What was it that made you start thinking more sustainable? Is it the non-stop fires scorching California? Or maybe it's the videos of layers of plastic and garbage that scuba divers have been jumping through? Is it the images of seabirds, turtles, and whales opened up with their stomachs full of twisted plastic?
Source: http://www.burtsbees.ca/
Whatever it is that’s getting you to think more sustainable, the demand for sustainable products has been on the rise. That’s why more and more cosmetic companies are looking for ways to maximize their stylish branding with sustainable packaging.
People are tired of throwing out excess packaging. They feel guilty when they have to tear apart three layers of material to get their product. However, consumers still want appealing and trendy packages. Thankfully, sustainability and stylish design aren’t mutually exclusive in the cosmetic industry. Here’s a quick look at how to integrate sustainability into your trendy cosmetic packaging strategy with flexible packaging.
Step 1: Is your Cosmetic Design Packaging eye-catching?
When it comes to selling cosmetic products, the design plays a huge role in its success. Every successful cosmetic product uses its own version of a special blend of style, functionality, and color. Look at Tom Ford perfume collection to get a sense of a company that does it all right. Our experienced design team can do the same for you with labels, shrink sleeves, and other customized packaging options. The Health and Beauty industry is producing eye-catching packaging that people want to show off — and hang on to.
The style that a cosmetic design team takes depends on the target customer. If a company that focuses on lipstick is designing a new line of colors for young adult women, the design will reflect their demographic’s preferences. Their colors may vary from bright to dark and pale to vivid. Their bottles can be a bit riskier in their artistic approach, and their boxes could be more provocative without penalty to their brand.
More than style, a cosmetic package needs to be designed to work well. One-time packages need to be easily opened with open-assist technology. Re-usable products are best sold in resealable packages. People appreciate their products lasting a long time in the packages they came in.
Step 2: Take a look at your packaging materials to ensure they're Eco-Friendly
There are some cosmetic companies that are doing well today simply based on their brand-recognition that are going to fail to capture the next generation of consumers if they don’t change their packaging practices. The children of today are more politically engaged than any other generation before. As the young consumers of today evolve into their careers and increase their buying power in the future, they won’t be giving their money to companies that aren’t doing their best to protect the environment.
Eco-friendly cosmetic packaging might seem like a fad today, however, it will be the standard in the future. One-time use plastics like bags and straws are quickly going out of fashion, especially with millennials, who've witnessed its environmental impact over the course of their young adult life. They’re demanding eco-friendly products in every aspect of their lives, but they aren’t the only ones. In fact, many generations are becoming more conscious of their actions and realizing that over-consumption can be avoided by choosing a different brand.
The visibility of the world online means people are recognizing how their consumption impacts the world. Unfortunately, it’s not feasible to simply stop consuming. So, consumers are putting pressure on companies to make socially responsible decisions. If they don’t, they could lose their customers forever. That’s why intelligent cosmetic companies have a robust consumer social responsibility program. It’s a transparent way to show what the company supports not with their words, but with their actions and their finances.
By demonstrating goodwill and aligning a business’ values with that of their ideal customer, a well-designed consumer social responsibility program builds a loyal following. Of course, it’s not something to take advantage of. For cosmetic companies, not only do the products themselves need to be trustworthy to meet consumer expectations, the packaging is highly scrutinized, as well.
Step 4: Ensure that your packaging is as socially responsible as your product
Flexible packaging is lightweight and smaller. That means a lower carbon footprint over the life of the supply chain as it takes up less fuel and space along the as compared to other packaging methods. It’s also a ‘minimalist’ material; meaning it takes very little flexible packaging per product. When compared to glass or aluminum packaging, for example, flexible packaging uses no more than half the weight of its counterpart. In that way, less package means less greenhouse gas emissions. Most importantly, flexible packs are resealable and keep products fresh which helps to prevent waste. Of course, the desire to reduce waste has led to the next trend: refillable beauty products such as pouches. It must be both aesthetically appealing and functionally well-designed, as L’occitane has done for years.
Check out our website to learn more about sustainable options for your healthy and beauty products. If your design is ready to go or in the beginning stages - contact us today to get started and lead the pack!