The Aesthetics of Cosmetic Packaging

The cosmetic and beauty industry has boomed in recent years. According to statistics, the beauty industry generated approximately £28.4 billion in 2018 for the UK economy. It is incredibly important for cosmetic packaging to be aesthetically pleasing as well as meet expectations of quality. There are some horrible sides to the story, which makes it even more important to invest in quality packaging. A recent survey report by We-Pack discovered that about a quarter of respondents use expired products until they run out, and 16% of people didn’t even know cosmetics have expiry dates. Many deceitful brands do not add expiry dates to their cosmetic boxes UK to enhance the usability of the products. This can lead consumers to use expired or ineffective products.

Therefore, cosmetic packaging has many intricate details to take care of. It should protect the products from external factors, exposure to oxygen and light. Moreover, it should clearly display expiry dates. Having the necessary information on the packaging requirement can save your brand from legal issues and face recalls and legal issues. In this era of ‘cancel culture’, businesses can’t afford to take the risk on their reputation and losing out to their competitors. Therefore, to avoid such issues, let’s have a little insight on the packaging requirements in detail.

Are There Any Mandatory Labelling Requirements For Cosmetic Boxes?

Sometimes products that are past their shelf-life only lose effectiveness and quality. Moreover, in some cases, they can lead to serious issues such as bacterial infection and skin irritation. However, the government should make all those cosmetic brands and companies vulnerable to litigation risks that sell products without clearly stating the expiry dates.

Here are some guidelines for the labelling of the cosmetic products according to Article 19 of the EU Cosmetic Regulation. According to it, a cosmetic product must display:

• Address and name of the EU Responsible Person
• The products made outside of the EU must display the country of the origin
• Size
• Expiry or best before date or period after opening (when applicable)
• Precautionary and warning statements
• Batch code
• Uses and functions of the product
• Ingredients list breakdown

Research indicates that almost 17% of the consumers straight away throw the expired cosmetic products. So, it’s important to display a product’s lifespan on its packaging. The alluring and attractive packaging designs can draw the attention of the customers, but damage to the quality of the product can be detrimental to a brand’s reputation and sales. Therefore, it’s important to maintain the packaging aesthetics for creating a successful business. 

What Regulations Should You Follow?

If you are a cosmetic brand, you should follow the EU Cosmetic Regulation to ensure product safety. Cosmetic product safety has two parts. 

Product Safety Information

This part covers the test data and product information and test data. It includes knowledge of impurities and traces in the product. Moreover, it also has information on the chemical/physical characteristics and qualitative or quantitative composition and product stability.

Cosmetic Product Safety Assessment

This test includes an expert opinion about product safety. For this purpose, thorough documentation is required to complete the product safety report. For instance, stability tests data manufacturing process details and raw material safety data sheets. Moreover, it ensures that cosmetic products are packed in a hygienic environment. In addition, the manufacturing facility should be regularly cleaned to avoid cross-contamination.

Security Features in Cosmetics Packaging

The counterfeiting of cosmetics products, particularly at the luxury and higher-end segments of the market, has become a significant issue, especially for well-known brands. If you want to protect your company from product counterfeiting it’s important to add unique features in your packaging. Counterfeiting is an Intellectual Property (IP) crime, which is a deliberate attempt made by businesses by copying well-known trades to deceive consumers. Such products look like those made by an original manufacturer, but in fact, these are inferior illegal copies. Moreover, it can have a serious impact on the safety and health of the consumers.

Packaging plays an important role in preventing the counterfeit of products, thus preventing your brand from economic damage. This way, you can also protect the health of your customers. Let’s have a look at the methods that are adopted to prevent counterfeiting.

•  Hologram
• Color shifting ink
• RFID
• Ultra-violet fluorescent ink
• Thermal reactive ink

Can The Environment Damage Cosmetics?

Your packaging must protect the products from environmental factors that can destroy the nature of the cosmetic products. While shipping cosmetics to their final destination, you must store them in suitable environments to avoid diminishing their quality. Contract packing firms can usually store products in a secure on-site facility. Some cosmetic products, such as perfumes can quickly degrade upon exposure to direct sunlight. This can affect the product’s colour and smell. Moreover, excessive heat can change the texture of some cosmetic products such as nail varnish, making it unusable.

Therefore, it’s is better to store cosmetics at room temperature and away from light exposure. Moreover, the temperature can also damage the product packaging, especially in the case of plastic bottles. Plastic bottles release harmful chemicals like BPA and dioxin that can cause cancer. That is why it’s always better to store cosmetic products in cardboard boxes and glass jars. Such safe packaging will enhance the market value of your brand and product and will also make it successful. Moreover, products containing sensitive ingredients such as vitamins and antioxidants can degrade quickly when exposed to light and air; therefore, they must be stored in airtight containers.

Conclusion

In short, custom cosmetic packaging plays a vital role in making your personal care and cosmetic products stand out from the crowd and seduce the consumer. The quality and design of the packaged products often play a vital role in creating the first impression of a product and its brand on the consumers. In addition, it adds to the overall value of the product, thus contributing to the purchasing decision of the consumer.