SPOTLIGHT: Health & Beauty

The Somme Institute Asks O.BERK to
Source Small Components for Sampler Kit

This cosmeceutical sampler pack mimics the proportion and premium feel of the full-size packages.

The Somme Institute produces a line of six scientifically advanced skin care products that have been proven to treat acne, reduce wrinkles, reverse sun damage, lighten brown age spots, and dramatically improve skin's tone, texture, and clarity. The high-end cosmeceuticals are a daily regimen developed with the help of leading dermatologists and scientists, and they have been rigorously tested in clinical trials at major universities.

The six products were introduced in six different packages varying in capacity from one to eight ounces of product. When the Somme Institute decided to make a portable sampler kit for five of the products, they called on their partner, the O.BERK Company, to supply similar smaller versions of the packages that retained the premium feel and consistency of their larger counterparts.

The kit was to be called "mobile," and it was intended to introduce the Somme Institute products to new customers who could not commit the dollars for the complete program. O.BERK's Cosmetic Packaging Group took on the task to provide the bottles, jars, and closures in this five-step travel kit version.

Chris Archer, account executive at the Cosmetic Packaging Group, says O.BERK tries to be a one-stop shop for the cosmetic and personal care market with their expertise as a full-service supplier of glass, plastic, and metal containers and closure systems. "That way, we can be the troubleshooters," says Archer.

Archer says that the Somme Institute almost downplays the packaging so the product and easily identifiable design can sell the concept. Like their full-size counterparts, the sampler containers or closures are silk-screened with a color circle for easy identification. The sampler products are color-coded and identified along with their ingredients on an insert card placed in each mobile kit.

Archer explains that the componentry was not complex, but sourcing small quantities (as little as 5,000) of upscale components economically was a challenge. "With Chris Archer's access to pretty much anything, it was a given that we wanted the line to be consistent," says Edward Fallas, director of communications at the Somme Institute.

Packages include the Nourishing Cleanser in a 2-oz. HDPE cylinder bottle with disc cap, Transport (treatment pads) in a 1-oz. polypropylene low profile thick wall jar, Serum in a 0.33-oz. white glass cylinder bottle with finger tip pump, A-Bomb in a 0.5-oz. polypropylene thick wall jar, and Double Defense in a 1-oz. HDPE bottle with disc cap.

The acrylic case that holds the five sampler packages is the finishing touch provided by Flambeau Inc. The case is virtually unbreakable, and the five packages fit snugly into the rounded edge shape—initially held in place with glue dots. The sturdy case begs to reused, opening lengthwise along one long hinge and closing securely with a snap. "People are really, really blown away by the packaging," says Fallas.