The role of the fragrance bottle is more than utilitarian. A great fragrance bottle “should tempt the eye and hand, even before you smell the perfume,” according to internationally recognized perfume bottle specialist Ken Leach.

According to Leach, three basic shapes—square/rectangular forms, round/oval forms and the amphora shaped like a woman’s hips—have great eye appeal and have been repeated for centuries.

Although the basic forms have remained stable over the years, he insists that modern advancements in production and dispensing systems have impacted fragrance packaging and design.

“From the late 1800s, plain pharmaceutical bottles were dressed in fancy labels and bows to set them apart from one perfumer to another. The 1910s and 1920s saw a surge of unusual shapes and imaginative packaging from glassmakers like Lalique and Baccarat. The 1960s saw the invention of a plastic plug that meant an end to hand grinding each stopper to fit each bottle. This allowed mass production and a general decline in imagination.”

Today, Leach continued, “designers hands are tied working with tight production budgets…”

While it remains to be seen if they will become as sought after as some of the rare bottles auctioned off at a recent auction he organized (see sidebar below), Leach admires the imagination seen in modern bottles created by Dior, Versace, Thierry Mugler, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Marc Jacobs.

Jacob’s Daisy Dream flacon, in fact, just garnered accolades at the 2015 Fragrance Foundation Awards in June. Independent fragrance house Kilian took top honors in packaging for the men’s sector with Intoxicated.

An award-winning—or at the very least, eye-catching—bottle is a critical step in the process of releasing a new scent in today’s competitive marketplace—and partnering with a great designer and packaging company can increase the odds that consumers will be enticed.

“Visual differentiation is one of the key drivers in the fragrance category. This is a trend that communicates the style of a brand and strengthens product positioning with unique packaging. Consumers, online and in stores, are met with the image and character of a fragrance before the bottle is even tapped,” noted Julianna Keklik, marketing manager for North American beauty at Aptar.

More fragrances are offering a luxury look and feel with customization, “but something as simple as colorizing the dip tube is enough to set a brand apart from other fragrances,” Keklik insisted, pointing to Nautica Life Energy, which rolled out just last month. It is a “great example of adding a custom colorized dip tube to enhance brand image on the shelf.”

According to Mike Warford of ABA Packaging Corp., which represents Heinz Glass and its line of stock fragrance bottles produced both in Germany and Poland, there’s a move toward using stock bottle designs with a focus on decorative technique for branding purposes.

“As we carry, and in many cases stock, a large number of high quality fragrance bottle designs, we continue to be a go-to source for them. Our ability to provide decorating, including some of the most cutting edge techniques, help us to support these inquiries,” he said.

Fragrances in luxury aluminum crimp neck and threaded neck bottles are also on the rise.

“This practice is much more advanced in Europe and we are working with Envases in Spain to promote their aluminum bottle products exclusively here in the USA for this market. Their ability to highly decorate their aluminum bottles, inclusive of hot stamping, is helping us to promote this concept,” added Warford.

Even the fragrance’s name can influence bottle design, noted Darryl Do of Delbia Do Company, which offers turnkey manufacturing.

 “When we do a turnkey project, the customer usually gives direction on the components they want us to put together, color scheme with art. This helps give direction on bottles, as the name needs to fit on the front. For short names, or one word, we can go with a round bottle. The longer the name, we suggest a flat front so it all fits and the brand is reflected clearly.”

Glass purveyor SGD has identified the “mixologist” trend, in which blurred lines between beauty and technology are becoming increasingly common with overlaps between fragrance, skin care, hair care and color cosmetics.

“The brands take inspiration from completely different categories to create new products and marketing messages. This trend creates more opportunities for personalization,” noted Sheherazade Chamlou, vice president, sales and marketing/perfumery division, SGD North America.

There’s also been a focus on “clean design interpretations which value simplicity and heavy glass weight, as well as complex shapes with extravagant decorations that refer to luxury and opulence.”

To that end, Chamlou pointed to I am Juicy Couture by Elizabeth Arden, which SGD produced. It has a classic decanter shape with heavy glass weight that presents a sophisticated and modern silhouette.

Sensorial aspects can also help communicate a brand’s DNA, according to Chamlou. For Narciso, the latest launch from designer Narciso Rodriquez, the brand’s identity and fashion collections are reflected in several ways, including the use of SGD’s patented “Color’in” technology, which keeps the fragrance secret from the eyes of the consumer.

“The inside decoration of the bottle has been an exclusive design of the brand since day one and the white inside color matches the Narciso Rodriquez fashion wardrobe,” said Chamlou.

For fashion designers like Rodriquez, the elements of a fragrance bottle and box are as critical as the lines and fabric featured in their clothing collections.

Take Joseph Abboud, for example, who as chief creative director of Men’s Wearhouse, Inc. has rolled out an eponymous fragrance sold exclusively at Men’s Wearhouse and Joseph Abboud stores.

“Our packaging is very emblematic of a guy with style… herringbone on the front in a beautiful matte textured paper, plaid on the top and on the side my signature that makes it really personalized and shows it is something I really believe in,” he told Happi.

Yet another way brands can set themselves apart in the fragrance category is by offering alternative gestures, according to executives at Aptar. For example, the company has focused in on the visual appeal of its Eternelle bulb atomizer by offering new decorating techniques that provide diverse graphic textile and custom printed design possibilities. 

“If you think about it, it’s not just the look and feel of the package that communicates luxury,” said Keklik. “It’s this type of fragrance choreography that occurs from the moment the bottle is picked up through the application of the perfume. The end experience leaves the consumer with a heightened feeling of luxury and femininity.”

First Impressions
To meet the needs of clients, packaging experts are constantly pushing the limits of glass design and decoration by developing new techniques and expanding their capabilities.

SGD, for example, has developed a new 3D engraving of ultra-fine patterns. Using this technique, SGD has recreated the delicacy of fine lace and imitated goldsmithing of fine jewelry, and it can also invent new textures, according to executives.  
No matter what technique is employed, the goal is to entice a consumer who is likely to encounter a new fragrance away from, well, the counter.

Said Chamlou, “Fragrance is a beauty category that has unique packaging needs and brand communication is more important than ever as the consumer becomes better educated through digital communication and e-commerce.”