Jamie Matusow, Editor01.30.13
L’Oréal’s North American packaging team members Philippe Bonningue and Marta Wolska-Brys talk to Beauty Packaging’s Jamie Matusow about their objective of delivering innovative concepts to the L’Oréal brands and business—and provide a look at some
favorite packages from 2012.
Innovation is a higher priority than ever for L’Oréal’s North American Zone, and as the company’s 2012 initiative celebrates its first anniversary this year, the results of “a unique collaborative platform” are eagerly anticipated.
Philippe Bonningue, vice-president of development andpackaging for L’Oréal’s North American zone |
He says, “More than ever, it appears to us that working to ‘stimulate close and broad collaboration’ provides the critical factor and driver for innovation.”
Moving in this direction, Bonningue says the world’s largest beauty company created a unique collaborative platform during the first half of 2012, under the leadership of Marta Wolska-Brys, packaging innovation director for L’Oréal’s North American Zone, with the clear goal of delivering innovative concepts to the L’Oréal brands and business. In order to achieve this ambitious objective, Bonningue says they reinforced the “bridges and connections” between North America and the other zones worldwide, specifically with the innovation central teams in Paris.
Lancôme Genifique Eye Pearl formula is boosted by the applicator characteristics. |
“We have great ambitions for the future,” says Bonningue, “and innovation will be indeed our driving force.”
Making a Difference to Consumers
Rather than innovation for innovation’s sake, L’Oréal’s packaging team strongly believes that creative packaging must offer a beneficial experience for consumers.
Wolska-Brys explains: “As a beauty company we are constantly looking for the ‘next new thing’ in packaging that will make a difference for the consumer among millions of beauty products that are on the market.” While Wolska-Brys says the packaging innovation in the L’Oréal North America organization “is pretty new and I cannot yet speak about launches with solutions pushed through this specific channel,” she offered to share with Beauty Packaging magazine readers a few examples of innovation conveyed through packaging by some of the L’Oréal brands in 2012.
Here, she describes three of her favorite packages, in which marketing teams, innovation central teams and operations from the U.S. and Europe have come up with interesting concepts. “Packaging can catch the eye of the consumer and brings something beyond holding and delivering the product,” she says.
A Pearl of a Package
Shu Uemura’s dry shampoo uses a makeup package with a pushbutton brush. |
What is so revolutionary about this product and more particularly about its packaging? “It is all about an applicator that serves as a delivery system—it is a pipette—but more importantly, it has a pearl applicator that helps dispense the product and massage it around the eye,” says Wolska-Brys. On top of that, since the pearl is smaller than a fingertip and made of self-cleaning surgical steel, it gives an extra gentle and cooling effect during product application.
“This innovative packaging solution brings to the consumer the next level of product application experience where the efficacy of the formula is truly boosted by the applicator characteristics,” she explains.
A New Form for Dry Shampoo
Shu Uemura Art of Hair Volume Maker is another product that has been on the market for a few months. In this instance, Wolska-Brys says the consumer excitement comes from the Shu Uemura brand giving “a new face” to the dry shampoo product thanks to its unique packaging. “Usually dry shampoos found on the market are sold in the form of an aerosol or simply in squeezable bottles,” says Wolska-Brys. “Shu Uemura dressed it up using a makeup package with a
Mega Plush, from Maybelline, is the first gel-mousse mascara applied to the lashes with a patented and new shaped brush with flexor. |
Mascara Action
The third example Wolska-Brys chose to share with Beauty Packaging’s readers belongs to the makeup category. She says, “This shows that L’Oréal brands are constantly looking for new experiences and makeup results while applying mascaras.” Mega Plush is a new mascara in the Volum’ Express Maybelline family. “Innovation is brought through a revolutionary action coming from the combination of the formula and the applicator. It is the first gel-mousse mascara applied to the lashes with a patented and new shaped brush with flexor. The flexor, which is a moving part between brush and stem, brings to the consumer a completely new experience during the application. The lashes are gently coated giving the mega volume-plush look effect that is never stiff and never brittle.”
With packaging results such as these, we can only imagine what L’Oréal NA’s new collaborative platform will bring. It promises to be an exciting year.
Meet L’Oréal NA’s packaging innovation leader Marta Wolska-Brys
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