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Does packaging make or break your purchase?


Does packaging make or break your purchase? If it’s super cute, do you have to have it? If it’s ugly but the product is still lovely, do you pass anyway?

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Cuter/more elegant packaging may make me take a second look, and ugly packaging may make me pass it up, but if I get to the product and try it out, I don’t care if it’s cute or ugly in terms of packaging!

43 Comments

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Joy Avatar

If its cute packaging as well as good quality. If just packaging then i’d say no. If its ugly and I heard from people that its the best product out there then yeah. Most products, like drugstore ones, are average packaging.

konconsc Avatar

Yea, nice packaging is a huge part when it comes to something I know nothing about or if its a new brand, but if its a very positive product and even with ugly package, I will still consider it.

Lorna Avatar

it depends. if the packaging affects the portability or application of the product, i may skip it even if the product is good. if it’s an expensive brand i will not tolerate ugly packaging because i will not pay high prices for cheap/ ugly packaging. i would expect it to at least be sturdy and well made. if the packaging irritates me enough in that too much product gets wasted, i may pass on that as well.

Angela Avatar

I’m definitely someone who is impressed by nice packaging. Cute or pretty is nice, but practical and functional is always in style. I hate flimsy packaging that breaks, and plastic caps that won’t stay on. What’s the point of having it if it just falls off in your make up bag? But pretty packaging always catches my eye, it gets me to try some things I wouldn’t normally be so inclined to try.

babicsek Avatar

I love a stlylish or cute packaging,and I’m maybe tempted for a second to buy the product,even if it’s not so great,but I don’t buy anything just for the packaging,that would make me go bankcrupt:D

Jennifer Avatar

I do love cute/glam/unique packaging on an already great product, but if the product itself is horrible, there’s no way I’d still buy it. It goes the other way too. I’ve purchased some awesome products which have dull/boring/just plain ugly packaging. I always remember that it’s what’s inside that counts! (No pun intended)!

Su Ann Avatar

Packaging definitely makes my purchase (one too many times). But if the product is good and the packaging does what it has to do (to keep it safe), then it doesn’t matter.

Natalie Avatar

I used to! But not anymore. My last splurge on the special packaging stuff was Hello Kitty. Now special packging stuff puts me off for some reason!

Jennifer Avatar

cute packaging always draws my attention and makes me linger just a bit more. but as soon as i find out that the color payoff is not good, i dont even give it a second glance.
on the other hand, it is nice to find out a product with ugly packaging is just amazing.

P. Cruz Avatar

I don’t really mind if the packaging is simply, cheap-looking, or ugly, as long as the product is good. The problem with ugly packaging is that it’s easy to miss the product. :l

Kim L Avatar

If it’s ugly, even if the product is nice I won’t end up using. Packaging breaks the product, but it doesn’t make the product, since a cute package with a bad product does not fly either!

Azaza Avatar

No it doenst matter, it would be great for the product to have a cute packaging but if the product itself is great then it doesnt matter what packaging it comes in

Laura Avatar

Sometimes it does, I like simple packaging like mac, bobbi brown, or nars. As far as mac collections go the packaging does not matter. It won`t make me buy a eyeshadow or lipstick if i don`t like the color.

Salvinia Avatar

I’m the same as you, Christine. As long as the product is good I’m not too fussed about what the packaging looks like, as long as it’s functional. I also tend to be pretty forgiving when it comes to packaging; as long as it’s apparent that some artistic planning went into the design, I’ll generally like it for what it is even if it doesn’t happen to be my personal style.

Tessa Avatar

Doesn’t ordinarily influence me if I love the product – I own plenty of things I like where I hate the packaging. However, it can be a factor if I’m unsure about whether I like something. With products like Rouge Voluptes, which I consider to be overpriced, the over-elaborate packaging makes me like them even less, because I can see that I’m being overcharged for something which I don’t even like. I also really hate cardboard, so if I was wavering I would pass on something that came in cardboard packaging.

Diana Avatar

packaging totally makes a difference…for instance i just bought a second box of those new kotex tampons in the black box simply cuz the box is cute cuz i had already bought them before and they sucked! lol

i also bought too many things from MAC’s Hello Kitty collection simply cuz it’s cute. Fun n Games was probably my biggest regret ever!…because it doesn’t show up on my skin tone at all, not one tiny bit, not even to highlight =(

if it’s ugly i’m still gona buy it if the product is good

Sarah Avatar

Breaks it. If a product I like has bad/tacky packaging that I can’t remove, it will definately effect my purchase, it just makes me cringe in distaste when I use it and that’s what bothers me the most about it.

happybadfish Avatar

I like my packaging to be practical. I like to see the colors easily and I like when it is easy to store and keep tidy. Cute packaging is def a plus.

Lauren Avatar

At 25, I just can’t justify buying something that looks like old school gimmic merchandising circa CVS/SHOPPERS/DOLLAR STORE/90’s kitsch. That whole Tokidoki line is completely unappealing to me because I’m somewhat “ashamed” of dropping $20-50 on what looks like a toy product aimed at 9 year olds. If they want my money, they have to do better than that.

Michelle Avatar

I agree — that Tokidoki line doesn’t appeal to me at all!! I don’t like anything to gimmicky or tacky. I do like cute or elegant packaging!!

Chennel Avatar

Nice packaging really helps but I wouldn’t buy a product I didn’t like & wouldn’t use for packaging. Unless I could depot it & put something I do like in it and give the unusable product to someone who could use it.

Anna Avatar

I think packaging does make a great difference. I think that is what “buying the brand” is all about. I fell in love with NARS for their packaging and I think MAC was the first to offer such clean, trendy packaging. For years I was not attracted to Benefit because I found their packaging too “busy”. Now I know more about their quality, I am drawn to it. So, I think (provided the product is quality) packaging is everything. Cheers!

condesa Avatar

Pacakging it important… it MUST eb pretty but also practical as it affects storage! I always refrain from buying bulky boxes (like benefit Dandelion: it is pretty but that huge cardboard case for a tiny layer of colour? I “depotted” the pan in order to save space!and you get very frustrated when you discover it’s so thin – the pan – and there is a piece of lead on the bottom of the green box ….just to give the idea it’s full and heavy! meh!)

nikki Avatar

it has “made” a purchase before, but i don’t think it breaks purchases. unless its such terrible packaging that it interferes a lot with the function of the product

Mk Avatar

Yes, packaging matters to me. That’s why I don’t like some high end brand such as Shu Uemura. You are paying $20 for a lipstick but the packaging looks so cheap. If the product is truly outstanding and excellent, then I can see past that.

Kristen Avatar

Packaging can draw my eye to a product, but it won’t make me buy it. The quality of the product is what really matters. I think that packaging can sometimes backfire for companies. When they try to do some “cutesy” looks I often get turned off. I typically like to just stick with clean, professional looking lines.

Jenn Avatar

It really depends but if its really cute and nice packaging I tend to buy more just because of the packaging but if its really bad quality packaging I might pass it up. I guess it all depends on quality but I’m a packaging type girl.

Dorie Avatar

Packaging is pretty important in terms of what I purchase. For example, I only like moisturizers if they come with a pump. Digging into a jar just sounds so gross. Also, if I buy something to take up more of my vanity space, I need to enjoy looking at it. Or at least not hating it. However if it is a product that really works for me I just replace the packaging. That’s why I replaced my Cetaphil cleanser (which is a godsend) in a nice green container. No longer so large, bulky and awkward looking. In terms of make up, I’m a no frills kinda of girl, so tinted moisturizer, concealer and lip gloss is all I own. I don’t think packaging is as important for makeup, as in skincare which one looks at everyday

Anitacska Avatar

No, not really. It’s more how the product looks (and feels) rather than the packaging. But I have to admit to buying things that I might not have bought otherwise because of their lovely packaging, like Mac’s Liberty of London collection. But I did like the products too.

Leenie Avatar

If the products are good and the packaging is not, I would still buy it just because the makeup is great, but having a pretty package is a bonus for me.

Ada Avatar

i find that the packaging does help determine whether or not i purchase it. I’d rather pay a little more for sturdy and nice packaging over something that looks breakable. However if there is a huge difference in quality i would overlook the shoddy packaging and get that instead.

Yuki Avatar

Packaging may make me take a second look but if it’s difficult to open..forget it. The Tokidoki shadows are cute but they are too hard to open. They won’t see any of my money. I used to like Prescriptives but too many compacts were hard to open, then there were the broken nails. I got totally turned off 15 years ago and have not gone back. I don’t even know if they are still in business.

knownever Avatar

Packaging is often my primary concern. At this point I dont need any more makeup to acheive the looks I want but I like to havethingsin different forms for different occasions. like i love solid products right now (shampoos, moisturizers,perfumes) or really anything portable.

Princess Lolli Avatar

So long as we’re just talking about ugly packaging and not faulty packaging (like leaky lipgloss tubes or UD’s pigment-in-a-tube packaging that makes the product difficult to use), bad packaging doesn’t faze me. It’s not like ugly packaging makes a great shade of lipstick or eyeshadow look any less fab on. Cute packaging can definitely make me look twice at a product, but few are so awesome I can’t pass them up if I would not excited enough to pay however much to own it if it came in something plain and unadorned. MAC’s Hello Kitty collection was the exception. I bought tons of stuff there that I haven’t touched much just for the cute. I love me some Hello Kitty and MAC exceeded my wildest expectations with their design that collection. I would have gleefully bought empty palettes and powder compacts with that design had they sold them, even at two or three times the price of MAC’s existing empty palettes.

susan Avatar

not really in terms of looks…everyone likes cute packaging but for me, it isn’t necessary…sleek minimalist looks are just as welcome. but if the package isn’t functional or makes the product difficult to apply, then yes, that will affect my purchasing decision (ex: i will only use squeeze tube lip glosses while at work.)

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