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FDA Proposes Adding More Text on Sunscreen Labels

_{By Jennifer Kwok, Managing Editor}

Marketers of sunscreen products, beware. FDA has proposed adding more copy to sunscreen labels—potentially making it harder to fit marketing and regulatory copy on a single, graphic-friendly label.

In August, FDA released a revised version of its sunscreen labeling monograph. According to FDA, the new, proposed additions are meant to provide consumers with more information on sunscreen protection. As they stand, the newly proposed regulations would apply to any product containing sunscreen, including makeup and skin care products and even small-sized items such as lipstick and lip balm.

Among the significant new proposals is a mandatory star rating that would indicate the level of a product’s UVA protection. Currently, only the level of UVB protection is conveyed to consumers, by a product’s SPF rating.

In order to determine a UVA rating, marketers would have to put their products through a testing procedure as outlined by FDA. Under the rating system, one solid star would indicate low UVA protection, and the highest rating, four solid stars, would represent the highest level of UVA protection for an over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen product.

The star rating would have to be prominently displayed near the SPF designation. Both would be required to appear on a package’s principal display panel. (FDA defines the principal display panel as the front panel of a product’s outermost package. The outermost package would be the secondary package, or if there is no secondary package, then it would be the primary package.)

If a product does not rate at least one solid star, FDA proposes printing a “No UVA Protection” designation on the front panel.

FDA also requested adding the following statement to the principal display panel: “UV rays from the sun are made of UVB and UVA. It is important to protect against both UVB and UVA rays to prevent sunburn and other skin damage.”

Another addition to the principal display panel would indicate the level of a sunscreen product’s water resistance. According to a testing process outlined by FDA, products would be labeled as being either “water resistant” or “very water resistant.” (Marketers cannot use the word waterproof.) Non-water-resistant products would not require a statement.

New and revised warnings and other statements would also be required in the Drug Facts panel. In accordance with FDA’s prior version of the monograph, released on May 21, 1999, the Drug Facts panel should appear on a product’s outermost package. It is designed to work like a nutritional facts panel on a food package and provide consumers with active-ingredient information, health warnings, and proper-use instructions. The Drug Facts panel has been required on other OTC cosmetic products such as acne, antiperspirant, and antidandruff products for many years.

A new sun alert warning statement that would be required in the Drug Facts panel for most sunscreen products reads: “UV exposure from the sun increases the risk of skin cancer, premature skin aging, and other skin damage. It is important to decrease UV exposure by limiting time in the sun, wearing protective clothing, and using a sunscreen.”

Other proposed labeling changes in the updated sunscreen monograph include:

• Redefining SPF to mean “sunburn protection factor” rather than “sun protection factor.”
• Including UVB next to SPF so that consumers know that an SPF number refers to a product’s UVB protection only.
• Increasing the maximum level of UVB protection from 30+ to 50+.

The newly revised sunscreen monograph is expected to be finalized in the first quarter of 2008. Once it is finalized, sunscreen product marketers should have at least 18 months to ensure that their labels comply with all of the monograph’s new regulations, which includes the Drug Facts panel additions and changes. Until that time, the public and the beauty industry have until late November to submit their opinions and concerns regarding the monograph to FDA to consider before FDA releases a final version.

At the recent HBA Global Expo trade show held September 18–20 in New York City, an International Safety and Regulatory Summit panel discussed how the new monograph proposals would affect label design.

“Think of all the regulatory ‘stuff’ that you might have to put on the front of a package,” said panelist Holly Young, CEO of Hirschhorn + Young Graphics (New York City), a package design studio specializing in OTC product labeling. “It’s going to have a big effect on the look of your label. Special considerations need to be taken to preserve brand identity in light of all of the added information on the front panel, especially the new UVA star rating system.”

Paulette Carnes of label supplier WS Packaging Group (Green Bay, WI) also commented on the new proposals. Carnes is the product development manager for WS Packaging’s MultiVision line of extended-text labels, which are often used to fit a lot of text on a package.

Carnes said that with the date of the finalized monograph on the horizon, WS Packaging has received an increased number of calls from brands looking for ways to fit regulatory copy on their packages. “The number of new label designs that have come through here in the past two weeks has been booming,” she said. “It’s not just the small companies that are calling, but big companies, too. Items that we’ve never seen use extended-text labels—such as aerosol cans—are now using these designs.”

CPC Packaging will host a Webcast featuring Holly Young, CEO of Hirschhorn + Young Graphics on December 13, 2007. Young will answer questions about the revised FDA monograph, as well as provide insights on how to comply with national and international labeling regulations. Register for this valuable educational event.

Experts Share Branding Tips During CPC Packaging Webcast

Tips on package design and branding were revealed during CPC Packaging’s Webcast, How to Impress Retailers and Avoid Packaging Pitfalls. Held September 27, the session was the first in CPC Packaging’s Webcast series, What Every Brand Needs to Know: Packaging Dos and Don’ts.

The speakers who shared their advice were Nicole Frusci, director of business development for Sephora; Rick Goldberg, founder of design firms Brand Architects and Masstige Brands; and Deborah Storz, chief operating officer for the Dashing Diva nail salon franchise.

To see the Webcast again, as well as to download copies of the panelists’ presentations, click here.

Donna Karan Bottle Takes Top Prize at HBA Package Awards

The recycling-friendly bottle for Donna Karan’s Gold eau de parfum received the package of the year award at HBA Global Expo’s 2007 International Package Design Awards, part of HBA’s Industry Awards dinner held September 18 in New York City. The fragrance bottle was also the winner in the awards’ limited-distribution fragrance category.

The Gold bottle was designed by The Estée Lauder Companies with a removable anodized aluminum sleeve that allows both the glass bottle and the sleeve to be separated and sorted for recycling. (For more information on this package, which was also a winner in CPC Packaging’s 2007 Editors’ Choice Awards, read CPC Packaging’s awards coverage story from the May/June 2007 issue.) Designers for this package included Laird + Partners, jewelry designer Robert Lee Morris, and Donna Karan. Suppliers included G. Pivaudran, Landerer, Maticplast, Pochet of America, and Rexam Dispensing Systems.

Other packaging winners in the HBA awards were:

Fragrance, Mass Distribution: Affection by Mary Kay Cosmetics. Designer: Tim Maddy of Mary Kay Cosmetics. Suppliers included: Qualipac Group.

Cosmetics, Mass Distribution: The light-up lipstick package Go Light on My Lips by EG Gorgeous. (For more information on this package, also a CPC Packaging Editors’ Choice Awards winner, see the May/June 2007 issue.) Designer: Robert DuGrenier Associates, Fragrance International. Suppliers included: Robert DuGrenier Associates, Swarovski.

Cosmetics, Limited Distribution: Flip for It Spring Color Kit by Mark/Avon Products. Supplier: HCT Packaging.

Skin Care, Mass Distribution: Avon Anew Clinical Spider Vein by Avon Products Inc. Designer: Avon, World Wide Packaging. Primary supplier: World Wide Packaging.

Skin Care, Limited Distribution: Freeze & Go by Freeze 24-7. Designer and primary supplier: Zorbit Resources.

Professional Distribution: Caviar Seasilk by Alterna. Suppliers included: Classic Container, Design Worx.

Personal Care: Shu Uemura Art of Hair line by Shu Uemura/L’Oréal. (For more information, see the Designer Interview column in CPC Packaging’s October 2007 issue.) Designers: Bergman Associates, L’Oréal.

Eco-Friendly Packaging: PlantLove lipstick by Cargo Cosmetics. (For more information on this package, a CPC Packaging Editors’ Choice Awards winner, see the May/June 2007 issue, as well as the Latest Launches section of the March/April 2007 issue.) Designer: Cargo Cosmetics.

Consumers’ Buying Habits Are Changing, Says HBA Keynote Speaker Karen Grant

Beauty consumers aren’t restricting their spending to one retail channel anymore, said Karen Grant, senior beauty industry analyst for market research firm NPD Group (New York City). Grant delivered HBA Global Expo’s State of the Industry keynote address on September 18.

In her presentation, Grant stated that more consumers are now “cross shopping,” or dividing their spending between the following retail channels: department stores, drugstore and mass, specialty stores, spas, warehouses (such as Costco), the Internet, and direct sales.

Grant provided the following insights about certain retail sectors. One in four customers are now spending more in specialty stores such as Sephora, Victoria’s Secret, Ulta, and Bath & Body Works. Also, more customers say that they more often shop at mass-market stores. (Last year, mass-market sales for skin care products exceeded prestige-market sales.)

Internet sales are also increasing in importance, as 43% of Internet shoppers say that they spent more online than last year. And, Grant warned, mature customers are as likely to shop online as younger consumers.

There are a lot more brands in the market as well, Grant added. Since 1997, there are five times more brands in the cosmeceutical category, which has added a half-billion dollar gain in 10 years. And there are five times more makeup-artist brands.

“The marketplace that you’re competing in is a lot more cluttered, and you’re no longer looking at just one retail category,” Grant said. “People are shopping in places that you might not even realize.” Because of this, she said, brands may have to rethink how and where to reach their target audience, as well as who their target audience should be.

Marketers should also watch certain categories that are ripe with opportunity. “Tremendous opportunities still exist in men’s skin care,” she said. Also, because of customers’ busier lives, sales of easy-to-use mineral makeup have grown by 30% since 2003.

Also, she said, “The antiaging category continues to flourish. More than half of prestige facial product sales are for antiaging products.”

Plus, she added, a greater number of young customers are now using antiaging products. “Younger consumers are seeing antiaging commercials, too. Maybe we need to address them differently.”

Finally, she added, “The landscape of customers has changed. Are you recognizing all races and nations with your products?”

Grant ended her presentation with some good news for the beauty industry—the U.S. beauty industry continues to add an estimated $1 billion gain per year. “Consumers are buying beauty products more often now than in the past. It’s a vibrant, thriving category across all channels,” she said.

Chanel’s Scott Widro Named HBA Packaging Executive of the Year

_{By Jennifer Kwok, Managing Editor}

At its Industry Awards dinner, HBA Global Expo presented its 2007 packaging executive of the year award to Scott Widro, vice president of materials management and manufacturing for Chanel. According to the awards’ organizers, Widro’s innovative approach to cosmetic and fragrance package design merited him this year’s award.

Widro has been an employee of Chanel since 1993. Among his responsibilities are purchasing, package development, package engineering, production planning, manufacturing and bulk compounding, subcontract manufacturing, and management of new product introductions. He led the way for initiatives such as the 2006 launch of Chanel’s innovative Rouge Allure lipstick package, which set a new, modern standard for Chanel’s iconic packaging. The package operates with a spring mechanism that makes the lipstick container’s base pop out of the cap. The Chanel logo was also etched onto the lipstick’s bullet—an extremely difficult feat.

At the awards, Gene Berlanti, senior vice president of operations for Chanel, introduced Widro to the audience and congratulated Widro on his “collaborative approach and creativity, and for developing a strong team of package development engineers.”

Upon receiving the award, Widro said, “To me, the development of a luxury fragrance, makeup, or skin care package is a collaborative process. It brings people, processes, and enthusiasm together while achieving a business objective. My challenge has always been to motivate and inspire talented colleagues and suppliers to understand a packaging concept and to perform at the very highest levels of quality and execution, while always remembering to enjoy what they are doing.”

Widro also thanked his Chanel team, as well as Chanel’s suppliers, saying, “Thank you for understanding Chanel’s vision as the ultimate luxury brand and for developing the resources that have helped us make our dreams reality.”

Dior Beauty to Receive 2008 Art of Packaging Award

Dior Beauty has been named the recipient of the Pratt Insti­tute/Luxe Pack’s 2008 Art of Packaging award. Pamela Baxter, president and CEO of LVMH Beauty, will accept the award at a dinner gala on April 15, 2008, at New York City’s University Club.

The gala benefits the Marc Rosen Scholarship for Graduate Design, which is awarded to students of the Pratt Institute’s graduate program for cosmetic package design.

HBA Panel Gives Tips on How to Ensure Safe, International Outsourcing

_{By Jennifer Kwok, Managing Editor}

In light of the recent product recalls involving toys made in China, it was only natural that one of the first audience questions at HBA Global Expo’s recent contract packaging conference was, “How can I ensure the safety of packaging produced abroad?”

One tip the conference’s three panelists gave was to specify clear, unambiguous quality standards from the very beginning of a project. “We have found that this approach sets a clear standard that eliminates a lot of issues,” said panelist Doug Miller, production and operations manager for Beauty Avenues. (Beauty Avenues, which contracts out some of its packaging operations, is a division of Limited Brands, the owner of Bath & Body Works and Victoria’s Secret.)

Once clear standards have been set, a company should follow up with stringent on-site inspections using its own quality assurance team, as well as a third-party source. “It is important to develop strong, reliable business partners in the region who can help manage everything from legal jargon to cultural differences,” Miller added.

During production, companies should also check the quality of the packages themselves. “[Beauty Avenues’ outsourced] packaging components are tested at various stages and times in the process— preproduction, first production, sampling during the packaging process, and upon receipt at our warehouse,” said Miller.

For smaller companies that may not be able to afford to send an employee abroad to perform site in­spec­tions, a good option may be to use a domestic con­tract packaging firm that works with international packagers. “Select dom­es­tic contract packagers today have done a nice job in developing relationships with international manufacturers, particularly those in Asia,” said panelist Johan Pot, vice president of business development for integrated supply-chain solutions provider NFI-Quick Pak (Cincinnati). “These domestic contract packagers are often a good starting point for exploring international outsourcing.”

The panelists also commented on how the product-recall backlash has affected the outsourcing business. Demand for international outsourcing might fall off in the short term, they said. “There is no question that the recent product recalls are freezing some international outsourcing and that everyone currently sourcing internationally is taking a very close look at their quality and safety assurance processes,” said Miller.

In the long run, however, the panelists predicted that demand for international outsourcing will remain high. “In the long run, there will always be a movement overseas,” said Miller. “I can foresee similarities to what transpired with the Kathy Lee Gifford clothing line and the use of child labor. That sparked a strong effort by most companies to inspect the factories where their products were being made and to insist upon better working conditions—and it has made a real difference. In the current recall case, I expect to see a strong cross-industry reaction to ensure safety, resulting, over time, in a return to international outsourcing when appropriate.”

“With the bad comes good,” added panelist Rihaz Z. Chughatta, executive vice president of packaging outsource solutions pro­vider Equity Packaging Inc. (Pluckemin, NJ). “There is pressure for stricter regulations now be­cause of recent events.”

This session was moderated by CPC Packaging managing editor Jennifer Kwok.

Retailer Is Now Boss, Says Contract Packaging Panel

_{By Jennifer Kwok, Managing Editor}

Retailers are now dictating many of the package designs produced by contract packagers, said the three panelists at the recent HBA Global Expo outsourcing conference.

“The driving forces behind contract packaging have changed over the years,” said panelist Johan Pot, vice president of business development for integrated supply-chain solutions provider NFI-Quick Pak. “Fifteen to 20 years ago, the drivers were the packaging suppliers and the contract packagers themselves. That influence gradually shifted throughout the 1990s as consumer product companies stepped forward and became the primary driving force behind contract packaging requirements and designs. Today, that driver has become the retailer.”

Panelist Doug Miller, the production and operations manager for Beauty Avenues/Limited Brands, agreed. “A good example is the impact that Wal-Mart has had on packaging designs by demanding more reusable or recyclable materials and minimized packaging waste. In the future, the customer, along with the retailer, will have a louder voice in determining the trends for packaging, whether that be a greater demand for green packaging solutions, package sizes, or package shapes.”

Another trend noted was that mergers and acquisitions have made it possible for many contract packagers to offer a broader range of services under one roof, including package design, prototype making, component sourcing, engineering, and warehousing.

The panelists also discussed the legal and ethical issues involving innovations that a contract packager might develop for a marketer’s project. Pot advised that before any development work starts, a marketer and a contract packager should sign a confidentiality and disclosure agreement that clearly spells out property rights for any innovations.

Panelist Rihaz Z. Chughatta, executive vice president of packaging outsource solutions provider Equity Packaging Inc., agreed that that would be ideal. However, he added, “The reason that you go to a contract packager is because they have experience with packaging projects similar to yours, and you want to harness that experience. So contract packagers typically won’t sign exclusivity agreements. However, once you develop a relationship with a contract packager, the two of you can develop exclusive, patented packages together.”

Miller added that, ethically, exclusivity agreements should lead to a two-way street. “There have been some instances in which a contract packager has come up with a unique idea for us. If I ask them for exclusivity, I need to make a commitment to them for the future, either in regard to the volume of business I will give to them or promotional opportunities.”

The panelists also offered these practical tips:

• When deciding on a contract packager, don’t base your decision solely on the price of a package. Assess other important cost components such as freight costs, one-time tooling charges, and distribution costs.
  
• Whenever possible, try to choose a contract packager that works near the facility where your products are filled or distributed. This will minimize logistics costs.
  
• Try to find a contract packager that already has experience with the type of work your project will entail.
  
• Verify that your packager has the necessary capacity, financial strength, technical support, and equipment to perform the work.
  
• Accurately communicate the specifications for your project, including quality standards.
  
• Request weekly or daily updates.
  
• Most importantly, conduct a site visit to see a contract packager’s operations firsthand. If time and resources permit, audit a packager’s facility, its operating systems, and its quality systems.
  

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