In the highly competitive cosmetics industry, first impressions are everything. Your cosmetics packaging is an opportunity for you to captivate consumers and inspire them to choose your products. At the same time, cosmetic packaging is a way to ensure your products are delivered safely and maintain a long shelf life.
You may be excited to get your products out there, but don’t overlook the importance of your packaging. It’s in your best interest to create packaging that attracts consumers, grabs attention, conveys your brand’s message, and preserves the integrity of the product you’ve worked so hard to create.
In this article, we discuss everything you need to know about cosmetics packaging, including different types of cosmetic packaging, important considerations, essentials of packaging design, and how to comply with beauty industry packaging regulations.
Types of cosmetic packaging
Cosmetic packaging serves three essential purposes: preserving your formulation, protecting your product from damage, and promoting your brand to consumers. When we talk about cosmetic packaging, we’re usually referring to two main types: primary and secondary packaging.
Primary packaging
This refers to the product packaging that contains your cosmetics formula, for example a bottle, jar, tube, or sachet. Primary packaging needs to protect your cosmetic formulation from the elements, maintain its integrity, and promote its shelf life, while also looking visually appealing.
Secondary packaging
This refers to the outer packaging, which contains your formulation in its primary packaging. It could be a box, carton, or sleeve which offers an additional layer of protection for your product. This beauty packaging focuses less on preserving your product and more on presenting your brand identity and attracting customers. It’s usually the first product packaging that your customers will see.
Understanding your packaging needs
Before you start to design cosmetics packaging, you need to be clear on what your needs are. These are some questions you can ask yourself while in the brainstorming phase.
What type of packaging do you need?
Will it be only primary packaging or do you require secondary packaging? Do you need an inner packaging, such as tissue paper or supportive cardboard?
What packaging material do you want to use?
There are many different materials you can consider for your packaging, each with their own pros and cons. The most popular primary packaging materials are glass, plastic, and metal.
- Glass: This is one of the safest packaging materials as it doesn’t react with common beauty products ingredients such as AHAs or BHAs. Glass is a sturdy, high quality packaging that looks sophisticated and expensive. However, glass packaging is pricier than other materials and can break during shipping.
- Plastic: One of the most common cosmetic packaging ingredients, plastic is lightweight and affordable. It also works with a range of different product types, from bottles to jars and tubes. If you choose plastic, consider whether you can make it a more sustainable option by offering refills or using recycled plastic.
- Metal: Aluminium or tin are common metal packaging materials for cosmetics and can give products a vintage look. They are great for scrubs, balms, creams, and waxes, but not suitable for liquids or products with essential oils as they can rust.
When considering materials, think of which will best preserve your cosmetics product while also appealing to consumers.
What are your packaging dimensions?
How big is your product and how big do you require your primary and secondary packaging to be? It’s best to try to keep your secondary packaging box as small as possible to minimise the risk of damage during shipping. This can also reduce your costs and carbon footprint.
How to design custom cosmetic packaging that sells
You may have the best formulation in the world, but if your packaging design doesn’t appeal to your audience, then nobody will wait around to find out! Your packaging design is what will call out to customers from the shelves and inspire them to pick your product amongst all the others. You need custom cosmetic packaging that’s eye-catching, unique, visually appeals to customers, and portrays your brand personality.
Here are some basic steps to designing custom cosmetic packaging that sets you apart from competitors and attracts the audiences you want.
1. Define your ideal customers
The first thing to consider is, who are your cosmetics for? Is your ideal consumer a teenage girl or a professional woman? Are they interested in glitter & sparkles or do they prefer minimalist product packaging? Consider who your ideal customer is, what they’re looking for in a product, and what will grab their attention.
2. Consider your brand identity
Being clear on your brand identity is just as important as knowing your customers. Is your branding simple & classic? Is it luxuriously maximalist? Bold and colourful? Edgy? What personality do you want to portray to your customers? Take the time to consider this carefully as it will influence the design you use in your cosmetic packaging boxes.
3. Think about where your product is
Will you be selling your cosmetics products online or in stores? If you’re selling in stores, are they large retailers or small boutiques? Thinking about where your product will be sold will help you nail down your competitors to ensure you stand out amongst them on the shelf, while also fitting in with what customers in those stores are looking for.
4. Look at inspiration
Don’t be afraid to see what’s trending in cosmetics packaging and what other brands are doing. Look at cosmetics companies with similar audiences or products, and see how they are packaging their cosmetic products. You can create a mood board with ideas to create a clearer idea of what you’re trying to portray.
5. Consider the different elements of your packaging design
As you start to build an idea of what you want your cosmetics packaging design to look like, you can start to think in more detail about the different elements, such as colour scheme, typeface, materials, graphics, imagery, or whether you want the labels to be matte or shiny.
Labelling & regulatory requirements
Depending on the country you’ll be selling your cosmetics, you may be legally obliged to include certain information on your cosmetics packaging.
Usually, your packaging will need to include:
- Product name
- Ingredients
- Directions for use
- Warnings
- Net weight.
The labelling should be clear and easy to read and understand. Be sure to include this information when designing your labels.
Some regulatory bodies also govern cosmetics packaging, such as the EU Cosmetics Regulation. You must be aware of your local regulations and ensure compliance to keep your product safe and protect your business.
Sustainable packaging practices are always favourable. Consider reducing waste, using eco-friendly materials, implementing a recycling or refilling program, and using as little packaging as possible.
Partner with packaging experts
With so much to consider, it can be difficult to manage your cosmetics packaging on your own.
At Cleansery, we do more than just offer private label cosmetics manufacturing. We can also help you design visually appealing packaging that meets your specific requirements, protects your formulation, aligns with your brand identity, and attracts the customers you want.
Get in touch with our team to see how we can help you create beauty packaging that does your formulation proud.
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