Earlier this year, Paris played host to Paris Packaging Week.

The show once again proved vital for those wishing to keep their finger on the pulse of the trends that shape the beauty, fashion, and luxury packaging industries. From walking the floor and talking to my customers, it’s clear that sustainability is one of the key needs driving these sectors forward, and it’s inspiring to see that innovation is in this area is thriving.

Paris Packaging Week demonstrated the sheer range of sustainable packaging options that are available, from plastic alternatives to reusable and refillable options. Brands and consumers are buying into the change, and for beauty brands, the time to make the switch to more sustainable packaging is now.

The sustainability challenge for beauty brands

Sustainability has traditionally not been the main driver for the beauty industry. Paris Packaging Week showed this is changing – and quickly. An industry that has historically been about being sensuous, tactile, beautiful, eye-catching, and impactful – did not always synergize neatly with sustainable principles like material reduction and plastic replacement.

It meant shelf standout and sustainability was something of a compromise, where brands could have one, but not the other. Barrier performance is also an extra concern for the many beauty products that can be affected by exposure to air and moisture. For these applications, the challenge is greater still.

However, consumers are now looking beyond these things, and the beauty industry is innovating to meet their demands. A Forbes study found that nine in ten consumers believe sustainability and other ESG considerations are a factor when buying beauty products. 15 percent of beauty shoppers consider sustainability more important than price and product performance, indicating a significant mindset shift in modern consumers.

None of this means shelf standout is any less important. In fact, the opposite is true, as market competition is fiercer than ever. It just means consumers increasingly expect their product and its packaging to have attributes such as recyclability as well as aesthetic appeal. It means brand owners need to be more creative than ever before to develop packs with interesting structural and graphic designs that leap off the shelf while still offering the sustainability credentials that today’s consumers demand.

Inspiring innovations

The innovations at Paris Packaging Week show that the industry has an appetite for change. Advances in material technology mean stunning print effects can be achieved with more sustainable materials such as the latest metallic inks, ideal for masstige brands looking to add luxury flourishes to their packaging. The possibilities for captivating combinations of design and finishing techniques are limited only by the capability of a brand’s packaging partner.

In the hands of a packaging expert, sustainable does not have to mean boring or repetitive. Fiber-based packaging can be as bright and disruptive as any other format, offering as much to budget brands as it does to heritage luxury. The standout designs, shapes, and configurations on show at Paris Packaging Week should serve as inspiration for brands yet to embrace the drive for greater sustainability in their packaging portfolio.

In a stable market that relies on consumer loyalty, brands can make great strides to retain that loyalty as consumers increasingly grow to value sustainability. As Paris Packaging Week showed, the market is changing, with new ideas coming to fruition all the time.

What are the answers?

Every packaging project is unique. At Graphic Packaging, we understand this, which is why we developed an industry-leading product portfolio that contains a huge range of fiber-based solutions designed to meet the needs of a wide range of product applications. From folding cartons in complex shapes to cups and trays, our knowledge of packaging formats is extensive. These formats can then be tweaked and tailored to suit the specific needs of each application.

Our experience in the food and beverage sector means we can offer mature, proven technology that is a natural fit for the beauty industry. For example, our range of barrier coatings and bio-based lidding films offer the barrier performance needed to create wet wipe packs that can lock in moisture, as just one example.

Our extensive knowledge means we can support customers from beginning to end throughout the process, providing guidance on barriers, substrates, machinery, raw materials, and more. It means we can educate customers on how to do things right, and at the right pace, while presenting a variety of options for brands to explore.

In a stable market that relies on consumer loyalty, brands need to take great strides forward to retain that loyalty as consumers increasingly grow to value sustainability. As Paris Packaging Week showed, the market is changing, with new ideas coming to fruition all the time. As a fiber-based packaging leader, we are proud to be at the forefront of that change, driving innovation across the beauty industry and beyond.

To learn more about our range of tried-and-tested beauty packaging solutions, contact us today.