From Concept To Creation: Lessons For Success With Cosmetic Packaging

The lifestyle industry has exploded in recent years. Worldwide alone, the beauty industry generates more than $100 billion. Eager customers are ready to purchase every cosmetic product imaginable from age-defying face creams to deluxe moisturisers and hair products with bamboo oils.

So if you are selling beauty products, there’s a target audience ready to buy. There’s just one problem. High demand means an even greater level of competition.

That’s why it’s important to ensure that you use every tool in your arsenal to ensure your cosmetic product stands out online and on shop shelves.

In this guide, we’ll explore everything that you should consider when designing your packaging. Win the sale, beat the competitor, and own the market.

Lesson 1 : Packaging Sells

If you’re still reading, you fit into one of two groups. Either you already sell or manage cosmetic products and are eager to gain a greater place on the market. Or, you are preparing to sell your first cosmetic product in a busy global industry.

Regardless, packaging is key here.

The right packaging will guarantee you:

• Captivate your customers 

• Elevate your brand 

• Poach from competitors 

• Gain positive reactions 

Remember, customers want a simple buying process. They don’t want to spend hours searching through lists of products. The easier you make it for them, the more likely you are to secure a sale. Similarly, they don’t want to have to compare countless brands every time they shop. They’re looking for one they love so they can latch on it, buying it again and again. 

More than anything else, customers are creatures of habit. That’s why it’s easier and more cost effective to keep an existing customer buying instead of trying to win over a new one. 

But before you can rely on a loyal customer base, you need to win that first sale. This is all about the packaging.

Lesson 2: People Do Judge A Book By It’s Cover

As much as people would like to believe they look beyond a first glance, the evidence doesn’t support this:

• Recruitment agencies will only spend sixty seconds on each CV
• Employers will know whether they want you on your team in five minutes
• Customers will decide whether to buy based on your packaging

This is why it’s important to understand packaging trends, recognise key features and explore more innovative possibilities.

You could have a great product. You could have a skin cream that makes a person in their sixties look forty. It won’t matter unless your packaging sends the right message. 

Lesson 3: Can’t Win ‘Em All

There’s no product that is truly universal. There will always be customers who will never buy your product, no matter how much you try and win them over.

This might be because it doesn’t match their personality, their appearance or their budget. Let’s look at an example in the world of cosmetics.

You might be selling a brilliant moisturiser which - despite its benefits - is quite thick and heavy. If that’s the case, then it’s not going to appeal to people with acne because it will clog up their pores, leading to breakouts. It will appeal to people who don’t have oily skin so this is part of the audience persona for that specific product.

Once you understand who your target audience is, you can create a package that appeals to them specifically. Are you selling wrinkle cream for women over 50? If so, your product needs to be easy to open and highly accessible as 43% of adults over 65 have at least one disability. 

Even design details such as colour, shape, or texture can make your product more appealing to certain customers and less appealing to others.

Lesson 4: Originality Is Overrated

If you work in marketing or design, the desire to create something 100% original is often overwhelming. However, it could also be counterproductive.

Research the market and you’ll see that a lot of beauty products have a similar aesthetic. There’s a reason for this. It works. Beauty products are white or light colours because it suggests hygiene, cleanliness, and the future. Luxury products come in black packaging because that shade is tied to ideas of elegance and high quality.

So, you could create beauty packaging that is completely fresh, new, and exciting. But it still might not win over your customer base. While customers claim they want fresh ideas, they crave the familiar. For this reason, breaking too far away from design norms is always going to be risky and it may not pay off.

There’s a balancing act here. Use little details like font, imagery, and shape to stand out while still keeping other features so customers don’t think your product has been placed on the wrong shelf.

Lesson 5: Location, Location, Location

Lesson 3 was all about understanding your target audience. This includes their buying habits like where they are most likely to shop for your products.

They could be shopping for your products: 

• On your website

• In the supermarket 

• In boutique beauty shops 

Each choice will lead to new decisions with your packaging design. If you’re selling online, you need your packaging to look great in photos and videos, splashed across your site. If it’s the supermarket, then a design with a tactile appeal would be a significant advantage. Or, if you’re selling in small boutiques, then it’s all about the personality and the personal message. 

Lesson 6: Define Who You Are 

We know you don’t want to hear this but the difference between your product and the offering of your main competitor is probably…not significant. After all, there’s a finite number of ingredients in the world you can use to make beauty products. With that in mind, customers probably aren’t purchasing from you because your product has that specifical X factor. 

Instead, it’s likely because they like your brand, who you are, and your messaging. If you’re a seasoned pro, you probably already have a clear brand message. On the other hand, if you’re just starting out, this could be a trickier task.

Are you:

• Ecoconscious?

• Animal friendly?

• Ultra innovative?

• Authentically luxurious?

• Instaworthy?

Once you decide who you are, you can use this to shape your product packaging. Tell a story with everything from your messaging to the design scheme. This is key to creating a package that converts. 

Lesson 7: Some Truths Are Greater Than Others 

This is a tricky concept. From a young age children are taught that the truth is absolute. However, in the world of marketing things are a little different. 

There’s the truth of your brand. This is the message probably plastered on the homepage of your website and your About page such as:

THE FOUNDATION OF YOUTH IS HERE 

Or 

“We started our business to change the world and help everyone bring their inner beauty to the surface. Since then we have grown tremendously gaining a wonderful group of clients who trust and adore our makeup. We focus on only using natural ingredients in our cosmetics because we believe…”

This could all be true but it’s not as powerful as the social truth. This is the story told by your customers and clients: 

“Amazing, I saw the results after just 1 day!”

Or 

“OMG this face cream is incredible.” 

Customers trust this truth more than the word of your marketing team. That’s why 80% of customers will search for reviews before they commit to a product online. 

So, how can you use this to strengthen the brand power of your cosmetic packaging? 

First, if you are using a review platform like Trustpilot or Feefo, you could place a trust badge somewhere on your packaging. Or, you could even use a quote from a customer as part of your messaging. 

Don’t forget, beautiful packaging will also ensure that your product attracts influencers. In the world of cosmetics, there’s no greater truth than the word of someone who has millions of followers on Instagram, 

Lesson 8: High Quality Is Key To Everything

Finally, your design won’t be worth anything if the quality standards are not there. If your packaging leaks, is difficult to open, or has wasted space, customers will quickly question whether there’s a better alternative. Again, it doesn’t matter how great the product is. Poor packaging leads to worse reviews which results in a lost sale. That’s why you need to purchase boxes or containers that tick all the boxes for style and practicality. 

With all this kept firmly in mind, it looks like you’re ready to take the beauty industry by storm with the perfect packaging for your product. 

Remember, the first step is choosing the right tin, bottle or tube itself. If you need help or you want to explore a quote for a bespoke packaging order, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team. They’ll be delighted to assist you further. 

Make sure you also check out part 2 of our cosmetic packaging guide this month: 

The Key Elements For Great Cosmetic Packaging Design