The cosmetics packaging industry is poised for another wave of innovation.
Whether it is the Measures for Metrological Supervision of Quantitatively Packaged Goods that took effect last month, or the
Requirements for Restricting Excessive Packaging: Food and Cosmetics standard enforced since September, the state's determination to slim down and upgrade packaging is clear. Add consumers' ever-rising expectations, and both brands and packaging suppliers need to put innovation on the agenda. How should concrete plans take shape? Several experts with frontline management and R&D experience shared their answers.
Product requirements never exist in a vacuum — reading the macro environment is the premise of innovation. In the view of Jin Xueying, R&D Center Director at Mentholatum (China) Pharmaceuticals, cosmetics packaging has enteredthe VUCA era — V for Volatility, U for Uncertainty, C for Complexity, and A for Ambiguity.
Advances in information technology drive volatility; open, diverse values drive uncertainty; relentless internet-age innovation drives complexity; and the global economic downturn brings instability and unpredictability to society and the industry…yet difficulty and opportunity always travel together. Companies must find certainty within uncertainty — the guiding principle for product and packaging innovation going forward.
Based onthe characteristics of the VUCA era, Jin Xueying identified four trends in cosmetics packaging innovation: first, human-centered design; second, digitalization, spanning data and intelligence; third, agility — adapting quickly to market waves and seizing the initiative; and fourth, going green for sustainable development.
Building on these trends, Jin noted that consumers now look beyond functional packaging — they want using cosmetics to feel delightful. Under this self-indulgent premise, packaging design ranges from low to high acrossthree levels:
(1) The visceral levelConsumers are highly selective about packaging aesthetics at first glance — appearance shapes how they think about and choose a product. Visual design covers color, graphics, and form, all meant to strike an emotional chord, so it must be rooted in the brand's tone and tailored to the personality of the target audience. Community culture matters too: co-branded
IP collaborations can quickly expand the consumer base and bring the brand closer to its audience.
(2) The behavioral levelAt this level, consumers care about how the product is used and whether it makes life easier. Dosing, opening mechanisms, and grip are all points to watch.
From a regulatory perspective, products must also meet packaging void-ratio requirements to avoid over-packaging, and undergo material compatibility testing and evaluation — physical, chemical, and biological.
(3) The reflective level
After the first two levels, consumers reflect more deeply and decide whether to buy again. The packaging must therefore feel friendly throughout every interaction.
Four Innovation Trends in Cosmetics Packaging
In the post-pandemic era, lifestyles and consumption attitudes have shifted: greater self-discovery, a sharper eye for value, and a stronger sense of social responsibility. Cosmetics packaging must evolve with the times. Shen Hong, APAC Packaging Associate Director at Beiersdorf, mapped out four innovation trends in light of rapidly advancing packaging technology.
(1) Experience-enhancing packaging
Engaging all five senses to optimize the user experience is both an opportunity and a challenge for packaging innovation. Sight takes in
70-80% of information, hearing adds emotional color, touch creates distinctive experiences, and smell heightens pleasure and imagination.
During design, methods such as full-journey mapping help teams understand how consumers actually use a product and pinpoint which details to refine for greater satisfaction.(2) Personalized custom packaging
Pre-configured customization is the simplest route, while AI opens up the high-end custom market faster; 3D printing and digital printing make micro-batch production feasible — a standard mold set can now be developed in about a week.
(3) Smart packaging
Specific approaches include QR codes and near-field
NFC, Augmented Reality (AR), nano-printing and printed logic circuits (fully printed RFID), specialized sensors (temperature and humidity, air pressure, route logging), and AI applications.
(4) Sustainable packagingIn recent years, lightweight design and materials, post-consumer recycled content (
PCR), renewable energy and recycled materials, and bio-based materials have drawn growing attention.
Sustainability Becomes the Focus of InnovationBoth Jin Xueying's and Shen Hong's views point to the tension between plastic use and sustainability. Lai Xuhui, R&D Vice President for East Asia Pacific at Essel Propack (Guangzhou), likewise noted that today's market is defined by ubiquitous plastic packaging, low recycling rates, and a throwaway culture.
He Huan, Sales Director at Yuyao Dandan Sprayer Co., drew on
global plastics production data since 1950 to note that China is a plastics manufacturing powerhouse, producing roughly one quarter of the world's total — and should shoulder that responsibility by contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to global plastic pollution control.
From the standpoint of advancing ecological progress, the experts put forward concrete packaging innovation proposals.Lingmin Packaging | Green Hills, Clear Waters, and Fresh Energy for the Future!
In August we headed out again. Bathed in the lingering warmth of summer, August mornings are especially crisp and pleasant. Early on August 19, we set off together for our annual team-building day.