Can limited-edition packaging work for indie personal care brands?

19-Feb-2019 - Last updated on 19-Feb-2019 at 15:47 GMT

photo courtesy of OLIKA

OLIKA believes it can. The design-driven consumer goods brand launched 2 years ago and still has essentially one product: hand sanitizer. In late January, OLIKA debuted the first of its Rare Bird Collection, a limited-edition series of OLIKA’s popular bird-shaped dispensers. Cosmetics Design checked in with brand founder Jessica Postiglione to learn more.

Fast-paced beauty trends and competitive innovation often define the industry and leave everyone asking, What’s new? What’s next? In this environment its notable that OLIKA is being so methodical about product development.

“At OLIKA, we do everything differently,” acknowledges Jessica Postiglione, the brand’s founder and CEO, in an exchange with Cosmetics Design.

“From the beginning, we’ve held ourselves to an incredibly high standard in design and innovation. For example, we bypassed off-the-shelf stock bottles in exchange for custom-designed products, which require additional time and thought in the design and the manufacturing process. With every launch, we look to elevate the product and the overall experience of hand sanitizing in our unique OLIKA way,” says Postiglione.

Bird branding

OLIKA makes hand sanitizer in stand-up bottles with a birdlike silhouette. They come in 2 sizes, the taller of which is known as Birdie (and has wipes hidden inside as well as the sanitizer spray), the smaller is Minnie. Bridie comes in 3 colors: robin’s egg, charcoal, and eggshell. Minnie comes in 4 colors: the same 3 as Birdie as well as a purple shade called thistle.

And for now, Minnie is also available in a limited edition pink color, called pink marshmallow. “As a design-forward brand, palette selection is a lengthy and deliberate process,” explains Postiglione.

“Pink Marshmallow is the direct result of customer demand as Birdie Nation has been very vocal on social media with requests to add their favorite color to our bird line up. While some hues looked wonderful as a Pantone chip, some colors do not translate as a physical sample. The limited edition collection allows us to fulfill customer need and stay true to our design aesthetic.”

Bird watching

Beauty consumers are known for their passion and preferences when it comes to packaging. And the brand seems to be encouraging collectability, offering a range of product bundles.

“Our birds are highly collectible and our most popular product is the Minnie Girl Group, which features a Minnie in every color,” Postiglione tells Cosmetics Design. “Our consumers love adopting a complete flock!

“Over the holidays,” she says, “we went out of stock of our robin’s egg and fielded a number of emails and social media messages from customers desperate to complete their set. Each bird contains the same sanitizing liquid so the color was driving their decision on which bird to adopt.”

Cosmetics Design did ask, What’s new? What’s next? But Postiglione (in keeping with her deliberate approach to the business) would only say that, “pink marshmallow is the first in the Rare Bird Collection. Stay tuned for more rare birds.”

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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.