar. The collar was colored using interferential Merck mother-of-pearl particles that were injected together with pink colorants directly inside the mold.
The outer carton, which is meant to look like a gift box, contains tissue paper. Industrially folding the two-piece box and placing the paper inside was challenging, according to representatives of the carton’s supplier, La Spic.
Culture for Kids
Circle of Friends is a children’s personal care brand that aspires to educate its young customers about different cultures around the world. Each of its packages features a label with a cartoon child representing a different part of the world, as well as a picture of a flag and a story about the child and his or her culture.
Circle of Friends turned to Los Angeles–based design firm LiDesign to update the graphics on its labels. Ping Li, creative director of LiDesign, says, “The previous illustrations, while educational, were a bit ‘static’ looking on the old packaging.”
The characters were upgraded to look more animated and colorful. The labels’ background colors were also revised to be more compatible with the product colors and to make the line look cohesive.
Li also helped Circle of Friends source new packaging with a more modern look. The new containers include an 8-oz PET bottle and a 2-oz high-density polyethylene bottle, both supplied by Polytainer (Simi Valley, CA). The dispensers were supplied by Emsar (Stratford, CT). “The biggest challenge was choosing the packaging itself,” says Li. “We wanted it to have a strong shelf presence. We also wanted it to have a unique look and not just be the standard stock round or oval shape.”
The result is a product line that is both educational and fun for children to use. “The packaging inspires children to learn more about cultures around the world, making bath time a fun and inspiring learning experience for the child—as well as the parent!” says Li.
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