LuxePack NY is only in New York City May 16 and 17 (yesterday and today) at Pier 92 on Manhattan’s west side. But, the show will open again in Los Angeles, California, in February of 2019.
In the meantime, here are 5 beauty packing truths that stood out at the New York show this week.
1 - Glassmakers have new opportunities in beauty
Glass, thanks to its recyclability and reusability, is an increasingly popular choice of niche luxury brands, particularly those specializing in natural skin care—which is why companies like Edwanex Glassworks of Poland chose to exhibit at LuxePack NY for the first time this year. Edwanex has been making premium glass (mostly for liquor brands) for over 40 years. Now the company sees potential for its stylish clear and amber bottles (available in short series) in the US beauty market.
2- Camera-ready packaging is a must
It’s common knowledge now that Instagram-ready people, products, and packaging get more online engagement. And brands and packagers collaborate regularly to make beauty, fragrance, and personal care excel in the digital world.
But now, the virtual reality of product packaging is just as important as the photographs are. So more and more beauty brands are working with tech and software from companies like IC3D out of Minneapolis, Minnesota. That company’s Creative Edge Software, on display at LuxePack, promises to produce “fast, accurate 3D digital prototypes and press-ready proofs” which work well for mobile commerce sites and can also be used in the design and development phase “[enabling] real-time visualization and validation throughout the design process from concept to production,” according to the IC3D site.
3 - Minis are having a moment
For beauty and personal care consumers today “it’s about quality in smaller quantities,” according to Jonathan Millen, vice president of business and technology, at Klocke Group (a Florida company that specializes in making and filling unit doses and sample sizes). Consumers, he tells Cosmetics Design, are looking for product that is “fresh, interactive, and [works well] on the go.”
4 - Creativity doesn’t come cheap
Even with all the creative packaging companies showing their latest solutions and showcasing their best sellers at LuxePack, it isn’t always easy to discover truly innovative work. Autajon; a New Jersey-based company that makes folding cartons, POS displays, and more for fragrance, cosmetics, skin care, and other industries; budgets carefully to support creativity and innovative design.
At LuxePack the company is highlighting its latest carton decoration technique, Le Metal en Fusion. LMF creates the look of stamping, embossing, and gloss coating all at once.
5 - Indie brand influence is everywhere
Many of the packaging makers Cosmetics Design spoke with at LuxePack on Wednesday brought up the topic of indie beauty. Companies like Aptar were quick to mention both an interest and a track record of working with emerging brands and startups in personal care, fragrance, and beauty.
Packagers are adapting to the needs of independent brands by offering smaller runs, keeping a larger variety of stock packing available, developing more affordable customization options, partnering with subscription boxes to help launch or promote new brands and products, etc. And established beauty brands are acting more indie lately too, increasing speed to market, mimicking the look of niche brands; and in doing so are helping offset packagers’ cost of meeting indie brand expectations.
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Deanna Utroske, CosmeticsDesign.com Editor, covers beauty business news in the Americas region and publishes the weekly Indie Beauty Profile column, showcasing the inspiring work of entrepreneurs and innovative brands.