5 LEVELS OF PROTECTION COSMETIC BOXES MUST OFFER THE PRODUCTS THEY HOUSE

What does it mean to be pretty?

                                                      What stimulates attraction? 

 How does someone become alluring?

The answers to these questions are heavily contingent on time. Because “beauty” is not a static or standard concept. It changes with space (your region or culture) and with time. Every age gives new meaning to the term “beautiful”.

YES, HUMANKIND HAS BEEN PUTTING STUFF ON OUR FACES FOR QUITE SOME TIME NOW

But regardless of what our idea of beauty is or was one thing always remain constant. Human beings have for long employed ornaments and maquillages to enhance themselves for about 7000 years.

In olden times though, cosmetics, as we know them today, were not a popular item.

The modern cosmetic industry can trace back it’s roots to the early 20th century. With the rise of popular culture such as concerts and live theatre techniques of complementing your looks became little known. Initially limited to the elite of the society slowly by the middle of the 20th-century cosmetics had become a mass phenomenon.

BLEACH IS NOT MAKE-UP, IS IT? 

In olden times most of the products used at this time, especially those used by “commoners” were overtly harmful to the skin. For instance, a famous cosmetic technique used in the mid-20th century was bleaching, a process directly associated with cancer in human beings. 

 FROM MAKE-UP TO SKIN-CARE PRODUCTS

Though make-up usage took a hit during the second world war, it boomed again as soon as the war was over.

The return of retail cosmetics box was accompanied by increasing health concerns among consumers, who had by now starting getting weary of the immense health cost of looking pretty.

This led to another revolution in the cosmetic industry with several products now arriving with health pointers. The substances being used to manufacture cosmetics also witnessed a definite shift. Not only were cosmetic producers making sure that they were selling products that were safe from health consequences. But they were also boasting about the positive health impacts their products offered to the clients.

This led to make-up becoming termed “skin-care” products for the first time. Because their utility had now shifted to “preservation” of the skin instead of just ornamenting it.

COSMETICS IN THE DIGITAL AGE

The digital revolution has also led to a cosmetic revolution. With a vast number of especially smaller manufacturers taking advantage of this increased access.

The worldwide cosmetic industry today stands at about 500+ billion dollars. Showing a growth of approximately 6% per cent every year.

Another reason behind the explosion in the sales of cosmetic products is our culture’s emphasis on “subjectivity” and “self-exploration”.

With make-up artists pitching make-up kits as means of inventing and re-inventing yourself, the meaning of cosmetics has shifted once again.

As a result of this, the 21st century has witnessed an exponential growth in the market share of niche cosmetics.

THE RISE OF THE CUSTOM COSMETIC BOX 

A century ago, traditional make-up items were sold in most standard (rectangular) boxes. But as the market becomes more and more saturated, particularly after the e-commerce boom, cosmetic boxes have also evolved.

A box represents the unique identity of any given cosmetic brand. And aims to arouse instantaneous shock value and eventually become popularly recognized.

Marketing is immensely crucial for any product, but in the industry of “appearances”, the “appearance” of the box takes a new meaning. Designing cosmetic packaging boxes is no less than creating a piece of modern art.

It’s obvious, right! If a maker cannot make their product “look good” then how can their product do the same for me?

Keeping in mind the centrality of marketing during box design is self-evident. But there is another less remembered (customarily obscured by marketing) aspect central to the process of designing custom boxes is, preserving the delicate compositions it houses.

SHIELD 

New skin-care products constitute a host of complex compositions battered together with surgical precision. These mixtures usually require very stringent circumstances during delivery and transportation.

Because a vast chunk of cosmetics is now being sold online, their transport and delivery times have, according to studies, grown four times.

In short, not only are the products more delicate, but they are also being carried long distances.

Owing to the factors mentioned above, you must keep in mind several preservation techniques while designing your cosmetic box.

Even though every product has individual needs of its own.

Some of the more general levels of protection most cosmetics require. Hence your box should provide as follows

MICROBES

Germs tend to aggressively attack cosmetics, mainly organic make-up. This fact is commonly missed by manufacturers designing a custom cosmetic box for their product.

Bacteria tend to penetrate any chinks in the packaging to reach the product. Once in contact, they find a near-perfect environment to reproduce. Most of these bacteria may be harmless, but some of these can cause infections of the skin.

Ewww!!! Right.

No need to be afraid though,

A wide variety of remedies are already present on the market. Two of the most popular ones are

Foils

Plastics (Especially PVCs)

Food grade foil paper can totally cushion the exposed layers of any cosmetics from a host of microbes.

Unlike foil which is usually applied directly on the product, PVC is generally used as the outer most packaging of cosmetics’ printed boxes. In addition to providing adequate protection from microbes PVC also provides protection against a host of other problems as well (such as UV light).

ENVIRONMENT  

Modern cosmetics employ extremely delicate mixing of, sometimes highly complex, substances. A large number of these materials are sensitive to light, moisture, heat and a host of other environmental factors.

Lamination offers the most efficient and holistic defence against three of the significant factors. Lamination is basically a sheet of fragile plastic paper covering the entirety of the cosmetic box.

It is also a very “easy to come by” remedy. The wholesale of cosmetic boxes in the Uk brandishing laminations is very commonplace.

PRESSURE

From lipsticks to foundation make-up there is no shortage of cosmetics which are not susceptible pressure.

Even though many of these products are already held in sturdy plastic containers. But there is only so much pressure flexible plastic containers can withhold.

Cosmetics are highly prone to damages because even the slightest deformation in shape at the time of delivery throws the customer off. Moreover, many cosmetics come in custom-designed bespoke shapes which add value to the product. De shaped products can be extremely costly.

If your product has a long journey ahead, the corrugation is your best friend.

Corrugated cardboard cosmetic boxes protect your product from the increased bumps accompanying elongated delivery times.

FRAGILITY 

This one is pretty generic. Businesses usually keep fragility in mind during the packaging design phase. But the importance of this issue demands reassertion.

In addition to protecting the product, cosmetic boxes can also be employed as outer packaging to the principle container.

Think perfumes. A thin paper-based perfume box may present a fantastic outlook but will it keep the pricier glass inside from cracking.

So, in addition to paying attention to the fragility of the product, also focus on the weakness of the primary container, be it glass, aluminium or even plastic.

THEFT

The phenomenal growth of the cosmetic industry has not been without pitfalls. One of the key challenges has been “fake products”.

Many brands have suffered from irreparable PR damages because of substandard, fake products. Additionally, copycat products deliver a direct blow to the overall turn-over of any brand.

But when it comes to the market obstacles are “challenges to be overcome”.

Packaging manufacturers, in conjunction with cosmetic brands, have come up with a wide variety of defence mechanisms against this kind of fraud.

These mechanisms not only include traditional techniques ranging from

Holograms

to

Specialized Ink which shifts colour

But have also come to incorporate more modern technology to create techniques like

RIFD codes.

These techniques do cost and may slightly impact your price per unit but having them printed on your cosmetic box may save you from a potential crisis.