Dr Benjamin Punchard, Senior Global Packaging Analyst, Mintel |
Nail color cosmetics are, at first sight, not a very innovative category for packaging. Though nail foils, strips, stickers and other innovative formats exist—bringing some cartons and blister packs—in the main, nail color is the traditional polish/lacquer/enamel. As such, bottles dominated launches in 2012, accounting for 92% of global launches in the category. Pack sizes are also rarely given much freedom—the most popular size is 10ml, and 94% of global nail bottles launched in 2012 were in the 5-15ml size range.
MAC's Taste Temptations. |
Clearly consumers will be choosing primarily on color, but the quality of nail polish varies hugely and in the current frugal economic climate, consumers will just not buy unless they trust a product to deliver. So, packaging must be an integral part of communicating the quality and positioning of the product.
One strategy that was leveraged for about 25% of global launches in 2012 is the use of secondary packaging, usually a board carton. Often this can provide a uniform brand image across a color cosmetics brand range, which utilizes a number of primary pack types.
However,
Nail Inc.'s Crystal Color. |
It seems that a growing trend is to enhance the size of the closure in order to give a greater visual. Though many closures retain the long slim profile that makes them an easy handle for the applicator brush, many are now switching to more bulky sized closures that match the diameter of the bottle. A good example is The M.A.C Taste Temptation collection for Winter 2012, which provides a very attractive profile when closed but may provide poor ergonomic function when being applied. Nails Inc’s Crystal Colour 2012 collection adds a touch of sparkle and maybe a slightly better grip with jewel detailing on the cap.
The Dior Grand Ball collection is reminiscent of a fragrance package. |
The Anna Sui Black Veil collection has a feminine silhouette. |
The Dior Grand Bal collection for Christmas 2012 includes a nail polish in a pack reminiscent of a perfume bottle, which manages to offer the standard functionality while really standing out.
The Anna Sui Black Veil collection for Christmas 2012 also moves away from the standard simple shaping to offer a feminine silhouette that also brings to mind a fragrance bottle. Both these examples would look good displayed in the home and show that when all around you are going for simple shapes with few sides, extreme shaping can really make your product jump out from the crowd.
About the author:
As Mintel’s Senior Global Packaging Analyst, Benjamin is responsible for delivering actionable insight drawing on his 8 years of extensive international experience. Over this time he has worked with the leading multinational packaging companies to provide strategic market recommendations. Benjamin holds significant experience in conceiving, conducting and delivering quantitative and qualitative research.
For an exclusive report that looks at the increasing rate of BPC growth at Walmart, see Something Old, Something New by Victoria Gustafson, principal of strategic insights at SymphonyIRI. See suppliers' new types of nail polish packaging, and new products driving growth in Head Over Heels for Nails.