Cleopatra used crushed beetles mixed with bees wax to add tint of color to her lips. Why? To look beautiful I presume, but why beauty is something we seek at all? Ever thought why we find certain things, people, art and objects more attractive than others. Who sets these standards of beauty? Cultural aspects…sure, but what about standards that are universal; clear healthy skin, rosy lips, bigger eyes, longer lashes, and fuller brows. Who taught us that these features are more attractive and desirable? The answer is, HUMANS. Our brains are naturally wired to be attracted to symmetry and beauty. The cultural aspects of beauty might change across the civilizations but basic criteria for beauty remains same in human mind.
What is Beauty?
Beauty is a visceral emotion, an intense form of curiosity, urging us to keep on paying attention. Constantly telling our brain that there is something worth finding underneath. Beautiful objects almost hijack our subconscious and fill it with innate need to keep on looking at beautiful things. We all have at least once in our lives embarrassed ourselves by looking at a person that we thought was beautiful and ended up practically gawking at them. See how I used the word person (not necessarily of the gender you’re attracted to). I am a hetero female and too often I found myself staring at attractive females (I do compliment them though, to make situation less awkward).
Beauty has nothing to do with our sexuality or sexual preferences it is our response to sensations, visual sensations, and not to information. Sometimes we stare at an object and want to look at it more. We don’t even have an explanation of why, but we want to explore more about the said object. Beauty creates a mental itch in our head, a gap between what we know and what we want to know.
Our relationship with cosmetics:
Cosmetics are so heavily embedded in our lives; most of us cannot imagine our day without them. To understand this widespread dependence we need to look deep into the roots of our relationship with cosmetics. It is more of a love-hate relation; Cosmetics are directly marketed at our insecurities. Cosmetic companies do advertise that their products are there to give a confidence boost and in no way try to undermine the natural appearance of a person. But we all know what a big, fat, lie that is. The truth is, we find symmetrical faces more attractive and when we find someone attractive, we naturally treat them better. We try to bring that basic human decency out of others by making our faces and personalities more likable by using cosmetics. In short, if you aren’t pretty (fulfil a certain criteria for looks and body) you’re finished.
Modern Packaging Industry:
Packaging is a marvel of modern life and convenience. Primarily packaging was devised to protect and preserve the products but with the passage of time, its primary focused transitioned towards promotion. Currently for all types of packaging, one universal material is used, plastic. Plastics are durable and TERRIBLE; they are cheap, easy to manufacture and good for preservation and protection of cosmetics but they never really go away. Once created a plastic can stay on the planet for more than 300 years (maybe more). With the advancement in packaging industry, we are actively trashing the planet. There is a shift towards vegan and cruelty free products; the demand is actually created by the consumers who are actually concerned about the carbon footprint all these industries are leaving on our planet. Companies are trying to come up with more sustainable/ Compostable packaging.
Packaging in Beauty Industry:
As I explained earlier, beauty evokes an emotional response to a sensation stimuli. Packaging for beauty products works on the same principle; a product that looks beautiful is guaranteed to grab attention. Beauty industry is overflowing with products; so many options to choose from that consumers are left with a paradox of choice. In today’s world packaging plays a pivotal role in driving purchase decisions of consumers. Brands who invest in custom packaging generally do better than those who don’t.
Stock packaging vs custom packaging:
There are new cosmetics startups who fail just because the decide to select an over the shelf packaging for their products. Recent example is of Cheetos x forever-21 makeup collaboration. The whole product range failed miserably, especially their liquid lips. They used stock packaging for these lip-glosses and it was painfully apparent. The same packaging was used by, God know how many other brands and there was no way a consumer could differentiate their products from any other brand (or even counterfeit cosmetics).
Custom packaging is strongest advertising tool for makeup companies. Especially when it comes to a product like lip-gloss. There are countless lip-gloss brands and flavors in beauty industry and to make your product stand out from the rest, investing in Custom lip-gloss boxes is almost mandatory. Your product will never survive the fierce competition if you pick a regular packaging template and just slap your label over it.
Minimalistic packaging:
Another growing trend for lip-gloss packaging is minimalistic packaging approach. This type of packaging targets the consumer by eliminating all the excessive information clutter and providing precisely what they want to see. Kylie Lip kits are a prime example of minimalistic packaging design. This type of packaging is sustainable and can be easily turned into compostable, as it doesn’t require glazing and excessive printing.
Conclusion:
If you want to create a brand identity for your product, custom packaging is the go to strategy for you. Custom packaging is created to fit your product exactly; just like Cinderella’s glass slipper. Her glass slipper got her into the royal palace, and custom packaging will help your product rule the market.
