Abstract

The primary aim of packaging is the protection of the product from all hazards it can be exposed to during transport and handling. A cosmetic package, in addition, is also required to be attractive and unique in its features so to trigger “impulse buying” in the end user. Traditionally, not much importance has ever been given to packaging design, but changes in consumer’s preferences have led to setting a new rule of thumb in cosmetic packaging: “The product should sell on sight”. Increased competition and drawbacks of conventional cosmetic jars lead to the advent of plastic tubes or airless dispensers for skin care products. Typical bottles of nail lacquer paved the way for multiple packs and nail polish pens. Innovative, eco-friendly trends were able to reduce packaging waste and at the same time satisfy the emotional needs of customers. Among the complexities of formulation and testing, packaging has a very important role to play since it needs to meet the ever-changing design trends targeting consumer taste.

INTRODUCTION

Cosmetics are all about good looks, and that goes for their packaging too. The packaging of a cosmetic product is of utmost significance since it is one of the factors that influence the consumer’s decision in buying a product. Not only it keeps a product well protected, it also plays a major role in marketing that product to the consumer. In the cosmetic industry, it is essential to keep up with current trends to maintain a competitive edge. Many cosmetic product-packaging trends are straying from the high-tech, futuristic look of past years and moving more towards a simple, natural and approachable sensibility (1). As people have become more and more conscious about their looks, the consumer’s average expenditure for personal care products has risen dramatically to levels we now consider quite normal. With people being increasingly demanding over their looks, cosmetic manufacturers have come up with a vast array of products ranging from facial cleansers, fairness creams, shampoos, shaving foams, hair sprays, shower gels, moisturizers, conditioners, lotions, perfumes, deodorants, lipsticks, makeup to skincare products. A typical pattern ...