Evolution of packaging, revolution in coding
Travel through time with our packaging evolution infographic to see what has driven innovation in packaging and coding for the cosmetics and personal care market and how current trends are impacting the industry’s future.
Labeling transparency: A tight squeeze on coding
Cosmetic ingredient labeling became fully effective in 1977, and since then the needs of consumers have changed, with a desire for more transparency over the contents of the products they purchase. As a result, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has set regulations to ensure ingredients are clearly and accurately labeled and claims are properly and truthfully listed. This, together with warning statements, materials facts and details of origin, amounts to a lot of mandatory content. In an industry where branding and packaging design means everything but labeling requirements continue to consume packaging real estate, manufacturers can benefit from coding solutions that minimize the space required for printing key variable data, as well as helping to ensure the highest quality to protect brand image.
The male consumer demographic on the rise
In recent years the male grooming market has seen rapid expansion in direct response to a change in men’s attitudes towards personal care products. According to Datamonitor, not only do 52% of global male consumers consider their looks and appearance to be either important or very important, but 29% touch up their looks throughout the day. The beard trend has played a big role in this. As facial hair has become the norm, the number of beard and moustache grooming products has dramatically increased. This desire for more sophisticated products has meant traditional packaging materials such as metal tins and glass bottles are being used more frequently. The wide variety of packaging formats and materials can present challenges to manufacturers when it comes to coding and marking.
A clean image for the beauty industry
As more consumers become health-conscious and the market responds to rising government initiatives to help keep the environment clean and pollution-free, sustainable packaging is expected to grow 6.2% CAGR between 2015 and 2021. Packaging is receiving a lot of attention as part of these initiatives, due to its high environmental footprint. Many companies are looking for ways to reduce packaging, and/or find alternative packaging materials such as PET plastic. There is more to being green than reducing packaging, and companies that take a holistic approach are likely to see bigger improvements. Discover another way to contribute by considering the printing process as part of the solution.