Could better dispensing improve the value of personal care items and cosmetics?

What packaging trends are you seeing in the health and beauty aids (HBA) industry and why? “High-end deco that is affordable so the savings can be passed on to the consumer because the consumer wants value,” writes a respondent to a recent Packaging Digest poll, which was done in partnership with the Institute of Packaging Professionals (IoPP) as part of its Spotlight series.

Another poll participant replied “interaction with [the] consumer” and “[intelligent] convenience,” which connects with the many HBA products that now use some type of device to help apply the product or boost its performance.

Other respondents also cite costs and pricing as critical factors, along with differentiation—a typical consideration for many products, not just HBA items.

It’s not enough for perfume, cosmetics and other personal care product packaging to be beautiful, though; it also has to be functional. Poll takers mentioned “easier to dispense” and “novel delivery systems” as other trends they’re seeing in the market.

But when we asked “What packaging technology are you using to help dispense as much of your product as possible?” (see chart below), we were surprised that “None” was as high as 25%.

Sounds like some companies are missing an easy opportunity to satisfy consumers and perhaps gain more market share.