Design functionality, exclusivity and sustainability make the difference in cosmetic packaging

2022-12-28

The beauty industry, undoubtedly one of the most exciting there is, is advancing relentlessly. And faced with this pace, those of us who work in this sector have no other option but to renew ourselves without ceasing. I have been working at Beauty for more than 20 years and, although many things have changed since then, there are others that remain firm over time.

The world is changing and so are the needs of the market. The cosmetic sector is not an exception, but rather the opposite, a market used to renew itself, to innovate, to look for opportunities, to even create new consumption needs or ways of consuming … and of course to constantly create illusion in the consumer. And resorting to one of my phrases “beauty is illusion” there is nothing left but to adapt to the changing needs of the consumer to continue to excite them. “Beauty is the effectiveness and rigor of the formulations and the technology of their packaging and development, manufacturing and quality processes. Effectiveness and results wrapped by the magic of communication that brands use, and presented in a package to make the consumer dream”. Cosmetics tells us about emotions and these are the ones that cause ‘engagement’ with the brand. And in those emotions, the packaging plays a main role and, after all, it is the product’s business card. The packaging is the first contact of the product with the consumer and its role in the purchase decision is paramount, and there are many messages that can be communicated through it, fundamental messages in the purchase decision.

Rosa Porras, Director of Marketing and Communication at Virospack.

The cosmetic market is one of the most dynamic there is, with a dynamism also endowed with great speed. No one is surprised by the constant launches that are presented to the market every day, or even the large number of novelties and offers of any cosmetic category with hardly any differential value between them, and there are more and more similar products that we can find. And that similarity is not good for anyone; consumers are looking for exclusivity and brands need ‘engagement’ with them. They must be positioned correctly in the consumer’s mind to create that illusion that will transform into sales success.

The use of the sa dropper has spread in recent years, thanks to the boom in oils and fluid makeup products such as foundations, blushes and highlighters. The Too Faced brand expands its Fresh range in a case manufactured by Virospack. A pack composed of a metallic dropper and with a nipple injected in a personalized color for them, which combines with a transparent tube glass tube bottle with silkscreen printing and hot stamping.

But despite this strong dynamism and competition, there are certain pillars that have been maintained over the years. In the field of formulation, and despite how much cosmetic science has advanced, there are classic active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, retinoic acid or collagen, essential in skin care. Classic assets that were abandoned for a while in search of new proposals, and which were turned to a long time ago in view of their effectiveness. The same happens in packaging, design and originality attract attention of course, but in beauty functionality and quality are the two fundamental pillars for the correct conservation and application of the product. And this is the secret of Virospack, with a long experience manufacturing droppers for the most reputable cosmetic brands.

At Virospack, market leaders as dropper manufacturers worldwide, we have it clear. Our extensive experience with more than 65 years at the service of the most prestigious beauty brands around the world, has left us many lessons and one of them is to always maintain our high quality levels.

Virospack is committed to innovation and sets trends in the sector, but it does so by staying true to the premises of functionality, quality and personalization of its packaging. And true to its DNA, to its work philosophy always fulfilling its commitments to customers, and manufacturing since its inception in its own facilities. Their ‘in-house’ allows them to control the production chain throughout the process and thus ensure the final quality of their droppers and bottles.

The company has made, and continues to make, a significant investment in facilities, machinery, production lines, R&D… today it has one of the most Moderna and automated production units in the sector, to respond to the current market demand with the same rigor and control that it has done for these more than 65 years, always manufacturing under its roof and with its own internal team.

The dropper is the perfect dispenser for delicate cosmetic formulas

The dropper is another of the pillars of the cosmetic industry market, and at Virospack we have it clear. It is true that they have evolved a lot in terms of materials and finishes since their origins, but their strengths remain the same today – precision, safety and comfort. The dropper with its cosmeceutical connotations inspires confidence to the consumer, and that is that the formula is perfectly preserved, it remains intact inside the bottle until the moment of use, only the one that is dispensed makes contact with the outside. In its dosage and application, precision is also guaranteed, undoubtedly a point of great value when talking about skin care and treatment. If we add to this the airtightness and tightness, in addition to the compatibility of our droppers with cosmetic formulas, it is not surprising that brands choose our droppers when it comes to low viscosity cosmetic formulas.

Just because of the qualities of droppers, the demand for this type of dispensers has skyrocketed in recent years. The boom in serums, oily formulations and make-up and blushes, as well as highlighters, liquids, along with the large number of low viscosity nail and cuticle care products, has contributed to the great boom in this type of packaging in recent years. A sector in which new players have appeared, although our company continues to be a leader and a growth engine, thanks to our ‘expertise’, and to our important investments and innovations in our eagerness to search for continuous improvement.

Sustainability and aesthetics go hand in hand at Virospack

Climate change is a reality that fortunately every day we are more aware of. And proof of this is the change in consumer habits that are increasingly looking for sustainable proposals, also in beauty.

At Virospack, committed to the new generations and ‘eco-conscious’ development, we have been investing in new materials and designs for a long time, in addition to producing every day, in all our processes and sections, in a respectful way with the environment.

In this sense, there are many advances we have made in recent years and, today we can boast of having facilities, in addition to Moderna and automatadas, respectful with the planet.

As for new materials, the company has been investing for some time in the search for recycled and recyclable materials. Something that is already a reality today, and proof of this is our range of recycled droppers, 100% recyclable. It is a wide line of droppers, with varied designs, sizes and threads, made with materials with a high content of PCR, recycled materials with a high level of quality – and it is cosmetic, or at least for our customers, the most premium brands, sustainability yes but not at any price. That is why we have had to work hard to get a recycled range but, in addition to customizable, with a level of beauty own finishes, at the height of virgin materials-. A range with all recycled and recyclable components together in the same container. A range in short sustainable and cosmetic.

New range of fully recyclable recycled droppers.

At the process level, there have been many improvements, but the reduction of atmospheric emissions from the metallization section is one of those that should be mentioned. We have made several changes to reduce the impact that metallization has on the environment.

Some with immediate results, such as the new tooling design to increase the number of metallized parts produced in less time, and some that have taken months to provide measurable differences, such as our newly acquired sputtering metallization line – apart from the 2 lines of high vacuum system – which has a lower energy consumption.

But another challenge in which we have worked hard and in which we have innovated, is to eliminate the primers in this section. Previously in the metallization process, we used a base, but all the adherents contain very high degrees of solvents, which Virospack now avoids in its process, being, therefore, a much more sustainable process.

The dropper is extended to new cosmetic categories. New elixir for hand and cuticle care in a container manufactured

by Virospack and composed of a black dropper and a 30 ml capacity bottle.

The painting section is another one to highlight. For years we have been carrying out research, in which several universities have collaborated, to achieve gas-free paints, and painting with a new technology that reduces the pollution of volatile organic compounds by 70%”. These are advances that build customer loyalty.

Machinery and technology are essential. We need to be more efficient, use fewer resources and reduce air, water and land pollution. In this regard, we must mention our newly arrived tube glass jar making machines. Which not only increases our productivity, but because of the way they operate, with two machines sharing a single oven, we considerably decrease our impact on the planet. This, together with the production of very light tube glass bottles, makes the whole process a much more sustainable solution. And is that our range of glass tube bottles, is the perfect combination with a dropper, to offer a final packaging that combines lightness, transparency, quality (glass is the ideal container for delicate cosmetic formulas) with the precision and safety of the dropper. A quality final set, fully customized, and available in sizes ranging from 3 ml to 35 ml, and in a multitude of designs and threads.

And for the buildings we have also carried out improvements, such as our energy consumption, for example, providing air conditioning to our warehouses through 100% self-generated renewable energy.

But, we are not stopping and now the company is investing in new energy sources and soon we will have the largest geothermal installation in Spain and one of the largest in Europe. Without a doubt a new, more sustainable source of energy.

Years ago we inaugurated one of the most modern production units in the sector, a unit with state-of-the-art machinery and technology that keeps expanding and renewing itself to always be up to date and offer a quality dripper manufacture in the fastest, most flexible, efficient and respectful way possible with our environment. Moderna Well, by the end of 2023 we will have a robotized warehouse, which will be logistically operational for all Virospack sections, and which will mean a great saving of resources for the entire company. Another of our major investments is the new ‘Green’ building that we are building, a new production unit that will have the Breeam certification as proof of our commitment to the environment.

Virospack has state-of-the-art technology in all its sections and production processes.