Fragrance Bottles: Finding New Inspiration
Cartier’s new Delices bottle was inspired by the look of a vintage Cartier brooch.
Whether their bottles are new or redesigned, the newest fragrance launches have one thing in common—creativity.
by Marie Redding, Senior EditorLooking back on recent fragrance launches, we notice that, while a handful of new fragrances launched in striking bottle designs, more commonly, brands are introducing new fragrances as line extensions of an original fragrance. Often, these line-extension fragrances are packaged in bottles whose shapes are similar to or the same as those designed for a fragrance’s original version.
The year 2006 started off with a kick with new bottles for Cartier’s Delices fragrance and Coty’s Nautica Voyage fragrance. Being new designs, these bottles are sure to grab customer attention.
On the flip side, there are advantages to using the same-shaped bottle. For one, it allows brands to launch new products more frequently. And although brands may be using the same bottle shapes, they are working hard to ensure that creative new details help set new bottles apart from the originals. The latest packages for the Tommy Bahama, Britney Spears, Elizabeth Arden Provocative, and DKNY fragrance lines are good examples of this.
Cherry Jubilee
Cartier has gone back to its roots, using inspiration from its past to create the packaging for its new fragrance, Cartier Delices. Launched in time for Valentine’s Day, Delices was sold exclusively in Cartier boutiques and Neiman Marcus stores. In April, it will launch worldwide in department stores. “The packaging took a long time to develop,” says Magalie Amoroso, senior marketing manager of fragrance at Cartier.
The shape of the bottle—which is curved like a diamond—is reminiscent of an elegant Cartier brooch from the 1920s. “The fragrance bottle has the same elongated etchings that you see in the round emerald of the vintage brooch,” says Amoroso. “The challenge was in creating this round shape with very sharp, faceted edges on the sides. It was difficult to achieve these very sharp edges in the mold.” Both the bottle and cap were designed in-house by Cartier’s team in France. The bottle was supplied by Pochet of America.
The bottle’s cherry-red color reflects the fragrance’s cherry heart note and also corresponds to the core values of the Cartier brand, which are power, strength, and glamour, according to Amoroso. The specific shade of red was very difficult to achieve. “It is a deep red, but it is also shiny and transparent at the same time. A specific lacquer had to be used to make sure that the color wouldn’t cause any compatibility issues when in contact with the juice,” says Amoroso.
The cap looks like a blooming flower and sparkles like a jewel. It was supplied by Metapak. “The cap has three parts to correspond with the three different types of jasmine flowers in the fragrance,” says Amoroso. Surlyn was used for its transparency. The silver collar is Zamac and was also supplied by Metapak. It looks like a piece of jewelry and is engraved with the Cartier name.
Delices is Cartier’s first fragrance to be categorized as a fruity floral, and, according to Amoroso, it has already successfully achieved its goal of attracting a younger clientele to the Cartier store.
Sailing Achievement
Nautica’s new Voyage eau de toilette bottle (left) was designed to reflect the brand’s nautical heritage.
With the heritage of the Nautica brand in mind, Coty wanted to convey a nautical message through the design for the new Nautica Voyage men’s eau de toilette bottle, which launched in March. Jane Tarallo, Coty Inc.’s senior global group creative director, worked with package designer Ken Hirsch of HirschPacific on design development for this fragrance. The final package is a combination of Tarallo’s bottle design and a very special cap designed by Hirsch.
“The package is designed with the positioning of the Nautica brand—‘Navigate Life’—as the main focus,” explains Tarallo. The shape of the bottle, with its curved back, represents the strength of a sailboat’s mast. “Overall, it conveys elegance, style, and sophistication,” Tarallo says. Supplied by Pochet of America, the bottle is clear with facets on the front panel. The bottle was screen printed in frosted white.
One major challenge for Tarallo and her team was to create a way to incorporate a neck ring into the design that would accommodate two different-sized bottles. Coty wanted to use the same-shaped bottle, in different sizes, for both Voyage’s eau de toilette and aftershave.
The Voyage bottle’s cap was fashioned after the look of a boat winch.
The cap was inspired by a sailboat winch, which is the hardware on a ship used to manage the sails. It gives authenticity to the bottle and reflects the heritage of the Nautica brand. The cap and collar were supplied by Jackel International (Hillsborough, NJ). “They were both very complicated to engineer. The bottom half of the silver component is actually the collar, and the top half is the cap. Both parts needed to be the same height and shape, and together, they create the look of a winch,” Tarallo says. “We had to play a lot with the stacking heights of both the eau de toilette and aftershave bottles to ensure that the design worked for both and that the final product was as close to the initial design as possible.”
The folding carton, supplied by Arko Paper Products (Piscataway, NJ), was designed by Tarallo. “The graphic of the two matte metallic blues emulates a horizon line,” she says.
A Challenging Cap
For Tommy Bahama’s second men’s and women’s fragrances, called Tommy Bahama Very Cool, launched in April, the brand decided to use the same-shaped bottles as it used for Tommy Bahama’s first men’s and women’s fragrances. “We didn’t think about being able to launch more quickly by using the same-shaped bottles,” says Neil Katz, CEO, Gemini Cosmetics. The decision to use the same-shaped bottle just happened to fit, he adds.
Supplied by Pochet of America, the men’s Very Cool bottle was inspired by the look of a bottle of Patron silver tequila. The glass has a sheer, silvery tint. (For the first men’s fragrance, amber glass was used to make the bottle resemble a bottle of cognac.) Bubbles were added to the glass to give it a “cool” image, like a glass of Perrier. “Being able to infuse enough bubbles in the right places was a challenge for Pochet,” says Katz. The women’s bottle is light blue with an iridescent finish and was inspired by “the look of the sun sparkling on the sea,” according to Katz. It was also supplied by Pochet.
The women’s bottle cap resembles bleached wood, while the men’s resembles a cork. To produce the men’s cap, Crown Risdon (Watertown, CT) used its innovative decorating process called hydrographics, which it first used last summer to create the woodlike finish on the cap used for the launch of Tommy Bahama’s first men’s fragrance. Using hydrographics, the cap’s cork pattern was printed on dissolvable film and floated on water in an immersion tank. The cap was then placed in the tank, allowing the film to cling to the surface of the cap. The film dissolved, leaving the design printed on the cap. “As an additional step for the men’s cap, a secondary spray was used to create the cork effect,” says Jim Bigham, director of sales and marketing for closures, Crown Risdon.
Design agency Brandonology created the design concept. Katz says that using the same bottle shape won’t necessarily be a continuing theme for future Tommy Bahama fragrance launches. “There will be different shapes in the future,” he adds.
Next on its agenda, Gemini Cosmetics will launch men’s and women’s fragrances for the band KISS. The cap for the men’s bottle will be glossy black with chrome graphics, while the women’s cap will be silver chrome with the KISS logo in matte black. The graphics will have a star that represents the outrageous makeup worn by KISS guitarist Paul Stanley. “We will take an elegant approach to the packaging. We won’t be using their photos at all, only the KISS logo,” says Katz. Crown Risdon will also produce those caps.
Britney, Unzipped
An authentic zipper ring decorates the carton for Britney Spears In Control Curious.
In March, Elizabeth Arden launched a flanker fragrance for its Curious Britney Spears brand. The new In Control Curious Britney Spears is a limited edition. Black was used, along with a hot-pink leopard print motif and a zipper design, on the carton.
“Black is perfect for this bottle because it is a sexy color and a nice contrast to the hot pink,” says Jean Antretter, senior design director at Elizabeth Arden. Antretter was responsible for the design concept.
The same vintage bottle shape used for the first Curious fragrance bottle was used for In Control, with some differences. A black bulb-shaped sprayer and different types of charm accessories were used. Instead of turquoise for the bottle, clear glass was sprayed opaque black. “We used a high-gloss spray in order to resemble the look of vinyl,” says Antretter.
The carton was a huge challenge because of its zipper accent and embossing. Arkay Packaging (New York City) produced the carton. “We were awarded the business because of our unique and innovative abilities with added value packaging,” says Walt Shiels, COO, Arkay Packaging. The carton was produced using a base substrate of 1¼2-mil Mylar laminated to 0.018 solid-bleached-sulfate paperboard. The inside was printed with two hits of pink and a matte UV coating. Seven litho colors were used on the carton’s outside, and a UV high-gloss coating was applied during inline production.
The carton was embossed on all four sides, including on its tucked flaps. The leopard pattern was printed with solid areas and shadows that enhance the depth of the embossing to provide the illusion of increased depth and movement. “The embossing is so deep that it completely changes the appearance of the finished carton when compared with the flat printed sheet,” says Shiels. The complicated graphic design, coupled with the techniques used to print and finish the cartons, all contribute to making the printed zipper look like a real zipper.
Adding a silver ring as the zipper pull was the final touch. “The challenge was finding a way to let the ring look like it was hanging from the carton, but not to let it protrude so much that the cartons would be damaged when stacked tightly in corrugated cases during shipping,” explains Shiels.
Another challenge was to make sure the ring was placed in the same position on every carton. “First, we had the rings shaved down. Next, we debossed a ring shape onto the surface of the board and mounted the ring with glue into this debossed area. This allowed the rings to be set into the cartons’ surface, while positioning them in the same exact spot every time,” Shiels explains.
Since the Britney brand is sold in mass-market outlets where customers are likely to pick up the product and examine the packaging, the extra creativity taken with In Control’s secondary packaging is an excellent marketing strategy. “We always look forward to a challenge, and Elizabeth Arden has come up with many,” says Shiels.
Lavender Lace
The bottle for Provocative Interlude, a new version of Elizabeth Arden’s Provocative fragrance, was printed with a delicate lace pattern.
In addition to redesigning the Britney bottle, Elizabeth Arden reinvented the bottle first used for Provacative Woman. The new fragrance, Provacative Interlude, launched in late February. The shape of the bottle, which was supplied and decorated by Pochet, is meant to represent the curve of a woman’s back.
Antretter supplied the art used to silk-screen a purple lace pattern on the bottle. She was inspired by the look of a corset. “One of the challenges we faced in executing this design was matching the right shade of lavender. Also, there were tight tolerances to meet during the screening process,” says Antretter.
The bottle’s cap was produced by Maticplast. Rexam Dispensing Systems (Purchase, NY) supplied the pump. The carton, decorated with a metallic purple lace pattern, was produced by Cultech USA.
An Iconic Apple
Donna Karan’s signature apple-shaped bottle returns for the launch of DKNY Red Delicious.
DKNY Red Delicious launched in March. The fragrance is in the same-shaped bottle as DKNY Be Delicious, which used green apples as the design inspiration for its green apple-shaped bottle. For Red Delicious, the bottle’s glass was sprayed with organic red ink. The men’s bottle is a deeper shade of red than the women’s.
“Using the same bottle makes sense on many levels. It appeals to the consumer because you’re taking a package that is already known and liked, while also offering something fresh and new. It is a way to continue to build brand loyalty,” explains Diane Kim, vice president of global marketing, Donna Karan Cosmetics. “Practically speaking, it also allows a company to further capitalize on a package already invested in.”
From the beginning, the team at DKNY had planned its strategy to extend the apple shape to the rest of the DKNY Be Delicious brand. “We knew we wanted the bottle to be molded in clear flint glass from the beginning, to give us the option of changing the color later on by spraying,” explains Kim.
Package designer Chad Lavigne of Chad Lavigne LLC designed the sculptural apple shape; Vitro Packaging supplied the bottle; and Lombardi Design & Manufacturing produced the cap and assembled the package. Rexam Dispensing Systems supplied the pump.
“The bottle is an artistic interpretation of the iconic symbol of New York City. Red Delicious is the next phase of the brand’s story,” says Kim. “We knew we had an incredibly designed bottle that had legs to live on beyond the first launch.”
Customers can expect more upcoming fragrances to launch in this bottle. “We will be exploring many different opportunities using this same platform,” says Kim.
Moving Forward
Looking ahead, launching new fragrances quickly by using the same bottle shape could have a negative impact on design creativity. Then again, the opposite might be true. Companies might be more likely to spend extra resources on designing and producing a bottle that they know from the beginning will be used more than once. “Using the same bottle again definitely justifies the time and money we’ve spent on creating this beautiful, sculptural bottle because it can be used over and over again,” says Kim of the Be Delicious bottle. “The apple shape will look new to the consumer each time it is sprayed a different color.”
And, if the Cartier Delices and Nautica Voyage bottles are any indication, there will be no shortage of beautiful, original bottles in the future.
In the end, perhaps what matters most is the quality of design. “An extraordinary fragrance package should be timeless,” Kim concludes. No matter how many times the same-shaped bottle is launched, it should always look like something new to the customer.
Poison’s Purse Sprays
Poison’s new refillable purse sprays are packaged with a satin pouch, a funnel, and two extra vials of fragrance.
In mid-January, Christian Dior launched limited-edition purse sprays for its Poison fragrance collection. Four different Poison fragrances were launched, each in a new Dior package—the Poison Seductress Amulet.
For the Amulet, Dior’s creative team translated the symbols present in the original packaging to take the brand’s story a step further. The design was conceived by Dior’s in-house creative studio. “The Poison universe is rich in spellbinding imagery, mystery, magic, and contrast. The signature apple-shaped bottle is symbolic of original temptation and bewitching beauty. Poison’s new purse-sized bottle resembles a dagger, a secret weapon of seduction to slip into your bag,” says Joseph Salah, Pure Poison’s international product manager.
The Amulet bottles are supplied by Pochet and decorated using a lacquering technique. Poison’s Amulet is forest green, Pure Poison’s is amethyst, Tendre Poison’s is emerald green, and Hypnotic Poison’s is ruby red. To decorate the Pure Poison Amulet, white lacquering was done only on the bottle’s outer edges to mimic the effect seen on the regular-sized bottle. “A double technique was used to achieve the iridescent effect,” Salah explains. “The exterior was treated with a cold luster technology, while a shimmering dust was added to the juice on the inside.” The caps and pumps were produced by Rexam Beauty.
The purse spray is also provided with a satin pouch to protect the Amulet during transport, as if it were a mystical object inside a magician’s pouch. Two extra vials of fragrance are also included, as well as a small funnel for refilling the Amulet.
“Dior’s Poison fragrances are very powerful cornerstones in the women’s fragrance category. It is essential to build upon the existing foundation of the brand by offering new types of products and packaging. The launch of the Seductress Amulet reflects our strategy to sustain long-term growth of the Poison franchise,” says Salah.