Customization has been highlighted as one of the trends to watch in 2008 with a number of recent product launches targeting consumer demands for a more personal approach to skin care.
Examples at the high end of the market include Dr Olivier Courtin's skin care range MyBlend and After the Rain's personalised facial care range, however recent product launches suggest the trend is hitting mass market retail.
Within the beauty market, Revlon have brought the concept to the world of color cosmetics with its Custom Creations SPF 15 Foundation.
The product comes in a plastic pump dispenser with a dial that allows the consumer to adjust the color intensity. Six shades are available allowing the user to personalize their foundation.
This is the first time such packaging has been used in facial cosmetics, although it has been seen before in a number of sun care products, according to market research company Datamonitor.
In addition, Avon's new anti-aging dermabrasion product similarly relies on novel packaging to allow the consumer to customise the product.
The user can choose between four micro-dermabrasion levels by adjusting the tube nozzle to achieve differing intensities of treatment.
The popularity of such products is likely to lead to a demand for packaging solutions that enable the consumer to customise the product quickly and easily in the home.
In contrast customising Courtin's MyBlend is a more time consuming, although perhaps more enjoyable affair as users are provided with small syringes which are used to add the 'boosters' to the basic products to create their own personal formulations.
Nica Lewis, market analyst at Mintel, noted that the concept creates the idea of a mini cosmetics laboratory in the home, injecting the idea of fun and play into skin care.