2009 Editors’ Choice Award Winner: Cosmetics
Skincare Collection
by Mark
The Skincare Collection by mark includes cleansers, moisturizers, and treatment products, in packages that emphasize convenience. A “mattifying” lotion and two other types of moisturizers are packaged in plastic jars with an easy-to-use dispenser. Meanwhile, a lip smoother, an eye gel, a pore minimizer lotion, and a blemish treatment gel are housed in mark’s signature Hook-Ups packaging.
“Being innovative and unexpected are the pillars we live by,” says Gail Boyé, vice president, global product development, mark. She is also a CPC Packaging awards panelist this year.
The plastic lotion jar looks conventional from the outside. When its lid is removed, however, customers can see that the jar’s mouth is sealed with a plastic platform with a dispensing orifice in the center. When customers push down on the platform, product dispenses through the orifice. Swiping a finger across the platform picks up just the right amount of product. By allowing users to access product without having to stick their fingers into the jar, this feature protects the product from outside contaminants.
“This is the first time that this type of jar is being used at a masstige price point,” says Boyé.
Awards panelist Maggie Wedemeyer, vice president of package development, Inter Parfums, likes the way the jar dispenses product. “Using it is quick and easy. It’s innovative.”
The magnetic base was made from plastic with a magnetic additive, says Eric Vanin, vice president of sales and marketing for Qualipac. A lever on the side of the compacts helps customers lift the pans out. CPC Packaging awards panelist Scott Widro, vice president of manufacturing and materials management for Chanel, applauds the strong magnetic base, as well as the user-friendly lever.
Awards panelist Rochelle Bloom, president of The Fragrance Foundation, agrees. “This type of dispenser makes using the product easy.” Bloom also commented on how the package helps to keep the product clean and sanitary.
Regarding the Hook-Ups, “it was important that our new skin care line be fun and customizable, so we decided that it would be perfect to launch some products as part of our Hook-Ups franchise,” says Boyé. Hook-Ups are double-ended, interchangeable containers held together by a connector. Customers can decide which products they want to connect. The brand first launched Hook-Ups packages in 2003, but, until now, they had only been used for the brand’s cosmetics.
The skin care products that can be hooked up are in 0.17-oz tottles. Each tottle has its own twist-off cap. The top of each cap fits into one side of the connector. The side of the cap that doesn’t hook up to the connector has an applicator.
“This type of packaging offers a practical solution for carrying products around every day. They easily fit in a purse and are very accessible,” says awards panelist Scott Widro, vice president, materials management and manufacturing, Chanel. “I like how the tubes are very squeezable. Overall, it’s a very consumer-centric design.”
Because the hook-up concept and the connector components had already been developed, the production process ran smoothly, according to John Alongi, senior manager, package engineering, mark. Alongi is also a CPC Packaging awards panelist this year.
The one packaging challenge that the team faced for the entire skin care collection was pricing. “We had to make sure that we partnered with the right suppliers. There are many suppliers that had the componentry we needed, but we had to negotiate to be able to afford it. We work very hard to be able to deliver quality products and packaging at masstige price points,” explains Alongi.
Designed to convey the message that these are serious products that work, decoration on the packages is minimal. The packaging is mainly white, with light pink and blue lettering on clear labels.
“The packages look clean and bright and would be pretty sitting on a dresser. The label stock choice for the jars, and the printing, are well done, giving the collection a standout aesthetic,” says panelist Wedemeyer.