Sustainability & Customization Drive the Personal Care Packaging Marketplace

You can’t judge a book by its cover. But you can decide on the merits of a personal care product by its packaging. Today’s shoppers evaluate a product’s aesthetic as a showcase for its contents and function. Sustainability efforts and value of sizing can also sway a sale when it comes to the exterior.

“Younger consumers are driving the growth in the direct-to-consumer beauty market; yet despite their spending power, they remain very price conscious. Creating limited edition products or offering top customers early access to new products, can help brands overcome price sensitivity in the beauty industry’s key demographic,” noted Clarissa Schealer, vice president of sales, beauty, wellness and lifestyle brands at market research firm ESW in Philadelphia. “The same 29% of younger shoppers that make purchases cross-border are also demanding clean ingredients and sustainable packaging.”

Schealer added that global beauty brands such as Tarte Cosmetics switched from plastic caps to sustainably-sourced bamboo caps and amorphous-polyethylene terephthalate (APET) plastic boxes that use post-consumer recycled plastic. Additionally, brands like ELF eliminated secondary packaging and inserts.

“These changes are even more impactful when brands sell globally,” said Schealer. “Knowing that glass bottles can be reused and recycled is important to shoppers.”  

David Luttenberger, global packaging director at Mintel, observed that economic uncertainty and the associated rising cost of goods forced consumers to rethink their budgets and discretionary spending.

“Across categories, brands are tapping messaging, technology and retail strategies to show consumers how packaging can stretch a budget,” he said. “Consumers will look to brands to help them overcome economic-induced stresses with products and packaging that mesh with purchasing abilities and reflect value without compromise. Offering packaging that represents financial value propositions—while not compromising quality, convenience, freshness, safety and environmental responsibility—will be a differentiator in 2023 and beyond.”

Packaging Trends
Post-pandemic consumers seek experimentation, social responsibility and value from brands sold in stores and online. According to Luttenberger in Mintel’s Global Packaging Trends report, package manufacturers must deliver “physical, emotional, visual, digital and environmental attributes that mesh with consumers changing lifestyles.”

“Packaging remains not only a constant but an integral part of the beauty consumer experience—whether through new eco-responsible structures and materials, 100% product evacuation dispensing systems, messaging about eco-attributes or messaging about a brand’s values,” he said. “Companies must create strategies that embrace next-generation package technologies to connect with consumers at retail, at home and in any/all channels they prefer.”

As for household care, the inward focus on one’s self and the planet has become intertwined with saving money in this particular space.

“That triad of forces has created new opportunities that will redefine the definitions of responsibility and value,” said Luttenberger. “Companies must invest in innovations that optimize such parameters as cube efficiency, weight reduction, materials management, extended shelf-life and end-of-life or second-life scenarios. The key to delivering the next generation of household care packaging will be simple design, convenient dispensing and an overt display of environmental and social responsibility.”

Inclusivity & Diversity

Brands prioritize inclusion and diversity in their marketing strategy to increase brand loyalty, found Kline in its Trends to Watch in 2023 report.

For example, Suave’s newest addition to its Suave Pink line is Suave Lush & Coily collection for natural hair. According to the company, the formulations were “co-created” by a community of more than 5,000 women with natural hair, who offered market insight on textured hair needs. The company partnered with Houston-based artist and influencer Ashley Price—also known as PinkLomein—to design the new bottle artwork.

According to the brand, “Ashley’s artwork reflects everyday people with a focus on sparking joy through empowerment and positive affirmations.”

The LVMH-owned skin care company Fresh recently collaborated with the Parsons School of Design in New York to create a limited-edition look for its popular Soy Face Cleanser. First created in 1999 and still a fan favorite, Soy Face Cleanser is ideal for all skin types, said the company.

This year, Parsons held a design contest within one of its courses in which students were able to submit an original design and concept for the opportunity to have their art featured on the Soy Face Cleanser bottle. Parsons student and former Fresh packaging design team intern Sammi Shen won for her original interpretation of the “vast blue sky and her fresh outlook.” 

According to Shen, “The beauty of clouds in our sky is one of the only things that can be universally understood, no matter your age, race, gender identity, no matter where you are across the globe, because ultimately, we are all under the same sky.”

Indie brands such as Atwater for men are seeing success in simplicity and an upscale touch for its packaging. The men’s grooming line is sold at prestige retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue.

“Skin care continues to be on the consumer’s mind even though the category has seen a slowdown in volume of sales for 2022 and makeup trending upwards,” noted Chris Salgardo, chief executive officer and founder of Atwater.

“As a result, consumers now lean into a simpler, more effective rituals versus a multi-step routine. Simplistic, yet chic and design-focused packaging is in style right now. At the same time, consumers are becoming more conscious about excess packaging and are more prone to invest in a brand that speaks to sustainability in their operations.”

Salgardo, a former president at Kiehl’s, spent his entire career in skin care and beauty, gaining insight into men’s grooming needs. The latest launch at Atwater is the Clean Impact AXD1 Body Scrub and Cleansing Bar.

Created in partnership with Ducati, this performance-driven bar effectively exfoliates, moisturizes and cleanses skin. Proceeds from the bar will be donated to RxART, an organization that helps children through the visual arts. 

Refillable Beauty Gains

In the prestige sector, Kline & Company found that conventional players are tapping into the refillable beauty movement with an increasing amount of refillable options for product replenishment.

For example, skin care brand Kiehl’s is amping up its sustainability efforts. Dedicated to generating less waste and reducing carbon emissions through the ingredients sourced and packaging produced, 98% of the brand’s formulas are made with at least three renewable ingredients and over 80% of the brand’s packaging is made with post-consumer recycled materials, said the L’Oréal-owned brand.

The brand also recently launched Refillery stations nationwide at its stores to encourage recycling and reduce waste. Customers are invited to participate in Kiehl’s Recycle & Be Reward Program to earn free products.
Additionally, top selling products such as Crème de Corps, Grapefruit Hand Soap, Amino Acid Shampoo and Conditioner and Grapefruit Body Wash are available in refillable pouches. Made with 81% less plastic packaging, these refillable pouches replace four plastic bottles to reduce the amount of single-use plastic.

At Estée Lauder, MAC Cosmetics is bringing back a new and improved Back-To-MAC Takeback Program. The packaging promotion promotes sustainability and value to loyal consumers. Last year alone, more than 340,000 pounds of empty MAC cosmetic containers were processed in the US. That’s the equivalent of 9,300,000 lipsticks, according to the company.

Created in 1990, Back-to-MAC was at the forefront of raising awareness and mindfulness when it comes to our impact on the planet. Thirty-two years later, recycling is an everyday practice and new technologies are available to brands that can significantly improve sustainability practices.

MAC Cosmetics made the choice to evolve Back-To-MAC and set the program on a renewed path for greater action and impact for change. The brand will announce  new initiatives to further support these efforts, including a $100,000 donation and a new recycling partner, according to the Estée Lauder Cos.’ unit.

According to Aïda Moudachirou-Rébois, senior vice president, global chief marketing officer at MAC Cosmetics, “Back-to-MAC has been around for 30-plus years and we have been finding new ways to improve the program. We shifted the free product incentive to investments that are making a real impact in reducing plastic waste.

“For example, we are excited to announce an initial donation of $100,000 to Plastics for Change – a trusted source of fair trade-verified recycled plastic – to enable the collection of over 550,000 pounds of plastic from coastal areas while supporting the livelihoods of the plastic collectors. We’re also partnering with Close the Loop in the US to recycle or recover as much of the packaging customers return to us as possible. These are just some ways that we are evolving our efforts for greater action and impact.” 

In the Close the Loop partnership in North America, the end-to-end solutions provider will process the empties returned back to MAC counters, stores and online from consumers to be recycled or manufactured into new products. Close the Loop will use its advanced recycling technology to recycle a high percentage of what’s returned, including materials that are typically not recyclable through municipal streams.  The remaining waste will be converted into energy via waste-to-energy technology, providing a zero waste to landfill solution. It is estimated up to 300,000-500,000 kilograms of cosmetics will be collected each year.

Sephora rolled out Beauty (Re)Purposed – its first nationwide empties collection program in partnership with Pact Collective. It debuted in all US and Canadian stores in May.

In collaboration with Pact, Sephora’s Beauty (Re)Purposed collection program will help reduce hard-to-recycle packaging waste in the industry, making this more accessible to all beauty consumers. For the past 15 years, the retailer has partnered with g2 revolution to divert 23.7 million pounds of returned, damaged, expired cosmetic product waste from landfills. 

According to Desta Raines, director of sustainability at Sephora, San Francisco, CA, “The launch of the Beauty (Re)Purposed program is an exciting step forward in Sephora’s commitment to leading the industry and offering more sustainable solutions for the communities we serve. And the reality is that discarding beauty packaging can be complex for many consumers. It was important for Sephora to find a partner like Pact who shares our values and, in collaboration, can help to educate our clients and the broader industry in making the process more accessible for all.”

TerraCycle is growing with more personal care collaborations. Its latest is with K-beauty brand Innisfree. The company recently announced a new way for its customers to care for both their skin and the planet in partnership with the international leader in innovative sustainability solutions. Through its Free Recycling Program, recyclers earn TerraCycle recycling rewards points with every shipment of empty skin care packaging. Points can be redeemed as a donation to the school, charity or non-profit of their choice.

Consumers can send in empty Innisfree skin care product packaging including jars, lids, tubes, lip balm cases and caps, and pumps to be recycled for free. Once collected via online signup, the packaging is cleaned and separated by material type. The fibers and plastics are then recycled into raw formats that manufacturers can use to make new products.

“Through the launch of this recycling program, Innisfree is making it easy for consumers to take care of their skin and the planet,” said TerraCycle CEO and Founder Tom Szaky. “Consumers are able to demonstrate their respect for the environment, not only through the products they choose to include in their daily beauty routine, but also by taking an active role in how the packaging is disposed.”

Sustainable Components

Besides consumer sustainability initiatives, green and recycled components are also paramount in packaging development right now.

For example, Olay North America, in collaboration with Walmart, recently rolled out its first-ever 100% recycled jars. 

“This collaboration between Olay and Walmart is further demonstration of our ongoing commitment to raise the bar in beauty to meet our customer’s expectations and reimagine products with our suppliers,” said Creighton Kiper, Walmart’s vice president of beauty.  “We appreciate the investment Olay is making to innovate and deliver proven, trusted product benefits now with more sustainable packaging alternatives.”  

Made available for the Olay Vitamin C + Peptide 24 Face Moisturizer and Olay Retinol24 + Peptide Night Face Moisturizer, the jars are made from 100% recycled materials from sources including Walmart facilities and are packaged in cartons made from pulp certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). The limited run jar is the latest in Olay’s test-and-learn approach to designing more sustainable packaging using 100% recycled materials that people love as much as the iconic jar. 

“We are ever aware of sustainability’s role in building products of irresistible superiority, and we’re excited to offer consumers the ability to shop the same great products they know and love, but now eco-friendlier,” said Stephanie Headley, senior vice president of Olay. “Olay is proud to collaborate with Walmart on this important product innovation. This new launch is yet another step in our shared commitment toward creating a cleaner future for the skin care and retail industries.”

The launch marks Olay commitment to responsible beauty and P&G’s ambition to achieve 100% recyclable or reusable packaging by 2030. The new 100% recycled jars are expected to save up to a total of 10,000 pounds of plastic consumer waste from entering landfills, exemplifying both companies’ aspirations to meet consumer demand for more sustainable options. 

At L’Oréal, as part of Earth Month, Garnier introduced its first-ever Micellar Cleansing Water in a limited edition 100% upcycled bottle in partnership with Loop Industries. It is available exclusively at Ulta in-store and online.

According to the company, the breakthrough technology transforms low-value waste to high-value polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic through upcycling while still providing the efficacy of the cleansing solution, said the company.

Loop collects “low-to-no-value” PET plastic and polyester fiber waste. The materials are broken down, purified and combined to create virgin-quality Loop PET resin. The Loop PET resin is then converted into this unique Loop bottle, which can then be recycled as other standard plastics.

Ralph Lauren Fragrances, a part of L’Oréal Group’s Luxe Division, is expanding its Polo Earth Collection with some sustainably-packaged options.

Alexandre Choueiri, global president of Ralph Lauren Fragrances, says, “Polo Earth marks an important milestone in our ongoing journey toward becoming more sustainable. To reach this level of sustainability in a fragrance, we had to push the boundaries by challenging our partners, our vendors and most importantly, ourselves. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished, and it’s just the beginning.” 

The fragrance bottle is made using 20% post-consumer recycled glass—and it is 30% lighter than Ralph Lauren’s conventional bottle. It is recyclable and refillable. The bottle is decorated with an FSC-certified paper label. The cap is made with FSC-certified wood. To further reduce plastic packaging, the brand eliminated cellophane wrapped cartons.

Consumers can purchase the new 150ml fragrance refill, which includes a thoughtfully designed black plastic cap, and a funnel. The cap helps prevent spills when refilling the bottle. 

Refilling the fragrance is easy for consumers who have the 100ml or 40ml size fragrance. They twist off the spray applicator; place the funnel on the bottle’s neck; aim the narrow spout from the refill bottle into the funnel; and fill. The bottles are designed with an auto-stop anti-spill system that will stop the refilling process when the bottle is full, to prevent wasting fragrance, according to the brand.

Indie company Sky Organics recently debuted a comprehensive rebrand, encompassing redesigned packaging with an elevated and sustainable new look, an updated website with a fresh, improved customer shopping experience, a creative social media campaign, and a suite of new product offerings.

Additionally, a new QR code leads to post-use recycling instructions and more product usage information. It has also transitioned its plastic bottles and jars to 100% post-consumer recycled material. That move will reduce its use of virgin plastics by 75% by 2026 and become carbon neutral by 2030. All paperboards are now FSC-certified, and a partnership with Pact provides a simple solution for recycling all hard-to-recycle components.

“We are very proud to relaunch Sky Organics with improvements across our look, feel, shopping experience and sustainability,” said company co-founder and chief sustainability officer Dean Neiger. “A lot of brands dabble in being clean and natural, but it’s very important to our team that we always strive to be certified organic, which we consider to be the purest form of natural, and that we work continuously to improve our sustainability.

In sustainable components, sugarcane packaging has emerged as a possible alternative to traditional petroleum-based plastics, according to Future Market Insights. The sugarcane packaging market is projected to reach $255 million by 2023 and $889 million by 2033, expanding at CAGR of 13.3% during the forecast period.

Given the increased need for sustainable and eco-friendly packaging options and numerous environmental concerns, the demand for sustainable packaging alternatives is expected to propel the sugarcane packaging market. The biodegradability of sugarcane packaging is one of its key features.

Sugarcane fibers and bioplastics made from sugarcane degrade naturally in the environment, decreasing trash in landfills and the oceans. Hence, it helps to minimize greenhouse gas emissions because sugarcane-based packaging decomposes slowly as compared to standard plastics. Sugarcane-based packaging can be used for food packaging, cosmetics and even electronics, according to experts.

Looking Ahead

Market research firm Technavio predicts the cosmetic packaging market will grow 11.71% between 2022 and 2027. Growth depends on several factors, including growing e-commerce and social media marketing, innovative packaging designs and rising cosmetic and personal care spending.

This year, cosmetic packaging usage is expanding, owing to growing demand of consumers and growing focus on aesthetics, according to Research and Markets in a recent report. An aging population is another factor driving growth.

Furthermore, improvement in the lifestyle of individuals and expanding disposable incomes led to imposing a positive impact factor on the growth of the market.

According to Research and Markets, packaging plays a “key role” in branding cosmetic products by increasing the aesthetic appeal of the product that attracts new customers, retain existing customers and add to its brand differentiation. Therefore, cosmetic companies should focus on “attractive, portable and effective packaging” that provides multifunctional properties to its customers to make a product standout in store or online.

After all, that is the ultimate goal for the marketer—to catch the consumer’s eye and make that sale. 

Mary Kay Receives Certification from Forest Stewardship Council Happi Top 50 leader Mary Kay Inc., a global advocate for corporate social responsibility and sustainability, is celebrating International Day of Forests by highlighting its recent certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). FSC is a global, not-for-profit organization that promotes responsible forest management worldwide by defining standards based on agreed principles for responsible forest stewardship that are supported by environmental, social and economic stakeholders. The FSC certification stands for sustainable sourcing that puts forests and people first and ensures products come from responsibly-managed forests. The certification applies to Mary Kay’s print and digital imaging centers located at its global corporate headquarters and regional distribution center located in North Texas. It also confirms Mary Kay’s commitment to supporting responsible forestry by using 100% FSC recycled materials or FSC mix paper sources for commercial printing, primarily for paper inserts for products exported globally. “We are proud of the progress in our sustainability journey,” said Deborah Gibbins, Mary Kay’s chief operating officer. “The FSC certificate is the result of many months of hard work, preparation, implementation of new protocols and training. This accomplishment highlights Mary Kay’s commitment to the environment and business excellence.” The beauty and global entrepreneurship company celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2023 by continuing its decades-long commitment to enriching lives around the world and reducing its impact on the environment. This year, Mary Kay also celebrates a 15-year partnership with the Arbor Day Foundation. Mary Kay and the Arbor Day Foundation’s partnership began in 2008. Highlights include a recycling program where a tree was planted in a forest of need for every old compact recycled. Thanks to a national recycling effort by independent beauty consultants and their customers, as well as the company’s employees, Mary Kay exceeded the collection goal of 200,000 old compacts.