The cosmetics sector has the luxury of being able to develop a loyal customer base that uses beauty products on a daily basis. Companies in the sector, therefore, benefit from exceptional development margins.

On the other hand, to attract the attention of consumers, you will have to redouble your efforts in order to stand out from the crowd. And to achieve this, you must pay particular attention to the packaging of your products.

Where are the cosmetics? In bathrooms, in toiletry kits, in purses. But also in supermarkets, specialized stores, and para pharmacies. Depending on the range chosen, you will benefit from multiple sales locations. But you won’t be alone. Nothing looks more like one lipstick than another. Only a few things differentiate them… And the packaging is probably one of the most important. Here is the guide to the successful packaging of your cosmetic products.

1. Cosmetic packaging: Consider From Your Product & Brand

Before embarking on the design of the packaging of your beauty products, you must focus on precisely defining:

• Your target audience,
• Your customers’ purchasing habits,
• Your brand personality.

Your design will obviously not be the same depending on whether you are addressing a woman, a man, teenagers, etc. So you need to determine your target audience, their expectations and what can catch their attention. Your brand image, your positioning and your target must be an integral part of the construction of your packaging. Everything will result: colors, typography, style of visuals (illustration or photos). You must also take into account the purchasing habits of your customers: online or in-store, in supermarkets or specialized stores… Your sales strategy will suffer, as will the visual of your packaging.

Just as important, you must define the personality of your brand (trendy or classic, high-end or low prices) Aspects of your brand identity are decisive in selecting the design elements to feature on your packaging. Never forget that at a glance, the consumer must be able to identify the level of range of your product, as well as the values and commitments of your brand.

2. Create the design of your cosmetic products

Once your positioning is perfectly defined, it’s time to move on to the graphic design of your packaging. Take the time to create the moodboard of your brand: the assembly of visuals, texts, colors, or even objects in accordance with the identity of your brand. A source of inspiration that will accompany you throughout your graphic project.

3. Work on the volumes and shapes of the packaging

In order to draw attention to your product, there is nothing like packaging with original shape and volumes. Simple or complex, geometric, rounded or square… Choose the shape that best reflects your values. The goal? Encourage the prospect to touch the product by arousing his sensory curiosity.

4. Original patterns

Originality is your watchword here, the mantra of your graphic project! Your colors and font should be unique, while accurately representing your brand. To stand out from your competitors, avoid for example the pallets of roses, already very present in the world of cosmetics.

Also bet on original patterns, composed of floral, geometric or abstract patterns… The goal is to highlight your product while being creative. The design of your cosmetic product must almost be able to make it a real decorative object.

5. Break the conventionalof cosmetic packaging

We said it a tube of lipstick, it’s still a tube. Inserted into a cardboard box, optionally, for in-store sale. In short, nothing very original to show off and attract interest, especially when you are a new brand. In recent years, new containers have appeared for the most classic products. This makes it very easy to stand out. It will be a somewhat kawaii packaging if you are targeting a young audience, a shampoo that will not be in a bottle but rather in a tube (or a solid shampoo). Opting for a presentation that is out of the ordinary, habits, it is a very easy way (with a little technique behind, nevertheless) to be noticed.

6. Differentiate the colors of your packaging from those existing on the shelves

When preparing your packaging, you should always study what is happening with the competition. This is an opportunity to see that most products, for example, use a white bottle with a label where only a few words are in color, and where appears the photo of a product used in the composition. There are clear trends that customers are used to following and acknowledging. Which doesn’t mean you have to do the same. How, indeed, can you stand out from the crowd if you are similar to others? A bottle of bright color will be easier to spot, another black will translate a more luxurious image … Think about the message you want to convey, your positioning, and be different. It can be the most beautiful way to exist and show that you are yourself.

7. Choose where to draw attention

What is the first piece of information you want to pass on to your future customers? That your products are natural, that they contain this ingredient, that they have been developed after years of research? If your brand name isn’t the most important element of your packaging, it may not be the place to look at first. Compose your packaging thinking about this: what will be the main message, both to capture the attention of the barge and to convince him to buy? Once you hold it, hinge your entire packaging around this element. It is a marketing strategy that will make you more effective.

8. Choose the packaging material

Capturing attention also involves the way the cosmetic product is packaged. This allows you to increase the visual impact of your design by accentuating its brightness. Glass, paper, plastic… The materials make it possible to play on the effects of transparency.

9. Mandatory information on the packaging

As part of your creative approach, you must not forget the imperatives of the European legislation that governs the cosmetics sector. The labelling of your packaging must therefore strictly meet the need for transparency due to your consumers. Among the mandatory information, your packaging must specify:

• The function of the product,
• The MDD (date of minimum durability before opening),
• DTP (retention period after opening),
• The content in grams (g) or millilitres (ml),
• The list of ingredients,
• Special precautions for use,
• The name and address of the legal guardian (manufacturer, importer or distributor),
• The batch number,
• The country of origin.

10. Nomadic skincare/cosmetic packaging

The vast majority of your customers are constantly on the go and are increasingly looking for products that are lightweight and easy to carry everywhere with them. Individual packaging is a response provided by the beauty sector to meet these movement constraints. The products are thus packaged in smaller formats. Hermetic cap, magnetic closures… Opening and closing the product should also offer as much practicality as possible.

More Tips

When it comes to cosmetics, there is still a particular element to which you will have to pay attention. Often, the product itself, already presented in a particular packaging, is inserted into another package for shelving. Both are equally important. You will therefore have a double job to do, but the same advice applies in both cases.

The current era also implies that you will probably have to think about the material used for your packaging, in order to show that you are also attentive to the beauty of the Earth. The important thing here is to stand out thanks to the design of your products which must pleasantly and clearly convey the values of your brand. Stand out, attract the eye, provoke the senses, your product becomes almost a decorative object.