Hair Care Packaging: Making the Cut
Brands strive to ensure that their hair care packages are the ones consumers choose to purchase.
By Marie Redding, Senior EditorHair care products are often influenced by new ingredients and trends from other markets—especially the skin care market. These factors also affect packaging. The team from hair care brand Jonathan Product spoke about how it has kept informed of new packaging technologies—and even brought an innovative aerosol dispenser to the hair care market.
A New Kind of Aerosol
Jonathan Product used the latest aerosol technology in its new IB hair care collection. Two products are in this aerosol container, IB Revitalizer Overnight Oil Treatment Spray and IB Shield Humidity Lock-Out Shine Spray. “The specially designed valve on this unique dispensing system produces a beautiful fine-mist spray, unlike [the spray of] any other hair packages I’ve seen,” says Anna Lohrmann, senior manager, planning and development, for Jonathan Product.
The packaging team at Jonathan Product knew that this technology, called TruSpray, had existed for a couple of years in Europe but had not been brought to the U.S. market. The team waited for the right opportunity to use the system for the right product. “We were the first company to market this type of aerosol in the United States,” says Lohrmann.
The TruSpray aerosol system was developed and patented by Boehringer Ingelheim microParts GmbH (Germany). Lindal Group (Germany) manufactured the valve and actuators used exclusively by this system. The aluminum can was supplied by Tubex AG (Germany).
Several features make TruSpray different from conventional aerosols. “Conventional aerosol spray cans require a high percentage of liquid propellant in order to work properly. They release a mixture of liquid propellant and solvent into the spraying head’s swirl chamber,” Lohrmann explains.
The propellant used by conventional aerosol systems must provide enough energy to whirl the liquid product around inside the swirl chamber. The whirling action causes the product to expand into a pressurized vortex. The liquid propellant then spontaneously vaporizes, and in doing so, breaks the liquid up into even smaller droplets. These droplets are then released through a small opening in the nozzle.
A vertical stripe on Jonathan Product’s bottles is an unusual design element.The technological innovation that makes TruSpray work is called capillary atomization. A small amount of propellant causes the liquid product to rise up the walls of a specially designed ascending capillary dip tube. On the way up, small droplets are torn from the surface of the liquid by the flow of propellant, resulting in an aerosol mist. Because there is no swirl chamber to hinder the flow of the product, and no atomizer nozzle, much more of the energy in the system can be used to create the required spray.
“Compared with existing products, this system uses less solvents and propellants, or volatile organic compounds. This makes it a more environmentally conscious aerosol product,” explains Lohrmann.
Lohrmann also says that most products that are filled in conventional aerosol cans end up being heavily diluted with solvent and propellant in order to achieve a very low viscosity level close to that of water. Depending upon the type of product formulation, it is not unusual for products sprayed from an aerosol to be composed of more than 80% solvent and propellant. “Significantly reducing the amount of solvent and propellant allows us to deliver a much more potent product to the consumer,” Lohrmann says.
Smaller Size, Bigger Benefit
TruSpray’s valve system allows the aerosol can to be smaller than conventional aerosols, while holding the same amount of product. “We consider this to be an environmental benefit as well, because the package re-quires fewer materials to produce,” says Lohrmann.
Other beauty companies might consider a smaller package unappealing because a larger package has greater shelf presence. However, “this aerosol technology allows us to give the consumer more product even though the package is smaller,” says Lohrmann.
The Ingredient Connection
All of the products in the IB collection contain ingredients that are based on technology featured in hair-styling tools such as flat irons and hair dryers. These styling devices incorporate tourmaline crystals to help smooth hair. On its packaging, Jonathan Product describes the products’ tourmaline and amethyst ingredients as a “charged ionic crystal blend known to improve shine, smoothness, and manageability of hair.”
A few products were also influenced by skin care items. “Skin care trends often [extend] into hair care. Antiaging is such a strong focus in skin care right now that we developed a shampoo and a conditioner that address antiaging concerns for the hair and scalp,” explains Jessica Waskewich, director of research and development for Jonathan Product.
IB Purifier Anti-Aging Restorative Shampoo and IB Infuser Anti-Aging Restorative Conditioner focus on aging hair. “In addition to many botanical extracts, amino acids, antioxidants, and proteins, the IB line contains a mineral peptide blend to help recolor gray hair—a primary focus for aging hair,” Waskewich continues.
The package design helps draw attention to the ingredients in the product. “We created a new design element to help promote the IB line at the point of sale. An ‘ib’ icon is foil-stamped on the cartons. This not only grabs the attention of the consumer, but also reinforces the IB technology concept,” explains Waskewich. Information about each ingredient and its benefit is also highlighted on the colored strip on the back of each primary package.
Zorbit Resources designed and produced all of Jonathan Product’s IB line packages, such as this jar.IB Purifier, the IB line’s shampoo, has been selling especially well, according to Jonathan Product sales representatives. It is packaged in the same clear plastic bottle as the rest of the brand’s shampoos, but the product itself is not the usual golden hue of the other shampoos. The pearlescent white product can be clearly seen through the package, and its color is complemented by a silver stripe. IB Infuser, the line’s conditioner, is packaged in a clear plastic 200-ml jar with a gold stripe. Zorbit Resources (New York City) designed and produced all of the plastic bottles, plastic jars, and folding cartons.
Portability Requests Continue
Single-use wipes are a portable—and hygienic—hair care package.Although not part of the IB Collection, another new product in the Jonathan line influenced by the skin care market is Pocket Redo, an extra-large single-use towelette. Each retail carton contains six foil packettes, each containing a towelette. The towelette can be wiped on the hair or the skin to remove the smell of smoke by neutralizing odors, remove excess oil and residue from styling products on the hair and scalp, and even to extend the life of a blowout.
Redo was first launched as a liquid product in a plastic bottle with a pump. “We developed this portable package for Redo because our customers and retail partners were asking us for more portable solutions,” says Waskewich.
The team at Jonathan Product wanted to address portability concerns with an innovative package. “As a smaller company, we’re lucky to have the advantage of being able to react quickly to consumer feedback and bring new products to market,” explains Waskewich.
Besides the convenience factor, Waskewich feels that there is a general attraction to single-use packaging. “Consumers like the fact that the product always feels fresh, because they’re always opening it for the first time. The hygiene factor of this product is not overlooked—it’s a big draw of single-use packaging,” she says.
The Importance of Testing
Creating the Pocket Redo package posed a few challenges. The product is water-based, which was a huge factor when deciding which type of towelette to choose. Certain materials proved to be more absorbent than others when tested. “We had to make sure that the wipe absorbed just the right amount of liquid. It had to stay saturated without drying out. It also couldn’t contain too much product, to prevent the consumer from applying too much product to the hair and weighing it down,” explains Waskewich.
Testing was performed at various temperatures to ensure that the formulation was stable and didn’t evaporate. “After conducting the test for almost a year, the towelette never lost an ounce, so we can be sure that consumers will receive a fully saturated product when opening the packette,” says Waskewich.
The towelette is a polyrayon blend. Flexpaq Corp. (South Plainfield, NJ) was instrumental in developing this package. The company saturates the towelettes with product, encloses each one in a foil packette, and decorates the packettes using a flexographic process. The towelette is supplied by Fiberweb (London; Simpsonville, SC).
Because this was a new type of package for Jonathan Product, there were a few other packaging challenges. “The more parts that a package requires, the more aware you have to be of every step of the packaging process,” explains Waskewich. “It is important that you use a reputable filler and that the product is filled in an extremely clean environment,” she adds.
The Final Test
Customers need to love the way a product and a package perform in order to become repeat customers. Throughout product and package development, the Jonathan Product team had an entire regiment of Jonathan Salon professional stylists at its disposal to test the items. Owner and celebrity stylist Jonathan Antin also tested the products. “We listen to a lot of feedback from everyone before a new product or new type of package is launched. The stylists help to make sure that everything works perfectly before items are brought to market,” saysWaskewich.
Coloring Hair Care Packaging
Package colors for DavexLabs’ L’Anza hair care line were inspired by social trends pointed out in the book ColorForward.
When the team at DavexLabs LLC designed the packaging for its L’Anza Art Elements hair care line, it chose bright colors for the plastic bottles. “Salon professionals are our target audience, and by nature they are visual and creative people,” says Bill Topolinski, vice president of marketing for DavexLabs. “Color helps to capture their imagination.” Topolinski’s team worked with Clariant Masterbatches (McHenry, IL) to choose a color palette.
Gretchen Huff, account coordinator at Clariant Masterbatches, worked closely with Topolinski on the project. “The color choices that L’Anza made for Art Elements are right in line with the latest social and cultural trends, as shown in our 2008 edition of ColorForward,” she says. ColorForward is a color trend analysis book produced by Clariant. Huff describes it as “exploring the link between today’s global collective influences and tomorrow’s color directions.” It also includes sample color chips and fabric swatches for inspiration.
ColorForward 2008 predicts several trends. The royal purple that Topolinski chose for Art Elements’ Bungee styling cream, geared to men, reflects Clariant’s belief that purple will represent the athletic and spiritual strength of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Men, in particular, are expected to respond favorably to purple as it becomes a popular fashion color for sports.
Another theme explored in ColorForward is called My Green Space. Carolyn Sedgwick, business manager for Clariant ColorWorks, explains that “as environmental awareness reaches its tipping point, we move from environmental study and debate to awareness and action. Commitments become personal and local, and they link to a focus on community, family, health, well-being, and daily life.” The organic fuchsia and green of Art Elements’ Taffy styling product package, aimed at women, are meant to give off an earth-centric vibe.
Fit for Air Travel
Air-travel security regulations are directly influencing the marketing of new products—especially for hair care. The new TSA-Approved Travel Kit by Baxter of California launched in January.
Baxter of California prides itself on its mission to completely address men’s grooming needs, including hair care. The kit contains two bars of soap, plus five 2-oz tubes containing Protein Shampoo, Daily Face Wash, Oil-Free Moisturizer, Super Close Shave Formula, and After Shave Balm. The tubes have a matte finish, a flip-top dispensing cap, and were decorated with offset printing.
The black-and-white packaging ties in with Baxter’s current brand image. “The look represents the simple-to-use philosophy of our products,” says John-Pierre Mastey, president, Baxter of California.
On his end, Mastey doesn’t feel that airline regulations are causing companies to design packaging differently. “Most travel-sized packages already meet the current requirements. However, the new regulations are forcing travelers to buy more travel-sized products, which is sure to help us to sell more of them,” he explains.
Natural Ingredients Inspire New Hair Care Packages
Upgrading Alterna’s Packages
Alterna’s Hemp collection has been renamed Hemp with Organics. “We have upgraded the formula to include certified organic botanicals, so the new packaging had to reflect these changes while still retaining the aesthetics of the original design,” says Russs Mariano, creative director for Alterna. The new packaging launched last fall.
Alterna’s signature bottle shapes have always attracted attention on store shelves. “Once a product is in consumers’ hands, there is a much greater chance that they will purchase it,” says Marion Johnson, vice president of marketing for Alterna. The shampoo bottles are shaped like wine bottles, and the conditioner bottles are round with compound curvatures. “The contrasting shapes work well together,” Mariano says. The bottles were designed in-house and supplied by Classic Containers (Ontario, CA).
The bottles have a satiny finish that was created using a sandblasted mold. “We sandblasted the bottles 25% more than usual to enhance the texture and feel,” says Mariano. Alterna worked with Ferco Color (Ontario, CA) to achieve this. The caps were redesigned as well. They are supplied by Seaquist Closures (Mukwonago, WI). “We revised the cap to improve ease of use and to make it more functional,” says Mariano. The shampoo bottle has a matte disc cap and the conditioner has a matte flip-top cap.
The Hemp logo was also redesigned. “It is a customized serif font now, which has a more contemporary feel,” says Mariano. Different materials were used for the new packaging. “The new bottles are made from a high-density polyethylene color carrier on a polyethylene mold, which makes the bottles recyclable and more environmentally friendly than our previous bottles. We also added a pearlescent undertone to the color for added shelf presence,” says Mariano.
New bottle colors were chosen to represent each product category and specific types of formulations. For instance, packages in the Shine collection are bright orange. Graphics were silk-screened onto the bottles.
A Soothing Spa-Like Look
Last summer, Bain de Terre launched a new natural-ingredient hair care line described as “hair therapy.” The products were inspired by the benefits provided by traditional spa treatments for the face and body. The packages are mainly white with light-purple caps and a flower logo.
“Botanicals is a brand-new category for Bain de Terre. We were looking for a new color palette that would evoke a prescriptive feel but also complement the look of the rest of our products,” says Lori Hess, packaging engineer for Zotos International.
The collection includes Sugar & Fig Scalp Massage Scrub in single-use ampules and Hair Strengthening Mud Masque in a plastic jar.
Recovery Complex Replenishing Hair Balm is a moisturizing treatment in a dual-chambered airless dispenser. The airless package was chosen so that the product would dispense correctly and not because the product contains air-sensitive ingredients. “The challenge was to find a package that would dispense two formulations,” explains Hess. This dispenser is RPC Wiko’s (Exton, PA) 150-ml Magic Star dispenser. A small plastic plug fits in the orifice to ensure that the package doesn’t leak during shipping. White Lotus Reparative Reconstructor is a conditioning treatment in a tube. “This treatment is more viscous than traditional conditioners, so the formula is dispensed more easily from a tube, rather than from a bottle. Tubes also provide easy, one-handed dispensing,” says Hess.
The tube feels soft and squeezable. It is supplied by Artube (East Stroudsburg, PA). “A blend of 70% high-density polyethylene and 30% low-density polyethylene was chosen to ensure that the tube would have the right squeezability to dispense this viscous product,” explains Hess. It is decorated using offset printing.
All of the flip-top caps in the line were color-matched. They are supplied by Polytop Corp. (Los Alamitos, CA).