Picture courtesy of Premium Beauty News

Insight by Leah

It’s clear that since the economic downturn, fragrance sales have taken a nose dive.  Combined with the fact that the market is saturated with new fragrance launches every week, this sector is in desperate need of some help – and soon.  As consumers decide either to not purchase or to stick with dependable classics, marketers are scrambling to determine what appeals to consumers – and the answer is packaging and even storytelling.  One of the more successful recent fragrance launches was Coty’s Harajuku Lovers line (obviously the packaging influence came from Gwen Stefani who partnered with Coty for this fragrance).  Consumers loved the mini-dolls that each came with their own "personalities" and distinctive scent, and Coty offered the option of purchasing each doll separately, or in a collectible five-pack.  Coty is re-launching the line again this winter with a twist – each girl will be bundled up for the cold weather.  Coty has even suggested that at some point consumers may be able to order wardrobe changes for their fragrance dolls.  Coty combined unusual and even risky packaging with a great, personalized story, and also created a special website for the launch and as an ongoing way to engage consumers (http://www.hlfragrance.com/).  The site includes videos and music for each girl inspired by Stefani.  In a stale and crowded market, Harajuku Lovers engaged and inspired consumers.

Check out the girls in their winter gear!

Insight by Andrea

Product developers are always asked to look at other industries for inspiration. Most products are a variation sur le même thème presented in stock packaging (mostly because tooling costs are prohibitive for most small and medium companies). So we have mostly relied in larger companies to lead the way in breaking the rules and it seems that L’Oreal is about to change the way foundation (and potentially other make up) will be applied by future generations. We have been painting houses with rollers forever, how didn’t anyone do it before? The new Roll’on Accord Parfait compact foundation is the latest innovation by L’Oreal and Alcan featuring a mini roller of 10 mm. According to Premiumbeautynews.com the roller "can just take the right amount of product and apply it in a perfectly uniform way, creating what specialists call a flawless effect with no overloading." Michel Limongi, creative director for Alcan Packaging Beauty, was the mastermind behind the custom made tool that is a perfect complement to the formula. Below is the ad created for the UK  market (seems to have launched there already) and the behind the scenes version with Eva Longoria and Evangeline Lilly. The product was launched is slated for a global launch but we were unableto locate dates for the US debut.

UK ad:

Behind the Scenes:

Insight by Andrea

Yon Woo is well known in the cosmetics industry for its airless packaging. This year they introduced a new concept of refillable packaging to HBA. Daniel Cha, explained that companies can now offer a high end packaging that can be easily refilled by replacing the inside of the container.  Bottles are easy to open and have a medical look and feel. This is a great option for skincare brands. One may think that high end and refill don’t go together, this is a great alternative for technology driven brands that want to avoid packaging waste.

Shared by Andrea

There has been several attempts to leverage scents as a marketing tool but finally a company found a way to integrate it in a practical way. Transparent Packaging launched a "multi-sensorial" packaging that releases the scent of a product when customers rub the surface of the package. Great innovation and this may be the beginning of what I would call "interactive cosmetic packaging".

Cosmetics Design Europe Excerpt:

This latest innovation from Transparent Packaging aims to bring the smell of products out of the packaging without resorting to unsightly ’scratch and sniff stickers’. Read the complete article here.

Insight by Leah

Although many beauty brands have recently followed mass retailers’ lead in sales strategies, Guerlain has stayed consistent to its luxury clientele – in pricing, product offering and brand positioning. It remains to be seen if this approach, a clear attempt to stay faithful to its luxury roots, works in a recessionary economy.  Guerlain does deserve kudos for this recent lipstick release, Rouge G de Guerlain, in an amazing white gold plated case – it represents both an interesting packaging concept and a high-class appeal.  We are still waiting to see if Guerlain’s efforts pay off, or if its luxury clientele has abandoned the brand.

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beautybuzzed: Guerlain Rouge G de Guerlain: http://bit.ly/Nxxos