At ArtCosmetics, a sign read: Make Up the World. A graphic at B. Kolormakeup & Skincare’s booth featured a Benetton-like graphic of people representing a cross-section of ethnicities and cultures.

A quick walk around the Cosmopack show floor revealed a number of supplier stands with similar sentiments, and the flow of attendees reinforced the message: The world has become one big melting pot, and beauty for all is key to brand success. While almost all cultures now take an interest in beauty, it’s fascinating to note the differences as well as the similarities. From formulations to packaging, preferences clearly vary. And suppliers are once more at the core of innovation, tasked with creating and decorating the appropriate jars, cartons, bulk and applicators to meet individuals’ customs and habits.

I couldn’t help but relate the Cosmoprof scene to the current situation in the U.S. market, addressed in a recent blog post by Karen Grant, NPD Global Beauty Industry Analyst—and a member of Beauty Packaging’s Board of Advisors. She spoke about how elements of world beauty are expanding our range in makeup, skin care and fragrance—and providing vast new opportunities for global-aware brands.

Grant noted that according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. population increases by two people every 33 seconds, and one out of these two is an immigrant. In beauty, she said, “This local-global emerging market is one major underpinning impacting the shifting trends of what types of products win. When it comes to redefining what is beautiful in the context of world beauty, the smaller, niche categories that were once not considered or viewed as important are today’s leaders of growth in prestige beauty, and enjoying double-digit increases. The desire for strong, well-defined brows—a classic beauty feature in many parts of the world—has helped eyebrow products ascend to be among the top ten makeup product types in unit sales. Rediscovering facial care to start before corrective anti-aging treatments has expanded skincare formats to include oils and paper products in everything from cleansers to moisturizers. And, while women’s scents have grown in lighter concentrations like colognes, men’s scents are experiencing the greatest lift in eau de parfum, a richer concentration not traditionally used by American men.”

The general idea throughout the many halls and pavilions of Cosmoprof/Cosmopack was that not only can the beauty industry learn from other cultures, it can also profit from competitiveness in foreign markets. And many of the trends Grant spoke about were evident at the show.

Citizens of the World Visit Cosmopack/Cosmoprof

Visitor numbers at this year’s Cosmoprof were extraordinary, and emphasized the international focus of the event, as the organizers reported that 248,000 visitors had attended the fair (an increase of 20% over 2014). Among them, 79,000 came from abroad (up 30% compared to 2014). And of nearly 2,500 exhibitors, 70% were from abroad.

Cosmopack, Cosmoprof’s show-within-a-show, which opens a day earlier than Cosmoprof and which showcases suppliers across the entire supply chain of the beauty industry, featured 420 exhibitors from 33 countries. This string of vast halls was of course where Beauty Packaging’s publisher Jay Gorga and I spent most of our time over the course of the multi-day show.

A number of special events had been organized in this area, including The Mascara Factory, with a live set-up of the production process for mascara; and The Wall, for companies exhibiting at Cosmopack, who had put a spotlight on eco-sustainability.

“The enormous success of Cosmoprof which brought to Italy and Bologna the global industry of cosmetics and beauty from all over the world, is a truly exceptional event,” said Duccio Campagnoli, president of BolognaFiere. “This has been the great Cosmoprof of internationality.”

Packaging Trends Noted

In addition to the international theme, several other trends stood out. For one, an emphasis on wood as a sustainable packaging element popped up all around the Cosmopack show floor. The cushion trend dominated the compact arena, and branched off into other categories. Multiple shapes combined into one container made packages more interesting in display cases—and likely, on counters.  As always, decorative techniques were in the spotlight, from creative coatings to rich metallization techniques, including lots of gold tones, which several suppliers agreed were aimed at Middle Eastern markets.

Full service appeared to be more pervasive than ever and was offered by many suppliers. A broad range of interchangeable components also made it super-easy for brands to assemble a cohesive collection of products of different sizes—or mix and match caps and bottles for a whole new look.

A Touch of Wood

Quadpack, whose signage touted “Global expertise, local presence,” was showcasing three distinct product ranges at its stand: perfumery, makeup and skin care. Wooden items were available with all three, along with glass and a range of premium plastics.
Sarah Eaves, marketing team leader, Quadpack Group, told Beauty Packaging, “Wood is becoming a more competitive option for bottles and caps.”

In makeup, the focus was on premium look lipsticks. Quadpack’s recently launched Magnetic Lipstick, part of the Q-Line range, is pure luxury, with a glossy, all-metal finish, added weight and a magnetic click closure. At the show, the Magnetic Lipstick was shown with a conceptual wooden cap. Eaves said wood compacts are in development; these products contain a mirror inside and a magnetic closure.

Quadpack’s new Q-line for body products highlighted PETG that looks just like glass—and it was difficult to tell the difference. Bottles can have wood, metal or plastic closures.

In perfumery, Quadpack exhibited the Floral glass range, which offers a range of shapes, sizes and options to create an elegant and unique fragrance pack. At Cosmopack, the bottles were adorned with the various caps that Quadpack offers, including Technotraf’s caps made of sustainable wood.

Like Quadpack, with its mix-and-match caps and bottles, many of Coverpla’s caps fit a variety of the supplier’s bottles—so it’s simple to get a number of luxury looks.

In addition to its wide selection of striking glass bottles and caps in materials from Zamac to Surlyn, Coverpla had also added wooden caps to its product range.

CEO Bruno Diépois said they’re getting more requests for wood, adding that “green is building again—and it’s on a good track.” He said wood can be less expensive than Surlyn or Zamac. Coverpla now offers wood caps in dome and rounded shapes for glass bottles.

Also on display were stock caps, pull-off caps, and new aluminum caps that can be weighted. Decorative printing is also a specialty at Coverpla, including silkscreening that looks like snakeskin. New in commercial orbit is the UFO cap—a new Surlyn cap.

Diépois emphasized the high quality that Coverpla holds to, and said everything is produced in France and Europe.
HCP’s attractive wood effect compact features a bold geometric pattern and uses real wood pulp mixed with a resin base material to create a wonderfully textured and natural grain finish that looks like the real thing.

More Mix & Match

Quadpack/Technotraf and Coverpla weren’t the only suppliers who offered mix & match options.

Baralan offered an extensive range of bottles—the Ulli line—that can all be used with the same cap.

Nikolas Baranes, director of new product development, spoke about some of the packaging novelties on display at Cosmopack—and how the supplier likes to use the show as an incubator to judge customer reaction and preferences. They had created a whole new family of nine bottles for the show (three nail polish, three skincare & foundation; and three fragrance). All of these bottles tend to have the same accessories—pump, cap, etc. Baranes explained that one mold is used for all three categories, in three different sizes for each. There were also lots of new propositions for fragrance bottles, including black, varnished bottles with straight flush caps. Baralan is also working on new pump designs.

One interesting nail polish bottle at Baralan, the Stephania bottle, featured a cap that removed from the brush, and was an innovative solution to having to apply a UV coating to the entire bottle. The cap sat low on the bottle, so that only the lower half of the glass has to be coated. The top part, under the cap can then show off the color of the polish.

Geka introduced two new (mostly) mascara collections at Cosmopack:  Shake It, Shape It, and Golden Times for Volume.
Julia Kleiner, marketing manager, Geka, demonstrated the Shake It, Shape It cigar-shaped product line with different applicators. The set includes mascara, an eyebrow product, eyeliner and lipgloss—all with the same cap for continuity and economy. Two-color decoration includes glitter masterbatch on the bottles. The rounded barrel of the lipgloss package features a new square bottom with a heavier base.

Geka’s Golden Times for Volume boasts four new brushes with four brand-new fibers, exclusive from the fiber supplier. The brushes consist of two different materials with a softer outside that penetrates clumps, and a harder core, which provides better stability.

Color Cosmetics

Mascara was also top of mind at HCP, where president Damien Dossin gave us the rundown on a new $500,000 mascara machine from Germany, unique to HCP’s Hinsdale, New Hampshire plant. Dossin said HCP now offers a whole new spectrum for brushes, with different cuts and increased surface area. HCP can now add a twist or multiple twists to any contour brush profile. This provides the opportunity to manufacture mascara brushes with a large number of complex surfaces, increasing the combing effect alongside building mascara onto the lashes. The depth of the cut can be adjusted, and is especially effective in large diameter brushes.

  Looking for Lipstick container?

Sue Pickford, creative marketing manager, HCP UK, showed us HCP’s new stock packaging cosmetic collections: Lunar Square and Round Compacts—a futuristic look with round edges, and FusionGloss Lipgloss—a more premium look for plastics. A new digital printing technique has now been perfected for cosmetic packaging, offering many ways to 

reinvent and customize the top plate of compacts, including colorful effects printed on pearlescent paper.

Pickford confirmed that brows are a massive trend—and said that customers are even asking for mini brow brushes. One mascara from HCP offers extra grooming due to a retractable brush in the cap.

HCP also revealed its latest trends for Spring/Summer 2016 at Cosmopack Bologna.

Three trend-led ranges—Tropical Noir, Nature’s Escape and GeoCraft appeal to a wide range of brands.

Cushion compacts were seen throughout Cosmopack.

Nest-Filler showcased a variety of sleek air cushion compacts. Glass airless bottles were one of the supplier’s latest offerings. A new airtight jar creates a really tight seal. When you twist it open you can feel the tightness of the seal, as there is a piston in the cap. Dual-mix bottles and auto-fill droppers also attracted attention.

Samhwa Plastics specializes in air cushion compacts. Thomas Hwang, general manager, told Beauty Packaging that the company currently has a 20-million piece order for one of the world’s top beauty manufacturers—with more on the way. He said he expects the total to reach 60 million pieces. “It’s a huge market,” said Hwang, “and will continue to grow.”

The cushion trend took a different spin at Albéa with Cushion Tint, a 2-in-1 makeup pack that’s an easy-to-hold, double-tipped makeup pencil. Albéa says Cushion Tint is in line with the “cushion” trend from Asia, 

which gives a light sophisticated “naked” effect to your makeup. The “tint” is in a color pencil that dispenses the makeup. At the other end there’s the “cushion,” an easy-to-use foam pad that smooths in the color. The product is applied to lips or cheeks, around the eyes or on the eyelids with the color stick; then gradually shaded in using the foam pad for a gradated effect.

Looking for Lip gloss container?

Accessories

At Anisa International, founder and CEO Anisa Telwar Kaicker, showed us the many new beauty tool offerings being debuted at Cosmopack, and couldn’t help but mention that the company now holds 18 current and pending patents.

Three new patent-pending cosmetic brush collections and products included the Oval, Undercover Oval and the Wonder Brush, featuring industry-unique fiber dimensions, brush head shapes and sizes. Telwar Kaicker says the oval head shape moves differently on the skin, while the size and shape make it different from other brushes.

Telwar Kaicker explained that “oval is the new round,” with collections for face, cheek and lip, including several capped products for on-the-go usage.

A selection of dual-sided textured/smooth silicone applicators is designed to penetrate the skin and offers a sensual way to stimulate skin while spreading products.

 

Looking for compact container?

Jars and Caps

Plastic took on the look of premium glass at Faca, with an extensive display of luxury jars 

and caps in an array of sharp and rounded shapes. Cecile Kwapich, export manager, told Beauty Packaging that they now have a 3D printer and develop their own prototypes prior to producing molds. They also offer a huge stock range. Prestige metallized jars, which Kwapich says satisfy demands from the Arabic market, and chrome finishes “for a more global market,” were especially attractive with their mirror-like finishes. Metallized jars were available in a wide array of colors, many with weighted chrome caps for even higher quality. Faca can decorate the inside of the jar (beneath the surface) with a new decoration system. Many of Faca’s packages exhibited a mixture of shapes—round with square; oval with rectangular, etc.

HCT Group: From Airless and Brushes—to Pizza

This year, more than ever, HCT Group, with its massive stand in Hall 15, proved to be a one-stop shop, an international gathering spot, due to its commitment to full-service, innovation and various specialties.

The Group’s brushes were especially hot at this year’s show. Cindy Lim, senior vice president Global Cosmetic Brush Division, told Beauty Packaging: “We understand the importance of innovation and we know that our customers always turn to us for creative ideas and designs. It is always our aim to create beautiful yet functional brushes, and it was no different for this show; we introduced newly patented designs to our customers. We are extremely proud of our new brush collections displaying originality, quality and trends, and especially how well they were received by our customers and potential customers. Overall, this has been an incredibly successful show for us.”

Tim Thorpe, president of HCT Group, said: “Clients old and new visited the stand from over 26 countries around the world; we estimate that more than 1,500 people visited our stand this year.” HCT’s area included a separate pizzeria where invited guests could meet, work and enjoy a freshly made meal. They served over 200 pizzas each day! 

Thorpe said there was a big focus on HCT’s Airless and Brush divisions. “These days,” he said, “the discerning consumer is looking for more from their favorite brands. Technical formulations need highly specific delivery systems in order to complement the product and there is no question innovation in this area was very well received.” Patented brush and multi-functional packages, including the Mister Brush, were highlights of the exhibition, according to Thorpe.

Overall, Thorpe said Cosmoprof Bologna was a huge success for HCT Group. “HCT focuses on key innovations that are worked on throughout the year and held for this show to guarantee the ‘wow’ factor,” he explained. “Some of our best concepts were quickly reserved by customers early on who were astute enough to realize their value. Although I can give nothing away, expect to see some of these hit the market within a year.”

Around the Fairgrounds

Outside of the Cosmopack halls, the country pavilions and finished brands spaces were mobbed with international visitors looking for on-trend products. One thing of note: Luxury fragrances had returned in a big way with what seemed like thousands of options, all packaged to perform on shelf or online. Many men’s fragrances were included in the mix—and brands didn’t waste any time on subtlety in appealing to this market, with names such as Sexy Man and Rich Boy.

More Cosmoprof

Weren’t able to get your Cosmoprof fix in Bologna? Cosmoprof North America will take place July 12-14 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. This year promises an even larger packaging component than in previous years.

More info: www.cosmoprofnorthamerica.com 

ICMAD Hosts Cocktail Party at Cosmoprof

On Friday March 20, Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors (ICMAD) held their annual cocktail reception at the Royal Carlton Hotel in Bologna. Show organizers, cosmetic and beauty professionals, media and ICMAD executives and members all got a chance to network and share their impressions of the show.