Standing out from the crowd

14 March 2012



What are the main factors driving packaging innovation in the cosmetics sector? David Longfield posed the question to exhibitors at the February PCD Congress in Paris


Much of the innovation in cosmetics and personal care comes from the ideas of the suppliers, says Dominic Bakic, CEO design at DieterBakic Group in Germany. Bakic believes product differentiation is becoming more essential than ever. To retain customer loyalty, he says, it’s necessary to retain homogeneity in looks and materials: “Today, when you go to buy a product you don’t really experience the brand any more. The market is so segmented, switching is very easy.”

To this end, Bakic was exhibiting his company’s new Cosima line at PCD. Targeting premium ranges, Cosima’s bottles and jars retain the same rounded and elegant “shape language” throughout, while the many possible caps or pumps available mean a diverse range of overall appearances is possible for products.

Initially available in 200ml plastics bottles, 30ml and 50ml glass bottles and 50ml plastics jars, Cosima can, for example, be closed with the “opulently lavish” Laja caps, which feature a wide metallic ring ideal for distinctive printing, or the “purist elegance” of the Delia caps, to retain Cosima’s smooth overall lines. However, all caps and pumps from the existing standardm DieterBakic range can be employed.

Barbra Wright, director of consumer brand identity and packaging at London-based design agency Dragon Rouge, takes the theme further. “As brands respond to consumer needs through innovative design ideas, they create deeper, more caring relationships,” she says. One emerging trend is that of simplicity, says Wright.

“Simplicity in design speaks of purity both on a product level and an aesthetic level. This space oozes style and feels very clean, which is an underpinning driver of many personal care products.

“Simple lines and uncluttered graphics create punctuation on busy shelves, which gives them strong stand-out in store, while in-home the packs blend into bathrooms with their display-worthy design.”

Overcoming the barriers

Wood fibre-based packaging producer Stora Enso says it is developing products that will reduce the plastics contents of products such as shampoo bottles by 70-80%. But, says sales director Yrjö Aho, it will require a further two to three years of testing of barrier properties and sealing.

“There is a big need to change plastics-based bottles or packs to fibre-based,” says Aho. “There’s a lot of pressure coming to the industry from brand owners targeting higher sustainability. This will not happen tomorrow or next week, but we have the base materials and the coatings, and the big brand owners have been impressed with the possibilities we have shown them.

“In the future, the main factor is to reshape the value chain, with more flexible products, shorter changeover times and delivery times measured in days not weeks or months,” says Aho. “The technology is there, in digital printing, and this will reshape the way brand owners think.”

Jeannine Liesch, product manager cosmetics, Neopac The Tube, says: “Essentially, for us it is barrier properties in tubes, as companies try to reduce preservatives in their bulk, such as cosmetic creams.” Other areas of development, she says, are in applicators and pumps on tubes, and roll-ons.

At PCD, Neopac revealed details of the latest evolution of its Polyfoil tube technology, traditionally produced using two layers of PE or PP with a layer of aluminium in between. The new Polyfoil PET material provides enhanced oxygen barrier properties, and is particularly suited to use with highly aggressive or sensitive products such as peroxide, essential oils, or vitamins A or C.

“A PET tube does not diffuse any components into the product and similarly does not absorb any of the product’s components,” says Neopac head of material development Dr Philippe Kern. “This means that the product does not lose any active substance or aroma.”

At 0.35mm thick, Polyfoil PET tubes are very thin-walled, yet are stable and can be gamma-sterilised without any changes to the material properties. The use of PET means highly transparent tube shoulders are now possible, and new coloured pigment options for the outer layer are also available. While Dr Kern admits the cost of PET is higher than previous PE and PP versions, he says he is “convinced that the advantages of this tube outweigh any additional costs”.

Clear vision

Consumer insights are becoming clearer for producers thanks to online activity, says Dr Christina Zech, VP R&D at Geka, a leading manufacturer of brushes and applicators for liquid cosmetics such as mascara and eyeliner. “Online blogs are very beneficial,” she says. “Now if things don’t work, consumers can discuss it, and even sometimes find their own solutions.

“For us it’s not only the pack outside,” says Dr Zech. “We need a good material for our applicators. There are a lot of compatability issues, but we have a lot of opportunities to replace old, existing technologies for such things as brushes.”

At PCD, the Germany-based company was highlighting its Moltrusion 2-step (2K), two-material injection technology. An elastomeric material is injected through an inner rigid plastics tube to form ultra-fine, very soft bristles on a moulded brush, as used in Procter & Gamble’s Lash Blast.

Having initially developed 2K with a customer, Geka has purchased the patent for the technology platform and the packaging solutions associated with it, and the company now has the “creative freedom” to offer 2K to the open market.

Geka was also exhibiting new packaging for its Faberlic i-Brush mascara brand, targeting the Russian market. The bright red Square Chic outer packaging contains a large, moulded ‘boombasticBrush’ that gives consumers scope for both extra volumising and precise accents.

Material developments

The Weener Plastic Packaging Group presented a new version of its CleanSqueeze valve cap at the PCD Congress. Long established in other sectors, valve caps are rarely offered in the cosmetics market but, the company says, are especially attractive for headstand applications, combining “excellent dosage with immediate product availability”.

Made using silicone and TPE as primary raw materials, the new CleanSqueeze valve cap can dispense products ranging from watery to high viscosity, so is suitable for use with a variety of products including creams, lotions, shampoos, shower gels or cleansing tonics.

“Customers will be able to dose their product differently, and we can adjust the flow characteristics to how the customer needs it,” says Weener head of sales Dr Matthias Prox. Other advantages include leak tightness and a faster speed of release, adds Dr Prox.

Specialist in plastics injection moulding for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries Coradin exhibited its new Ecodis dispenser line at the Paris PCD show. Launched in September last year, Ecodis is designed to minimise the use of raw materials while preserving the high quality levels required for the cosmetics sector.

Ecodis is produced using 100% recyclable raw materials (PP, TPE) for fluid skin care products, make-up or hair care formulations. The dispenser, in 10, 15 or 30ml sizes, contains no pump or metal parts. Instead, at the base of the rigid tube is a flexible bottom section, which allows the contents to be applied to the skin with a light press of the thumb. Dropper size ranges between 0.2mm to 3mm, according to the viscosity of the product.

Coradin also offers a 2-in-1 version of Ecodis in which the lower cartridge section is sealed with foil in order to protect sensitive products such as vitamin C. On first use the consumer presses the flexible bottom part to release the contents, and shakes to reconstitute the formulation.

“We have found that consumers enjoy this new way of dispensing the product,” says Coradin sales and marketing director Florence Bidamant.

Roll-on evolution

Inveo – officially launched at the UK easyFairs Packaging Innovation show in Birmingham, 29 February – is a new 3-piece inverted roll-on deodorant said by producer Promens to be leak free.

“Normally a roll-on is made in four pieces,” says the company’s Céline Guerreiro, “the bottle, ball, the ball housing and cap. There are some three-part examples on the market, but they leak.” The Inveo ball housing is incorporated into the bottle and has been designed with a sharp angled step to form a ball seal, which prevents leakage. Requiring less assembly, the 3-piece design also makes Inveo more sustainable and economic to produce.

A spigot inside the top of the Inveo cap pushes the ball down onto the seal inside the bottle, so that no bulk product can escape when it is closed. Inveo has been conceived so that the consumer closes the cap with an audible click: an assurance that the deodorant has been tightly closed and can be carried safely in a bag, without any risk of leakage.

The Inveo design also includes a finger guard built into the bottle shape, to avoid contact with the underarm. “Inveo’s conical shape embodies both female and male grooming ranges,” says Guerreiro.

Sleever option for premium aerosol

Paris-headquartered Sleever International was present at the PCD event in February to promote the advantages of its recently developed shrink sleeve applications for aluminium aerosol containers.

“We believe there is a market in short-run, where customers are looking for a quick reaction,” says the company’s VP sales and marketing, Jean-Charles Fresnel. “More and more, people are looking for shape differentiation, and shrink sleeve can make this possible.”

With Sleever Aerosol, customers can go from standard to premium looks with a “totally dependable” technology, says Fresnel. “Shrink sleeve is a technology for leaders. It’s a solution for maybe 20% of the market, at the high end.

“With film you can bring many effects: printing inside or out; RFI technology or holograms; 3D; peelable labels; special burnishes or lamination.” Fresnel adds that Sleever Aerosol also gives customers supply chain advantages such as flexible market response and zero stock holding.

RPC Magic does the trick for sk:n

The UK’s leading skincare clinic, sk:n has selected RPC Bramlage-Wiko’s Magic SL dispenser to package a new collection of dermatological products. The collection features five treatment areas – cleansing, anti-ageing, repair and protect, anti-blemish and corrective. Finished with a matt surface and a matt lacquer overcap, Magic SL adds convenient one-handed operation, delivering a 1ml dose for controlled dispensing of the product.

“We were looking for a convenient and easy to use dispenser with an attractive appearance that would reflect the premium positioning of our products,” says sk:n marketing director Julie Davies. “The Magic SL exactly met these criteria and is an excellent addition to our range.”

The eye-catching decoration for the packs features hotfoil stamping and a colour coded band to distinguish the different product types.


Neopac The Tube’s Polyfoil PET development is suited to aggressive or sensitive products Neopac Innovations from Geka Geka Shrink sleeves for aerosols: Sleever is targeting the premium market Sleever Coradin Ecodis: no pump or metal parts Coradin Ecodis Sk:n has selected RPC Bramlage-Wiko’s Magic SL dispenser to package a new collection of dermatological products. Sk:n Inveo: new ‘leak-free’ 3-piece inverted roll-on from Promens Inveo Purist elegance: the Delia cap range in the DieterBakic Cosima line Delia cap

Neopac Neopac
Geka Geka
Sleever Sleever
Coradin Ecodis Coradin Ecodis
Sk:n Sk:n
Inveo Inveo
Delia cap Delia cap


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