The Cosmetics Industry is full of loads of makeup, skincare, and personal care products with each brand trying its best to launch the products that spellbound its target consumers. One of the most important factors that determines the success of any new brand or new product is its packaging.
People buy what they find attractive. Packaging insights shared by Meyers state that “72% of American consumers say that product packaging design influences their purchase decisions”.
Being the first thing that people notice about the product, packaging can make your brand flourish or become the reason for its downfall. So, VCPAK is here with a step-by-step guide on cosmetic packaging designs to ensure success in this article.
How Design Influences Purchase Decisions?
Custom cosmetic packaging design plays an important role in stimulating consumers to buy certain products. So, here is how design influences buying decisions.
1. Over 70% of Americans Say Packaging Design Influences Their Buying Decision
According to online research, Americans pay much attention to the design and material of the product packaging as 72% of Americans notice the design and 67% consider packaging material before buying any cosmetic product.
2. Majority of Customers Are Willing To Pay Premium Price for Sustainable Packaging Design
With the rise of awareness and campaigns about sustainability, people are even willing to pay a higher price for products packaging in eco-friendly custom cosmetic packaging.
McKinsey shared US survey insights as “4 to 7 percent of consumers are willing to pay a premium price well above 10 percent and most consumers prefer plant-based and compostable packaging”.
3. Connected Packaging is Becoming More Popular Among Consumers
Smart or connected packaging is one of the latest trends growing rapidly in cosmetics packaging. Currently, its value is around USD 25 billion and is expected to grow at a rate of CAGR of 4.5%. By 2033, connected cosmetic packaging is expected to value USD 38.3 billion as per future marketing insight reports.
Cosmetic Packaging Design Guide: From Idea to Execution
Follow these steps to design cosmetic packaging for your brand.
Step 1: Define Your Ideal Customer Profile/Target Market
Consumers of different ages, professions, and lifestyles have different preferences when it comes to buying makeup and skincare products. Also, their choices for cosmetic packaging differ.
Thus, it is important to know what your target market is and what they see in the product packaging. For example, older individuals want luxurious and classic product packaging while young consumers like colorful and cool product packaging.
Step 2: Define Your Cosmetics Brand Personality
After identifying your ideal consumers, the next step is to define your brand personality. Brand personality is who you are as a brand, what are your goals, and what image you want to portray.
It plays an important role in choosing the right type of packaging design and material. For example, sustainable packaging suits eco-friendly brands, premium packaging is for luxurious brands and economical packaging works well for low-budget brands.
Step 3: Define Your Cosmetics Brand’s Selling Channels
Selling channel options for a cosmetic brand include social media networks, online websites, stores, retailers, boutiques, or shopping malls. The choice of the cosmetic brand’s selling channels depends upon the choices of your target audience and the marketing strategy of your brand.
For example, if most of your target consumers buy products online, you can work through social media and websites. However, if they buy products after testing, physical stores are a better choice.
Step 4: Develop a Mood Board for Your Cosmetics Brand
Designing the product packaging for your brand is not a straight ride, it is more of a roller coaster. As the cosmetic packaging must stay consistent with your brand identity and be loved by your consumers at the same time, you have to consider various factors.
So, create a mood board for your cosmetic brand packaging. In the mood board, display the colors of your brand, the idea behind your brand, inspiration images for packaging, and other things that form your brand as a whole.
This mood board can help you make the best packaging design for your brand.
Step 5: Define Your Standard Brand Design Elements
Here are the elements for a standard brand design.
1. Brand Style
The personality of your brand is embodied in your brand style. Brand style can be,
- Minimalist
- Stylish
- Cool and colorful
- Luxurious and elegant
- Artists
- Natural and organic
Once you decide which style you want to follow, you can move forward with designing your brand packaging keeping that style in view.
2. Brand Colors
Decide one or two colors for your brand, the colors and shades that are unique to your brand and can help you market it to your target audience. These colors must,
- Go synergistically with your brand identity
- Go well with the trends in the market
- Make you stand out among other brands
- Attracts consumers
While deciding on a color, ensure that no other popular brand is using the same shade as its main color.
3. Brand Font
Brand fonts are equally important in conveying brand emotions and thus represent the brand. Here are some fonts and their uses in brands,
- Serif: It is the classic font used for elegant and sophisticated brands.
- Script: Script is the font of luxury and creativity.
- Sans-Serif: While serif is traditional, Sans-serif is a modern font used for contemporary brands.
- Bold Fonts: They go well with brands with a strong image.
4. Brand Logo
From the first impression about a beauty brand to its differentiation from its competitors, the brand logo is an essential part of the elements of the brand identity.
It helps your target audience remember your brand and even recognize it from a distance. A brand logo should be designed in consistency with the brand image.
5. Brand Tone
Brand tone is the way of communication of a brand with its consumers. It allows the consumers to perceive your brand image and helps your brand to show its emotions to the consumers.
Step 6: Collect Cosmetics Information for Product Labeling
In the modern days with an increase in awareness about ingredients used in cosmetics, every cosmetics user reads the labels of every product they want to buy.
Therefore, you have to display information that comprises the FDA-compliant labels on the cosmetic packaging. This information includes brand name, product name, ingredient list, manufacturing and expiration date, specific instructions, and warnings.
So, collect all the information that forms brand labels. Also, note that cosmetic packaging manufacturers can help you with it.
Step 7: Develop Your Physical Cosmetic Packaging Layers
In general, cosmetic packaging has these layers. Below are the details of these layers.
1. Outer Packaging
The outer packaging is the outermost package that is used to transfer your products from one place to another. In the case of online shopping and shipping, it is the flyer of the cosmetic package while in the case of shopping in the physical store, it is a shopping bag.
So, outer packaging becomes more alluring when it has the major elements of your brand on it.
2. Inner Packaging
The inner packaging of the cosmetics is actually the box present on the outside of your main product. It is the box in which the product is displayed on the shelves of the cosmetic stores.
Made of cardboard, this box has elements like the main color and logo of the brand.
3. Product Packaging
Lastly, comes the product packaging. There are a variety of types of product packaging like cosmetic jars, bottles, tubes, and containers. Product packaging is made of the following materials.
A. Glass
Glass product packaging serves as the gold standard in the cosmetic industry because of the following benefits of the material,
- It is inert and weather-resistant
- It provides a luxurious feel to cosmetics
- It is sustainable
B. Plastic
Plastic is the second most common choice as it is economical and easy to mold in different shapes. Several types of plastic like ABS, PP, PS, and PET are used. Depending upon the type of plastic used, it has the following benefits,
- It is compostable, recyclable, reusable, and thus sustainable
- It resists the action of acids, alkalis, and UV rays
- It is inexpensive
C. Metal
Lastly, metals like aluminum and stainless steel are used to make cosmetic containers because,
- It is sturdy and durable
- It can be recycled and reused
Step 8: Choose Cosmetic Packaging Type
The right type of cosmetic packaging helps in determining and improving consumer experience. So, here are the 5 types of cosmetic containers used in the beauty industry.
1. Cosmetic Bottles
Cosmetic bottles are used for housing products like shampoos, toners, conditioners, foundations, lotions, serums, and sunscreens.
A cosmetic bottle might be a solid or squeezable one and they come with multiple types of closures like flap tops, twist tops, and more.
2. Cosmetic Jars
Cosmetic jars are circular or rectangular cosmetic containers that are used to store beauty products of a thicker consistency. Such products include body lotions, face powders, creams, clays, scrubs, and facial masks.
3. Airless Pumps
Airless pumps are one of the most useful innovations in the cosmetic industry. These pumps ensure that there is no wastage of the products and can be used for almost any type of product in a semi-solid consistency.
4. Droppers
Dropper bottles are used for products in which a precise amount of product dispensing is important. Some examples are serums, lip tints, and foundations.
5. Sprayers
Lastly, spray closure mechanisms come with spray bottles. These are used for perfumes, mists, and toners.
Step 9: Identify Your Choice of Labeling Option
Here are the 6 types of cosmetic jar labeling used in the packaging industry.
1. Hot Stamping
Hot stamping is the application of a metallic print to cosmetic labels. Although a little expensive, these metallic prints give the cosmetic jars a luxurious appearance.
2. Foil Printing
In foil printing, the print is placed on a foil and this foil is applied to cosmetic containers. It appears similar to hot stamping but provides more protection to beauty products.
3. Silk Screening
In silk screening, the no-label label of the makeup and skincare products is directly imprinted on the container through a screen that imparts ink. It gives the container a matte finish.
4. Embossing/Debossing
In embossing/debossing, the pattern of the cosmetic design is created on the package. It is either a raised or a depressed surface which provides a tactile finish to the containers.
Thus, it works great for product packaging with artistic designs.
5. Laser Etching
Used mainly for glass jars, laser etching is a technique where the laser is used to create a label on the surface of a cosmetic bottle. It is one of the labeling methods for premium cosmetics.
6. Double-Sided/Water-Proof Labels
Double-sided/water-proof labels are stickers with all the information of an FDA-complaint label displayed on it. These stickers are attached to all sides of a cosmetic bottle.
Plain labels are made of paper while water-proof ones are made of material that resists the action of any liquid on it.
Step 10: Select Between Coating or Lamination
Lastly, the surface of the beauty product packaging is coated or laminated to provide an additional layer of protection to the products.
1. UV Gloss Coating/Matte Coating
UV coating comes in two types; gloss or matte. Here the chemical is matured under UV light. So, it is UV-resistant, relatively economical, and has a faster process.
2. Gloss/Matte Lamination
In lamination, a layer of lamination material is applied to the cosmetic containers. It might not be as visually appealing as UV coating, but it is more durable and long-lasting.
Choosing the Right Cosmetic Packaging Manufacturer for Developing Your Cosmetic Package Prototype
Creating the best cosmetic product packaging design is not a one-man job as it has multiple steps requiring the expertise of multiple professionals. So, it is important to choose the right team of professionals with the skills to make your cosmetic package prototype.
At VCPAK, we have diverse options of materials, cosmetic labelings, and designs. Thus, we can help you customize the perfect product packaging for your brand.
