Package Design | packagedesignmag.com

(May 2011) posted on Thu Jun 02, 2011

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For many young women, it’s all about “the look.” They see their favorite starlet on the red carpet and they want to know how they can create the same makeup effects on themselves. And on television, makeover shows and entertainment news features make it seem so easy.
The proliferation of cosmetics kits with all kinds of bonus features, surprises, and instruction booklets aims to meet that demand. And on-shelf strategies and promotional demands from retailers such as Sephora are fueling the fire.
Sephora forged its reputation by building up young brands and licensing exclusive third-party brands. Catherine Chen, packaging development manager at Sephora, says that cosmetics kits have been integral to the whole Sephora experience, where picking up and testing out products is commonplace and sales staffs are not commission-based. “We were definitely committed to kits from the start,” she says, “but we weren’t really sure how big the trend could get.”
Scott Oshry, executive v.p. of branding and design at cosmetics packaging company Maesa Packaging, with offices in France and New York City, explains that kits are a tried and true form for retailers because consumers think they’re getting a deal—and they often are. “Kits are usually a better value for the money,” Oshry explains. “We’ve definitely seen an uptick, and often the bigger the cosmetics collection, the better.”
Kits offer the promise of creating complete looks from one package, and brand owners value the opportunity to flaunt a proprietary line. “It really allows the brand to hyper-elevate,” Oshry says.
As styles and makeup trends change from year to year, so does the opportunity to create and sell new kits. Chen points out that Sephora customers might not always be the most brand loyal, so frequent introductions of unique packaging is elemental to gaining shopper attention. What also appeals to consumers are “how-to” cards with tips, tricks, and suggestions for achieving the look. “They’re looking for an experience and value,” Chen says.
Though demand from Sephora has driven much of the category’s expansion, cosmetics brand owners also saw opportunity to widen their product lines while distinguishing their brands from the rest. Nick Gardner, executive v.p. at HCT Packaging, a global cosmetics packaging manufacturing and design company based in London, believes the trend got a kick-start when companies like HCT began offering upstart brands different media, materials, and structures to work with. “Kits allowed designers to show creativity and not be defined by material,” says Gardner.
HCT often provides injection-molded plastic packaging for cost-effective, brand-specific products and even couture products. “Mid-market brands are always looking for innovation and new ways of packaging things,” says Gardner, “and the end customer is looking for a little bit of luxury reward.”
He says that special-edition cosmetic kits are an easy way for cosmetics brands to express their individuality. It’s easy to mix materials, combining metal sections in paperboard shells, adding textures for tactile and visual effect, and incorporating fun elements.
Nathan Pence, v.p. of creative at Bare Escentuals, believes that what sparked the growth of the kit category was consumers finding value in the packages that seemed to be created with them in mind. Bare Escentuals sees great opportunities in educating its customers in attaining the look they want, but the kits are also for telling stories. Education starts with in-store displays and continues with engaging makeup tips and personal notes inside. For one line of Bare Escentuals’ Buxom kits, fictional stories were started within the packages, but customers had to go online to find out how the stories ended.
George Filippidis, president of ARES Printing & Packaging, Brooklyn, NY, says that the book form, with a “fifth” panel on the front, offers several advantages. An extra opening panel makes the kit more “gifty,” and wells inside can expand like a map unfolding. “The end user feels like they’re getting something extra,” says Filippidis. In his view, Aveda Origins packaging was a game-changer for personal care and cosmetics packaging when they committed to more sustainable materials: Now consumers don’t always need extra rigidity to make them feel like they’re getting high value.
Since the cosmetics kits are so frequently handled—often roughly—on shelf, material choice is also critical in making sure a kit package doesn’t start to look dirty or worn. Bare Escentuals’ Pence says sturdy paperboard, raised textures, and UV coatings provide protection against signs of over-handling, as do windows that allow closer inspection of the contents without opening the package. “Shoppers now want to see with their own eyes what’s inside the kit,” says Pence, “and what the payoff is going to be.”