Product Innovation

Adding Value  

TO TOILETRIES AND HYGIENE PRODUCTS

Packaging innovations for toiletries and hygiene products range from simple functional solutions that help to make daily tasks easier, to entirely new concepts that reposition the purpose of items. Using GlobalData research, Eloise McLennan explores ways that packaging can add value to products in the category

Adding Value Through Packaging: Toiletries & Hygiene - Identifying pack formats and features that make a brand worth paying more for

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Consumers use toiletries and hygiene products almost every day so it should come as no surprise that they have great influence on the lives of many shoppers. As lifestyles become increasingly demanding, the needs of shoppers have evolved to reflect the changes to their daily routine. To appeal to these busy consumers, manufacturers introduce clever solutions that help them to maximise their time, or facilitate consumption away from the home. 


Packaging plays a crucial role in targeting consumers in this sector. As packaging analyst Pawl Urban identifies in the GlobalData report, ‘Adding Value through Packaging: Toiletries & Hygiene’, eye-catching designs can help to differentiate products at retail level and also look aesthetically appealing in the home, an element which is appreciated by many consumers. 


Manufacturers are also paying greater attention to innovations that target the growing ecological awareness trend, in addition to focusing on naturally rooted products. This can be seen across the sector, with many brands positioning themselves as eco-friendly or introducing biodegradable packaging materials. Drawing from research detailed in the GlobalData report, we take a look at notable packaging features and formats that can add value to toiletries and hygiene products. 

Adding Value Through Packaging: 

Toiletries & Hygiene - Identifying pack formats and features that make a brand worth paying more for

View Report

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Shoppers value offerings that can help them to streamline everyday tasks

Convenient & simple handles EXPANDING PACKAGING POTENTIAL

Shoppers value offerings that can help them to streamline everyday tasks, including personal hygiene and cleanliness routines. According to GlobalData's 2016 Q3 global consumer survey, 92% of global consumers consider personal hygiene and cleanliness to be an important or very important factor in creating a feeling of wellbeing or wellness. 


Many packaging innovations across a variety of different categories, including toiletries and personal hygiene, stem from a desire to improve the efficiency and convenience of products, which in turn can help to make life easier for busy consumers.


To enhance the wellbeing aspect of products, packaging manufacturers have been incorporating various handles and hanger features onto pack designs to make them easy to attach. Innovations such as these are typically well received by consumers who like to simplify the use of personal care products and consequently their appearance on packaging formats can add clear value for these consumers.   


Aveo Med hand sanitizer gel found in Austria offers a notable example of how designers can successfully use time-saving features to enhance the appeal of personal care products. The gel comes in a small plastic bottle with a rubberised outer casing that incorporates a handle. The casing fits well to the contours of the bottle and allows the gel to be securely hung up in a myriad of locations, making it convenient for consumers to store and use. 

Shoppers value offerings that can help them to streamline everyday tasks

Communicating product NATURE THROUGH VISUALLY ATTRACTIVE PACKAGING

Consumers use and interact with toiletries and hygiene products on a daily basis, and as such they have a significant influence on personal wellbeing. Therefore, highlighting appealing characteristics such as the authenticity, origin or natural features of a product through its packaging can significantly influence the likelihood that a particular item is picked up at retail. 


Unusual and intriguing packaging shapes and textures can transform products into stand out offerings that can elevate the user experience and may be suitable for gifting. Embossed and glossy elements, rich and colourful decorations or raw and recyclable packaging that convey a natural image are also a noticeable trend within the sector. 


In the UK, Pears pure & gentle transparent soap bar presents an effective example of how visually attractive pack designs can be used to convey product ideals. The product is housed in a cartonboard carton which features embossed elements and soap images highlighted with gloss varnish. The varnish is particularly effective on the soap bar images, where it appears to emphasise the transparent nature of the product made with glycerine and natural oils. 

Introducing new packaging SOLUTIONS FOR BUSY CONSUMERS

Busy consumers often seek out pack formats that offer convenience or time-saving features that help them to maximise the little time they have to spend on cleanliness and personal hygiene tasks.


Increasingly demanding lifestyles are driving dependency on consumption away from the home, pushing manufactures to develop offerings that are efficient for use in almost any conditions. 


Clever applications of well-known packaging formats to new categories unlock and expand their potential and may be very beneficial to consumers. All-in-one, ready-to-use packs are particularly practical formats for toiletries and hygiene products because they can be conveniently used wherever and whenever consumers conduct their daily grooming routines, adding a sense of independence to the overall user experience. 


An example of such packaging designs is the Waterless ready-to-use razor by Gillette Venus. The disposable razor features lubricating softgel with aloe contained in its squeezable bottle-handle along with a gel applicator and cleaning pad.


The convenient on-the-go format offers functional benefits that can help the product to stand out at retail level, while the semi-transparent oval bottle provides an aesthetically pleasing visual effect that can be enticing for shoppers. 

Unusual and intriguing packaging shapes and textures can transform products into stand out offerings

Unusual and intriguing packaging shapes and textures can transform products into stand out offerings

Authenticity is becoming a core motivator for consumers

Applying biodegradable and ECO-RESPONSIBLE PACKAGING MATERIALS

Every year, consumers are becoming more knowledgeable about climate change, environmental deterioration, biodiversity loss and resource shortages. As focus on these issues grows stronger, it is important that brands who seek to target this opportunity work to build brand credibility by adopting practises that reflect ethical claims and product positions. 


Development of new packaging materials and eco-friendly solutions has been driven by growing environmental awareness. Biodegradable packs that convey ‘natural’ characteristics are constantly evolving as they can have instant appeal for environmentally conscious consumers; as such they are penetrating new product categories, including toiletries and hygiene products. Reuseable packages that can be kept longer for refilling can also be used to appeal to consumers looking for eco-friendly pack formats. 


Introducing solutions that work both for consumers and environment can help brands to stand out on the shelf. According to GlobalData 2016 Q3 global consumer survey 35% of consumers globally said that the "environmentally friendly" factor would encourage them to buy high-end/luxury/premium products.


The Durex Invisible condoms tub format available in France and Belgium provides a working example of how this can be achieved. Sold in a tall and slender blue plastic tub, the pack has a more premium presentation than the cartons typically used in the sector. Alongside its stand-out aesthetic appeal the format has potential as a refillable format and consumers might opt to keep the pack to refill it from cartons as the pack is easy to store at home and less prone to damage. 

Authenticity is becoming a core motivator for consumers

Targeting the needs of busy, ENVIRONMENTALLY AWARE SHOPPERS

A good packaging design can elevate a product above and beyond its competitors in the eyes of browsing consumers. If used effectively, packaging can emanate a more premium feel without the need to incur greater costs, transforming an everyday hygiene or personal care offering into a product that feels more special to the consumer through rich, colourful or raw decorations and unique shapes. 


Modern consumers are opting for high-performance, economically priced products that help them to save time and maintain a sense of control over their daily routines. Universally busier lives have fuelled growing dependency on consumption away from the home as consumer seek out offerings that best fit in with new lifestyle patterns.


For these consumers, convenient, ready-to-use toiletries and hygiene products that require minimal attention can be highly appealing. Additionally, practical and efficient features, for example, waterless, waste-free or hassle-free solutions may be well-received by time-poor consumers who like, or have to be independent. 


Authenticity is also becoming a core motivator for consumers, as is reflected by the growing interest in speciality products. For many products, there is a cachet associated with being produced the "right" way and brands can target this demand by introducing unique pack designs that convey their heritage or origin, which in turn can impart a premium image and increase the value for many consumers.


Health and sustainability conscious consumers are looking to make smarter, feel-good choices when it comes to purchasing products. Consequently, many consumers are beginning to pay as much attention to packaging as they do to the product inside, opting for products that are better for them and better for the world in which they live. Amid growing energy demands, there is now a strong focus among consumers on climate change, environmental deterioration, biodiversity loss and resource shortages.


These consumers pay close attention to how their purchasing choices impact these issues and as such bio-based packaging materials and reusable solutions that help to minimise ecological footprint are gaining popularity as they allows consumers to be more eco-friendly while making their purchase choices.