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Color Cosmetics Packaging: Adding Value to Packaging

Ultraluxurious

An extreme example of luxurious packaging is H. Couture Beauty’s Socialite Collection, which launched this past August. The line’s mascara retails for $589, and the lip color for $150. The packages feature Swarovski crystal–encrusted, 18-karat-gold-plated casing. (The cases can be refilled by the company.)

Recently, H. Couture Beauty sold custom-designed packages for its lipstick and mascara for $14 million. The cases are made from 18-karat gold and are adorned with rare pink and blue diamonds. “This is the most expensive makeup that has ever been sold,” Allison Kugel, spokesperson for H. Couture Beauty. “It was purchased for a young woman’s 25th birthday,” she says. The packages will be completed by December and will be accompanied by security staff when they are delivered.

A Bright Idea

Robert DuGrenier, president of design firm Robert DuGrenier Associates (Townshend, VT), and his business partner, Brad Levy of Fragrance International, have discovered a way to transform any ordinary cosmetics package into an extraordinary one by making it light up.

DuGrenier first showed CPC Packaging his light-up lipstick case design in 2003, but since then, the pair has partnered with a factory in Taiwan, and several changes have been made to its design. DuGrenier and Levy’s idea has evolved into an entire range of light-up packaging, which many companies are now customizing for new products. Mariah Carey has even been a client. Brands using this packaging include Elizabeth Marcus for QVC, Models Prefer for QVC, Liparrazzi, LightLips by Kiss & Tell, and SuperModel by Victoria’s Secret Beauty.

The most innovative light-up packages we’ve seen created are those for Elena George, an Emmy award–winning makeup artist who just started her own cosmetics company named EG Gorgeous Inc. The first new products in her collection are the Go Light on My Lips Lighted Lip Gloss and the Go Light on My Eyes Lighted Mascara. (Oprah Winfrey even features these items in the December issue of O magazine.)

George found a unique way to customize this packaging by allowing consumers to personalize it with their initials in Swarovski crystals. It also has a mirror attached to the outside.

George first met DuGrenier at a recent trade show and gave a few of his samples to her celebrity clients as gifts. “Everyone loved the light-up package so much that I knew I had to do something,” she says. She says that she had never even thought about doing her own makeup line until she saw this packaging. “The market is already flooded with so much, but this packaging is truly innovative. I am a true believer in Robert’s creative vision and will stick with him forever,” she says.

DuGrenier and Levy’s collection includes packages for lipstick, lip gloss, mascara, and nail polish. One or two small LED lights can be incorporated into the package. In the lipstick case, the light is placed in the base, alongside the bullet. In the lip gloss, mascara, and nail polish bottles, the light is placed in the cap and shines directly in line with the applicator as it is being used. There are also three new switch options for turning on the lights: a push button on the end of the cap or base, a sliding switch placed on the side of the cap or base, or an internal switch that is automatically activated when the cosmetic is being used.

“All of the packages have the same cap. Various types of applicator inserts can be glued in. This makes the line look more uniform,” says DuGrenier. One of the challenges DuGrenier faced when creating the line was in making sure all the components would work with the same cap. “We tried using stock components but realized it was necessary to design custom tooling,” he says.

We noticed many interested representatives from top beauty companies stopping by DuGrenier and Levy’s booth during the Health & Beauty America (HBA) trade show in September. This leads us to suspect we might see more light-up packages on shelves soon.

Embellished Eyes

In addition to making cosmetic packages sparkle, crystals have been influencing the design of some beauty products themselves. Some of these products are even meant for the eyelashes. (Madonna showed off custom-designed, diamond-studded false mink eyelashes designed by Shu Uemura on her “Reinvention” tour.)

Keeping in line with this fashion trend, the team at Revlon wondered if the look of crystallized lashes could be translated into a mass-market product. Revlon’s R&D team has taken this concept and brilliantly translated it into the product Lash Jewels.

Lash Jewels is a gel formula packaged in a flow-through pen supplied by Mitsubishi Pencil Co. (Taiwan). The pen has a nozzle tip, and the product is dispensed when the pen is clicked. The gel comes up through the pen, forming a little bead on the pen’s nozzle-shaped tip. The user touches the tip of each eyelash with the pen. “It leaves a clear droplet on each lash,” says Sharon Garment, vice president of product development at Revlon. Garment has been influential in developing many of Revlon’s new products launching soon.

Another one of Revlon’s innovative products for eyes is Molten Metal. The liquid formula is meant to be shaken and then brushed onto the eyelids. It dries to a metallic finish. It is packaged in a clear, heavy-walled plastic vial with a standard doe-foot applicator. The packaging was supplied by Shya Hsin Plastic Works Co., a division of Crystal International (Taiwan).

Revlon’s Innovations

Revlon’s new products are all part of its 2007 limited-edition collection, which will be introduced in select stores by this December. Revlon plans to launch a new limited-edition collection every year. Through innovation in product development, Revlon seems to address the fact that the mass-market consumer now wants to purchase a cosmetic product that delivers that extra something special.

“All of our new products represent an enormous departure for us,” explains Garment. “They are not designed to be our core business. They are all based on trends and are the must-have-it-now types of products,” she says.

The 2007 collection is based on the concept of seduction, according to Garment. Research began 18 months in advance. “We looked at trend reports, fabric houses, auto shows, and cultural trends,” she says.

Revlon’s packaging team was involved with the product development from the beginning. In addition to deciding on the right types of packages that would accommodate the new formulations, it was also important to try to use stock components whenever possible. In regards to design, a lot of clear acrylic was used in order to showcase the colors. “Overall, one challenge was to get the package to show as much of the product as possible,” says Garment.

Many of Revlon’s innovative formulations, such as the sheer gelformula Pinch Me blush, were either never used before or are not commonly used in the mass market. Pinch Me blush is packaged in a plastic bottle with an airless pump dispenser, both supplied by PKG Group (New York City). “It was a challenge to find the right stock bottle. It had to be the right size so that we weren’t giving away too much product. It also had to dispense the right amount,” says Garment.

Because indulgence is a part of the concept of seduction, according to Garment, sensorial textures and flavors were incorporated into the new products. For instance, Sugar Sugar Lip Topping has the consistency, texture, and taste of a powdery frosting. When applied, the product catches the light and makes lips twinkle. Its custom package, supplied by Alcan Packaging Beauty (New York City), is a faceted plastic jar designed to resemble a jewel. It has a custom-designed stopper reminiscent of the type that might be used for a fragrance bottle.

“We had to develop a special applicator for Sugar Sugar. It could not be applied with a traditional brush because a brush would push the powder into your lipstick, instead of applying the powder on top of it,” says Garment. A clear plastic rod is used as the applicator so that the product can be dabbed on sparingly. The rod is attached to the bottle’s cap. “We had to experiment with different types of plastics to find the type that would best be able to pick up and deliver the product,” says Garment.

Another new lip product, Just Bitten, is meant to have the effect of a stain. Its flavors are “sexier” and include Blood Orange. It is packaged in a clear stock bottle with a roller-ball applicator and a screw-on cap, all supplied by Crystal International.

Keepsake Boxes Packed with Products

The trend of consumers wanting more holds true for the amount of product in a package and the style of a package’s decoration. One example of products that meet these demands is some of the palettes on the market now. These palettes feature pretty, intricate designs and look extremely embellished.

In honor of the company’s 10th anniversary, Urban Decay Cosmetics launched its Shadow Box in October. The kit has a magnetic closure and a glass mirror, and it is embellished with images of skulls, hearts, pistols, and butterflies. It is filled with 10 eye shadow colors. “This is the most product we’ve ever put into one palette,” says Wende Zomnir, founder and creative director of Urban Decay.

The cardboard palette is supplied by HCT Packaging (New York City and Bridgewater, NJ), which used offset printing in black and matte lamination. The palette’s embossed design incorporates violet metallic foils and velvet flocking.

“Flocking is individual fiber particles that are affixed to an object in order to enhance its value in terms of tactility, texture, and aesthetics,” explains Nejla Safyari, senior project manager at HCT Packaging USA’s office in Santa Monica, CA. “We wanted to use as thick a flocking as possible to give the palette the dimension and velvety texture that Urban Decay was seeking. Due to the intricacy of the elaborate design, however, we had to be careful not to use a flocking that was too thick.”

This was the first time the team at HCT Packaging used a foil hot-stamping process and flocking on the same palette. “Trying to orient the foil with the flocking presented a challenge. The thin lines of the deco overlapped considerably, making the precise adhesion of the flock trickier,” says Safyari.

Another package packed with product is the Some Like It Hot mini-lip-gloss set by Tarte Cosmetics. Each vial of gloss holds 1.4 ml of product. “Miniature-sized packages are so popular right now because they are an economical way to experiment and play with all different colors. It’s not about buying one pan of eye shadow anymore that you’ll use every day. Women love to sample,” says Alexis Mezzina, vice president, Tarte Cosmetics.

When a palette can be reused as a jewelry box, there is even more of an incentive to purchase. Tarte’s lip gloss set is packaged in a black plastic box with a snap closure. After the product is used, the lip gloss tray is designed to be removable.

“We try to do whatever we can with our packaging to make sure you get the most for your money,” says Mezzina.

The decoration on the top of the box is a silk-screened lace pattern. “We went to a fabric store and bought different samples of lace,” says Mezzina. Tarte’s graphic designer, Erica Hillmann, chose one sample to turn into a design pattern so that it could be printed onto the box. “Turning it into a design pattern was more of a challenge than screening. It took a lot of precision,” Mezzina explains.

New Packaging Options

There are a few new types of interesting packaging and decorating options that we haven’t seen on store shelves yet. Many packaging suppliers are very much in tune with trends and have developed new packaging options and decorating techniques designed to address anticipated demands.

Crown Risdon (Watertown, CT) is predicting the continuation of the trend toward mini packages with the launch of its new all-plastic stock miniature lipstick case. Its size is large enough to sell as a mini-sized retail product but also small enough to be part of a promotional campaign. Its versatile plastic sleeve can be molded to match the cover and base, or it can be manufactured with a color accent band to complement the primary color of the case. (This package is currently being used by Avon’s mark. line.)

Crown Risdon has also launched a new series of flock-tip applicators, which help to address the needs of new types of products and formulations. Its collection is called FlexTouch and was first shown to its customers at the HBA show in September.

“These new applicators provide a better grip and ease of use because of the flexibility of the material,” says Steve Pearlman, president of Crown Risdon. The applicators can be used for lip, eye, or treatment products.

World Wide Packaging (Florham Park, NJ) has developed a new type of decorative finish that makes any plastic component resemble metal. It is done with a brushed-edge electroplating process.

“This look is much different from that of brushed metallization, which is more sleek and modern,” says Kimyon Holmes, vice president of West Coast sales at World Wide Packaging’s offices in Woodland Hills, CA. “This finish could be used to give a package an antique look, especially when it’s done in bronze, copper, or gold. It has a brushed texture and ties in with the all-natural trend that is popular right now,” she explains.

In-mold decorating is a technique that has been used before, but it is a perfect choice when you want to find a way to add extra embellishment to a compact, according to Lou Della Pesca, president of 3C Inc. (Hawthorne, NJ). “We can do a much more detailed design when this process is used. Finishing it with a UV coating is also becoming more popular right now,” he says.

Topline Products (Wayne, NJ) has introduced new stock options with very practical benefits. The company has a new patented line of round pots in three sizes. The plastic pots have a clear top, a matte black bottom, and a screw closure.

There is a more upscale, luxurious feel when opening and closing this package because the threads are hidden. However, the feature that makes this new package so innovative is the fact that it is molded from only two parts, rather than the usual four. “The advantages to having fewer parts are that the package is lighter and also costs less,” says Charles Chang, president at Topline Products. When we spoke to the company in September, the tool was still being finished.

 

 

 

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