Time to go under the knife

As retailers look to attract consumers to store brand beauty products, a chief concern should be beauty product packaging. Beauty product packaging is a relatively inexpensive way for retailers to differentiate products and add value for consumers, reveals \"Beauty and Personal Care Packaging in the US,\" an April 2012 report from global market research firm Euromonitor.

By creating packaging that combines instant shelf appeal with the added bonus of environmentally friendly packaging, retailers could entice consumers to try store brand beauty products.

Distinctly different
Its no secret that every company is trying to find a way to distinguish themselves on the product shelves, says Rich Bludorn, director of marketing, Triumph Packaging, Bolingbrook, Ill. After all, many consumers still walk into a store undecided about what they want to purchase, he adds, so whatever brand catches their eye first is what they will consider first; if it fits their needs, theyll try it.

\"In order to get the consumer to want to try the product, you have to get them to want to pick it up,\" agrees Rod Vilencia, vice president of sales and marketing, Pacific Packaging Components Inc., Baldwin Park, Calif.

As a result, more and more brands are investing in packaging because they are seeing a lot more in return, and they want to win that battle, Bludorn says.

But retailers need to exert some common sense and caution, Vilencia warns.

\"I have seen many attempts over the years at hooking customers with gaudy or over-the-top packaging. So many times the consumer is put off by that look, and as a result, the line fails. Too much is too much, even in packaging,\" he adds.

Even so, whether its a new product on the shelf or the revamping of a tried-and-true one, beauty packaging is getting all dolled up.

Premiums a draw
When it comes to beauty, consumers increasingly are looking for \"masstige\" products – those combining a prestigious, eye-catching look with a mass price point, Euromonitor reports.

Bruno Lebeault, marketing director for North America, Viva Healthcare Packaging, Toronto, agrees.

\"In terms of trends, we are clearly seeing a move towards premium, even for private label,\" he says.

So what is premium? For Lebeault, it first and foremost means beautifully printed graphics that exploit as much surface area as possible.

When it comes to printing, a variety of options are available for retailers to consider, including color, coatings and metallized ink, Bludorn says. New to the packaging market is high-definition printing, an option offered by Triumph Packaging.

Another hallmark of premium packaging is shine, Lebeault says. And the most common ways shine is created is through laminates or metallic effects. Since Viva Healthcare Packaging launched, it has seen its packaging tubes manufactured with metallic effects increase to 50 percent.

Tactile labels also contribute to the premium perception.

When customers pick up a product and are able to feel a difference, they tend to think the product must be higher in quality because it feels more expensive, says Steve Johnston, account manager, Northeast, Topflight Corp., Glen Rock, Pa.

Tactile or pressure-sensitive labels are available in both film and paper formats, explains John Giesfeldt, senior marketing manager, WS Packaging Group Inc., Green Bay, Wis. Pressure-sensitive film labels are inexpensive, allow for bright and sharp images, and can deliver high shelf impact.

\"Plus, pressure-sensitive film labels hold up to harsh environments that a lot of beauty and personal care products are used in,\" he says. \"And because theyre basically impervious to wet and damp environments, film labels do not allow inks to migrate, which helps protect brand graphics.\"

And pressure-sensitive paper is an efficient choice for companies that need to quickly change production lines from one SKU to another; they are versatile, make inventory management easy and offer quality printability that makes colors pop – but they might not always be appropriate for the damp beauty/cosmetic environment, he adds.

\"In the end, these various techniques, including the use of metallic inks that reflect light to capture additional graphics cues, help convey brand confidence by creating a label that adds visual intrigue in a way that helps it more effectively stand out in a sea of uniformity,\" Giesfeldt says.

Green packaging
But premium packaging doesnt just refer to razzle-dazzle; it also refers to what consumers are viewing as an upgraded, value-added package. In the case of packaging, that often means \"eco-friendly\" products.

Viva Healthcare Packaging is just one supplier that is focused on environmentally friendly packaging. Its polypropylene tubes use injection technology to embed graphics inside the packaging, eliminating the need for glue and creating a 100 percent recyclable tube. And Lebeault says all aspects of the package are created in one plant.

\"Often what happens in this industry is one manufacturer makes the tube and then sources the cap and label from a different supplier,\" he says. \"With such bulky packaging, this creates a lot of extra shipping logistics, which increases CO2 emissions and fuel usage. By making everything in-house, we are using the supply chain to the max.\"

WS Packaging is another company working to provide sustainable packaging options to its clients. For example, it has its MultiVision line of extended-text labels, which make it possible for beauty brands to eliminate unit cartons and the accompanying product usage guide. WS Packaging also created a product called LinerLESS that eliminates the label liner for pressure-sensitive film labels – in turn, eliminating a whole waste stream.

Eco-friendly packaging also can refer to the materials that make up the packaging. For instance, Vilencia mentions that biodegradable products and bio-based products such as corn and sugarcane resins, along with post-consumer resins, have become very popular – as has the old standby, glass.

\"Resins such as PVC, acrylic and polystyrene are falling by the wayside as more and more articles are being published about how bad those resins are for the environment,\" he adds.

However, if the package doesnt function properly to dispense the product inside, it wont matter to consumers that it is green.

\"We have found that the American consumer, although concerned with the environment, will pay little extra for a package that does nothing more than have environmentally friendly claims,\" states Craig Sawicki, executive vice president and chief creative officer, TricorBraun, Oak Brook, Ill.

Whats next?
One thing to keep in mind is that the consumer who is buying a store brand beauty item usually is not loyal to a national brand.

\"If that specific consumer was loyal, they wouldnt be looking for a cheaper alternative,\" Sawicki says.

This means retailers need to re-evaluate the way their store brand beauty products are marketed. They cannot create customer loyalty by marketing products as national brand equivalents; instead, they should focus on creating unique products and offering better products in better packaging, Sawicki adds.

One way retailers could create loyalty to store brand beauty products is by integrating emerging technology with packaging, Giesfeldt says. If retailers reach out to consumers through technology (\"smart packaging\"), it will be easier to leverage in-store promotions and build brand loyalty programs, he says.

As with trends in other categories, trends in beauty product packaging come and go. William Oliver, CEO of Saint Petersburg, Fla.-based PrivateLabelSkin, primarily supplies his products to online retailers, which might give him some insight on what future trends for traditional in-store retailers will be.

\"Typically, when products are becoming popular for online retail, its about a year before traditional retail picks up the trend,\" he says. \"Metallics were very popular for us last year, but now there has really been a shift towards glass and clinical style packaging.\"

So what advice does Oliver have for retailers?

"Definitely get into the clinical side of packaging," he says. "Thats only just now starting for online. If they start now, they will be significantly ahead of the curve."