Which packaging would be appropriate?
Choosing the appropriate packaging for your cosmetic skincare range can sometimes be challenging. There are so many considerations to make when selecting packaging necessary for that special skincare range such as:
- If the packaging is too showy then there is no justification for the expense of the packaging which places significant financial pressure on getting good returns on the initial sales.
- If the packaging looks very expensive then people will not buy it because of a perception of the article being too expensive. This would then necessitate a big budget invested into the promotion in order to establish the brand name.
- If the packaging is too plain and simple then it will be perceived as cheap. Your skincare range won’t stand out unless you design a very eye catching label to display on the packaging.
How can you make the product look elegant and classy while also having a presence on the shelf?
Before choosing packaging it is necessary to understand what your skincare creams, lotions and liquids are made of as this will impact on what can be used. eBotaniq as your contract manufacturer and formulator, could help you to choose the appropriate materials for jars and bottles and so avoid having to invest in the cost of researching compatibility tests on the packaging.
What your contract manufacturer / filler should be able to advise you on is how some raw materials can react adversely with some packaging materials. Some examples are
- Essential oils such as Tea Tree oil for example, is not always compatible with polyethylene plastic as the oil can travel through the wall of the container leaving a sticky residue on the outside.
- Packaging made of PET should not hold a solution which has a pH greater than 8 to 8.5.
- Oils like IsoPropyl Myristate (IPM) can actually make the packaging brittle by stripping the plasticizer from poly vinyl chloride (PVC), unless treated
- Many plastics cannot tolerate hot filling which may be necessary for lip balms, waxes, some hair gels etc.
There are numerous packaging suppliers on the market. Many will require that you order a minimum order quantity (MOQ) which can be around 5,000 to 10,000 units. This mainly applies when the packaging you want is very exclusive.
Ideally it is best to deal with a supplier that has a wide variety of packaging and that they have them available “on the floor”. This means that the company has a regular stock of that type of packaging and therefore will supply any amounts needed.
The one big disadvantage in buying small quantities is that you end up paying considerably more than in pallet or box quantities. Ideally to minimise cost you should try to purchase the packaging in box lots which may be from 100 to 500 units although this may vary depending on the packaging size. In this respect eBotaniq is sometimes able to get better prices because of the volume we are able to purchase from the suppliers.
In most cases it is advantageous to deal with the packaging supplier that your supplier or contract manufacturer deals with.
