Five things CosmeticsDesign saw at Luxe Pack and MakeUp LA 2022

Consumer interests are pulling both towards more intricate decoration allowed by improving technology, as well as decreased or simplified packaging fueled by sustainability concerns. Suppliers at Luxe Pack LA showcased both of these trends.

Below are five of the trends CosmeticsDesign saw on the Luxe Pack LA and MakeUp LA floor.

Airless pumps

Many suppliers across the show displayed airless pumps, many for creams and gels, as well as some for other formats like powders.

Airless pumps don’t use a straw, like traditional pumps, because they create a vacuum to dispense product. Additionally, less product is wasted with airless pumps because it doesn’t have to be reached by a straw.

Some packaging suppliers said the airless pump space is fairly crowded right now, but paring the pump with other trends or manufacturing capacities has allowed them to find niche spots in the market.

Mono-material packaging

Mono-material packaging refers to packaging made of the same material which theoretically allows for the packaging to be more easily recycled. For example, some suppliers showed tubes, including caps and dispensers, made of one type of recyclable packaging.

This was another area of packaging that had a lot of representation at Luxe Pack, but suppliers seemed to differentiate themselves by what material they used, like virgin plastics or post-consumer recycled plastic, or with what kinds of packaging they could create, like varieties of dispensers.

Refillable packaging

Refillable has already broken into a niche market and some mass-market parts of beauty, but Luxe Pack LA featured many packaging options for potential refillable products. 

Jars were by far the most popular refillable container type, with an outer jar which consumers would keep and a thinner container, often with a peel off top, which consumers would order to refill their product.

Some suppliers said it was relatively easy to transition into refillable packaging options because they didn’t necessarily have to replace manufacturing molds. They also often said they were having more luck selling refillable packaging in the masstige and prestige markets.

Recycled PET and non-plastic packaging

PCR resin packaging was front and center at Luxe Pack, with likely the majority of packaging suppliers showcasing at least one line of recycled plastic packaging. 

Some suppliers opted for packaging more forgiving to flaws in the plastic, like opaque tubes, and others went with more aesthetically specific packages like clear bottles. Additionally, a few suppliers also showcased non-plastic packaging options like paper tubing and bio-polymers.

It is important to note that many suppliers showcasing recycled plastic packaging were using a mixture of recycled plastic resin and virgin plastic resin to compensate for flaws in the physical characteristics of recycled plastic.

Beautiful product, simple packaging

While the Lux Pack and MakeUp LA floor was covered in intricate and beautiful packaging, some companies were showcasing beautiful products with simple packaging instead. 

Some makeup contract manufacturers showed a number of options, including complex embossing in pressed powders, embossing in lipsticks and complex colored patterns in pressed powders.

Aesthetically pleasing products are not necessarily a new concept in cosmetics, however, as some brands opt for less packaging these increasingly complex product decoration options may offer an option to maintain visual intrigue with less physical packaging.