Innovation in glass packaging to help bolster fragrance sales
be decisive factors in the future growth of the cosmetics sector,
claims German packaging company the Gerresheimer Group. Tom
Armitage reports.
It predicts that leading fragrance and cosmetics manufacturers will increasingly turn towards innovative packaging solutions to help their products establish a unique brand identity in the heavily consolidated cosmetics sector.
According to Burkhard Lingenberg, director of marketing and communication for Gerresheimer, "with a uniform look you do not convince anyone in the long-term".
"Critical consumers want to see and feel the special character of the product and its quality claim," he added.
Gerresheimer and other packaging companies will be hoping to convince cosmetics companies of the advantages of their innovative designs at the Luxe Pack cosmetics packaging trade fair in Mexico this week.
Gerresheimer, and a number of its subsidiary companies, will present a raft of cosmetics packaging solutions - including perfume flacons, cream pots, deodorant, and nail-varnish containers, which it claims will "determine the direction of glass design in 2004".
Attention, however, will not just be focused on the aesthetic appeal of glass packaging - a number of unconventional functional techniques in the cosmetics packaging sector will also be on display.
One such product includes the Gerresheimer glass collection for Nivea Beauté's "Flex and Strong with Bamboo" nail varnish brand, of which its base is shaped like a magnifying glass to allow consumers to be able to use the product to the last drop. "As this example shows, design refinements can significantly enhance the utility value," commented Lingenberg.
Despite being faced with increasing competition from cheaper and more versatile plastic alternatives, glass has long been favoured by the cosmetics industry for its functional properties in the cosmetics packaging sector. For instance, its inert chemical composition ensures no reaction of the contents - such as the transfer of odours - and factors such as weight, smoothness and gloss also give the product a high-value cachet.
Technical advances in the packaging sector are also creating infinite possibilities for packaging manufacturers, say Gerresheimer, and lower raw material costs, together with higher quality materials, are helping to improve the durability of many glass packaging solutions.
