So how do brands keep up? By realizing that consumers are trusting “people like them” to make purchasing decisions – undermining the brand authority as the sole source of information. As well, by offering greater engagement. Consumers in the personal care/beauty field especially want a higher level of personalization from their preferred brands. 

One not-so-new brand that’s keeping up with consumer demand for all-natural products is Earth Conscious. Its natural deodorant now has a vegan-friendly option. Organic, cruelty-free and eco-friendly, the vegan deodorant comes in natural lavender and citrus scents (non-synthetic) in a neat metal tin. The all-natural ingredients including coconut oil, shea butter and jojoba wax (replacing bees wax in the non-vegan range) are packaged together to make a truly effective 100% natural product. Another bonus – the packaging is recyclable and made with no plastic.

Earth Conscious has won awards for its product, including Winner of The Green Parent Natural Beauty Awards Best Deodorant 2016 and Biteable Beauty Award for Best Deodorant 2016.

British brand Pears has recently relaunched its soap bars, with packaging designed by Hornall Anderson (hornallanderson.com). The brand wanted to reposition its products in the U.K. market. Premium design cues and reviving the brand’s heritage were just some of the ways the branding and design agency revamped Pears, which was first produced in 1807.

Pears has high loyalty among users who are strong advocates of the brand. It is viewed as pure, traditional and honest. The popular bars are sold on Amazon, eBay and other websites, affording a wider consumer shopping experience. The brand’s authenticity is illustrated on the front of the pack, with the date 1807 clearly displayed. The box is textured to give the packaging a more premium feel, and the tactile nature of the box recalls the textured bar of soap and its carved edges. The agency also included new and improved photos of the product on the pack. Photos of the bars of soap are embossed and appear to glow, as if light is shining through them, illustrating the transparent quality that Pears is famous for. The logo and copy go back to the brand’s heritage, reminding consumers that this is a product with authenticity. And natural ingredients are highlighted on the pack, while the white packaging and typeface reflect the premium quality of the product.

Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics’ Dream Cream hand and body lotion, and Helping Hands hand cream are both packaged in the brand’s Black Pot, a 100% postconsumer polypropylene package with an injection-molded container and lid. The pot is made with KWR621FDA and KWR621FDA-20 resins that have received FDA letters of non-objection for 100% content – which expands on the brand’s belief of having the least possible impact on the environment while still producing beautiful and effective products. 

KW Plastics (kwplastics.com) and molding partner Plascon Plastics (plasconplastics.com) created the pot. According to KW Plastics, the largest technical challenges weren’t achieving the specifications, but being able to maintain the strict source control of feedstock and regulatory compliance requirements of a cosmetic package.

The Lush Black Pot was recognized as the first FDA PP PCR resin and rigid packaging application for cosmetics use during the 2017 APR Plastics Recycling Showcase. Products can be found on the website and at various retailers.

Just in time for summer, new Coppertone Whipped by Bayer has sun worshippers leaping for joy. The new aerosol sunscreen foam comes in ClearlySheer® and WaterBabies® Pure & Simple. A first in the category, the whipped formula has a rich, creamy texture, absorbs quickly and feels light on the skin. The 5-ounce canisters include an ergonomic closure perfect for a finger to hold while using the product. The product streams out in a smooth, even flow.

The launch will be accompanied by in-store samples, a large social media presence and teaming up with several influencers and beauty bloggers, as well as partnering with The Skin Cancer Foundation. The brand certainly knows how to find consumers.

Spanish personal care company Boddy’s Pharmacy Skincare commissioned RPC Bramlage Barcelona (rpc-bramlage.de) to develop a special solution to meet the packaging requirements of a new mask range. Boddy’s needed a standard 75ml thick wall jar, which RPC Barcelona did not offer. So the technical team devised an alternative approach – an injection-molded jar in PCTG, a material that provides compatibility with cosmetic formulas. Most important, this solution does not require a polypropylene inner section in order to achieve the required volume. The cap incorporates an induction seal.

The stylish and user-friendly translucent jars feature silk screen decoration in white, gold and silver to create a family image across the range of four face masks and two anti-wrinkle creams.

An additional nod must be given to TINT Instant Bright Teeth Tooth Paint, a teeth-whitening product in a tube, taking cues from the makeup industry. Made to fit easily into a daily beauty routine, TINT is entirely peroxide-free, different from other tube whiteners.

Quadpack (quadpack.com) developed a solution based on a 7ml lipgloss pack. Featuring a simple, classic design, the white bottle and cap come with a brush, which is used to “paint” the formula onto the teeth. The brush allows dexterity and the precision necessary to be used on teeth. Quadpack tried and tested a host of applicators until the team got the right one.

TINT works on all types of teeth including caps, crowns and veneers as a short-term solution for brighter teeth. Available in a 7ml applicator tube with 30 removal pads in the pack, it comes in Instant Bright Teeth, Instant White and Instant Super White Teeth on the brand’s website for shipping worldwide.

The challenge of brand loyalty, the demand on brands and retailers to deliver a seamless experience between offline and online, and the need to give up some power to new influencers are shaping the market. As well, consider moving from traditional retail channels to e-commerce to grow your brand – if you haven’t already. How important is e-commerce in addition to the brick and mortar?

“My Fortune 500 global brand clients are projecting a future where over 15% of their sales will run through e-commerce and direct to consumer channels in just three to five years – they are now less than 5% – so foresight and scenario planning are used to prepare for this eventuality” says Brian Wagner, director at Ameripen.

Know your product, know your demographic and add e-commerce. This will be the key to a successful brand in the future.