What are your greatest concerns about product packaging?
For me, it’s mostly making sure it’s functional and space-saving. I’d rather a palette that’s slim with no wasted space than lots of pretty packaging.
— Christine
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35 Comments
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I would like to see more refillable packaging, especially for higher end products with “luxe” packaging like Dior blushes and highlighters, Tom Ford, Guerlain, etc. I mean, we’re supposed to be all about “reduce, reuse, recycle” and so buying refills makes a lot of sense and, of course, would/should cost somewhat less. I like that you can refill Thierry Mugler fragrances, for example. I’d like to see more companies follow suit. I remember well when it was possible to buy refill tubes for Ultima II and Lauder lipsticks, as well as for powder compacts, etc.
Oh yeah – I’d also like to see MAC’s pro pans and palettes made compatible with almost every other brand out there – ABH, Inglot, MUFE….it’d be nice if MAC’s pro pans stuck in those other palettes (so leave off the glued on magnets, please) and if those other shadows could be moved into MAC empty palettes. I like to combine products from MAC with those from other companies, especially when I’m travelling, so it would be nice if they all worked in everyone else’s “holders”.
Amen to universally compatible shadow singles and corresponding empty customizable palettes, Mariella! Last night, I bought all 4 MAC Throwback Pro Pan eyeshadows and had to also buy an empty quad to put them in, as I haven’t any empty $1 e.l.f. empty quad palettes left, and wasn’t about to spend extra $’s on shipping to get only one more. That BURNED my bisquits!!! $8 for a stinking empty quad palette??? ?
Oh dear – burned biscuits are never good! I actually don’t mind paying for the MAC empty palettes (okay, well, I don’t mind “much”) – I just wish that all of them were interchangeable and that MAC would get rid of those stuck on magnets and the need for them but making the empty palettes themselves the “magnetic” part.
Great idea. I would spend more for refillable packaging.
AB, the thing is that we’re already paying plenty for things like the Dior highlighters and the Rosy Glow Awakening Blush that I love so much, both of which come with brushes….so I don’t need to keep getting ANOTHER brush (or velveteen pouch) each time I repurchase. A refill pan for $10 or 15 less than the fully packaged one would be nice and make sense because their packaging is pretty substantial and really not at all reusable once the product is used up. The same goes for the Guerlain lipsticks (I think it’s the ones being discontinued now) – here in Canada, they are $60 per tube and the tubes are pretty snazzy and certainly could be re-used if refills were made for them at $30 or so per lipstick (still pricey but better than $60 each time and a lovely tube tossed into the garbage and not even recycle-able)
I’m completely on board with that, though invariably people then complain about the cost of the compact etc. I’ve see. It frequently enough here regarding CdP, but it’s exactly what we’re asking for.
For personal convenience, I totally agree with what you say, Christine, about space saving.
And even though it’s something easily overlooked, there are also environmental concerns. At some point in time, most plastic will wind up in a land fill. And I don’t like to feel that I am leaving stuff behind that our kids and the earth have to deal with.
Moreover, most plastic is made from petroleum products, which have always been considered “cheap” because up until recently, most of us haven’t been looking at how producing fossil fuels affects changing weather. This is something that 98% of the world’s climate scientists agree upon. And it should not be regarded as a “political” topic because no politicians that I have seen have addressed it as is warranted. This is about the quality of life the next generations will have.
For me, that means that I would try to especially avoid products with wasteful packaging. The Jeremy Scott collection typifies this– poor quality eye shadows and wasteful packaging. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Viseart, with outstanding quality, and simple packaging. And there’s a lot in between. Knowing this, for me, the packaging does not need to be costly, alluring or whatever for me to buy it. It’s all about what lies inside. Which is why I rely on your reviews as so many of us do.
The beauty world is showing leadership in diversity and inclusion, in cruelty-free values for animals and more. And I feel we can also be savvy and support companies that use the earth’s limited resources wisely rather than carelessly.
hear, hear!!
The scary thing here is that Origins used to welcome any cosmetic product for recycling.
They stopped that about a year ago.
I guess it was too much to lessen the load of glass/plastic containers on the environment. ?
Agreed on functional and space saving, and for me solid enough for travel is preferred. From there — very oddly shaped or cutesy packaging is a non-starter; elegant, attractive packaging may sway me to buy an otherwise “maybe” item, though packaging that seems to be the major part of a very expensive item’s cost can turn a ‘maybe’ into a no.
I like sleek, modern packaging with a little bit of heft. I tend to avoid packaging with cartoon drawings or immature themes.
Absolutely agree.
i’m usually dismayed by packaging that has a round or domed cover as it’s difficult to store or stack them. otherwise, agree with you about functionality and a good use of space.
My only real concern is that it properly protects the product. My, how alliterative! 🙂 So skincare products should ideally be in opaque, airtight containers that I don’t need to dip my fingers into, and cosmetics … well it depends on the cosmetic. Foundations would be like skincare (except for the “opaque” part). Pencils should have caps that don’t pop off if you push them down hard enough to catch. Palettes should have either cream or powder, or if there’s a mix, it should be somehow separated from each other while the palette is in use. Also, palettes should close nicely and stay closed (magnets are nice, but there are other ways to handle this). Everything else would be as you imagine.
I don’t really care about space-saving or travel-worthiness. It’s nice if a palette isn’t ridiculously oversized, but if there’s an aesthetic reason for the size, I’ll accept it.
I want the packing to be really sturdy. Either plastic or cardboard is fine, but I hate it when a small drop results in shattering your powder product.
For example, if I carry a powder compact in my purse, it should be fine rattling around a little bit. If the packaging cracks or falls open, it will spill broken powder over everything in my purse— wallet, keys, etc. The packaging has to be strong AND stay clasped closed.
It’s one the reasons I dislike drugstore brands. The product itself may be a great dupe for a prestige brand, but I don’t actually save any money if it breaks in my makeup bag and falls apart. And what a mess.
I 100% agree. I hate seeing all the space between pans. Also palettes that are unnecessarily thick for no reason or thick jars and bulky lids.
I want packaging that functions properly and isn’t hard to use, and that doesn’t break or fall apart easily. Lipstick lids should stay on inside my bag.
I wish more of it were recyclable.
I don’t have any. I buy acrylic organizers and manage everything that way. Often packaging is a deciding factor if I will or will not purchase something. (Case in point – Pat McGrath and Fenty. Both are on my radar but I don’t like Fenty’s cheap-looking honeycomb packaging and I don’t like PML’s imagery on some of the packaging. I love the luxe packaging of the actual palette, but the overall tone of the static imagery on the boxes and on her site has this sort of haunting, Marilyn Mansonesque vibe). It doesn’t need to have a certain shape, but I’m a sucker for luxe packaging with some heft. Bonus points if there is a magnetic catch or audible click when it closes.
I read this questions as shape or dimension requirements. Apparently I do have concerns, just not with the physical packaging per se.
I have a lot of issues with plastic hinges. The ones at the back of the product often break (Chanel and NYX both). And some front hinges are hard to open without risking a broken nail. And I agree with all of the comments made above.
NO weird difficult to store or to use packaging, please! I don’t want or need something that I cannot just store either flat or upright in a row in a drawer, ie; a cathedral shaped eyeshadow palette. Half moon shapes aren’t so easy to store, either. Definitely prefer hard pressed cardboard over plastic most of the time. It’s way sleeker, usually has good magnetic closures, and is biodegradable. For lipsticks, I prefer a good, snug closing sound or feel when I reclose them. And I abhor flimsy, cheap feeling thin plastic packaging! Especially on something that costs more than $5 or $6!
My biggest concern is skincare packaging. I wish all of them had vacuum pumps or other options for dispensing that weren’t unsanitary or ruined efficacy by letting air in. I will often take jars and as quickly as possible transfer product into vacuum pump containers I’ve saved or bought.
I’m really starting to get bothered by how wasteful it is. I really wish more brands had recycling programs like MAC, or at least offered refills. I realize it’s not possible for all products, i.e. mascara/liner/etc, but this concept should really become industry standard now. I hate the amount of garbage that’s produced with beauty products!
My concern with packaging is when the brand spends more time and effort on the packaging and not the product – I am looking at you Too Faced!
The packaging, after all, gets put into the recycling bin.
The container, in which the product is held, should be sturdy and functional – without taking up too much space. It also needs to be of a shape that can easily be stored or travelled with.
I like pretty packaging, but sturdiness is probably the most important feature for me.
Oh my gosh, my feelings about packaging are so numerous that I am not sure there is enough space on the blog. In addition to all the comments I have read here I feel like even the packaging to get things through the mail is ridiculous. I ordered a lipstick and when it came it came in a 5 x 10 x 3 box. This is one tiny little lipstick. I appreciate that they wrapped it well but it could have been wrapped well in 1/4 less packaging.
So much this!
I hate any packaging that’s hard to.open or close. Its a deal breaker. If I have to chip my nail polish to pry it open, get product on my clothes, lose product because its consistency changed from improper closing…its a no.
I’m all for cardboard packaging. The lighter, the better! When I fly, I want my luggage to be as compact and as light as possible. For that reason, I love when a palette doesn’t have a mirror. When purchasing the Pat McGrath Sublime palette, it’s its weight that held me back, not the price. I like when the packaging is cute and girly, or very chic and lady-like, but to me, it (almost) comes down to the weight and the space. And the quality, of course.
I prefer that all packaging be opaque to protect the product from light damage (I have found that light can damage color products like bluesh & eyeshadow over time as well as harm ingredients in skin care.)
I prefer lightweight yet sturdy packaging that will not break and will help keep the product from shattering or breaking. I love the cardboard packaging with magnetic closures that’s now so popular!
I love refillable compacts & lippies but only if they are practically designed and lightweight. I buy a lot of makeup in east Asia (Japan, SKorea, Singapore, Malaysia) and luxury brands often provide elegant, beautiful, refillable, enameled compacts with purchase. It’s is very prestigious to whip a gorgeous compact or lippy out of one’s $$$s handbag in Asia. Even American brands like Estee Lauder & Elizabeth Arden gift these ornate compacts when you make a purchase of a given amount. Anyway, although beautiful these metal compacts are so darned heavy that you can’t carry more than one or two in your handbag without adding a kilo or so in weight. So they get left at home on the vanity.
I do not like cutesy packaging with drawings or garish prints. Sleek, elegant, and minimalistic is my preference.
Without reiterating a lot of what he touched upon, I really don’t get why lipsticks aren’t all comingwith msgnetic closures for the cap and tube. Odd shapes packaging for palettes has been covered, but I’ll echo it on lipsticks as well. Lipstick and gloss tubes that done have at least one flat bottom drive me nuts these days. They’re impossible to store when they’re not in use. I don’t use lipstick towers, so maybe that helps, but I prefer to store mine upright and ideally with the bottom label up so I can find the colors I want easily.
Overpackaging is a pet peeve for me. Example is Dior highlighters. Also a big no for me is packaging like Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer. It always gets great reviews, but the rounded, bulky packaging takes up so much space and is awkward.
I’d like packaging to always be recyclable and for the pots to be easy to remove. I de-pot everything eventually and hate struggling to do so and then having to put trash in a landfill.
I prefer safe packaging such as Elf and NARS products have simple but do perform. Or cardboard if sturdy also Colourpop. I agree with the Physician’s Formula butter bronzer being a bit bulky also many of Milani bronzers and the latest highliters which I got two in clearance last night at Target cause my mind works like Nemo in the beauty isles. I do love Milani they have good products. The rose designed blush and matching small roses highliters were round but more flat i don’t mind so I can yet add more but my already fun overloading collection but yeah, too large/bulky palettes I do not appreciate. I also dont care much for a mirror unless I’m traveling and even them I usually only carry tons of lipstick, Chapstick instead of powdery items which if broken turns into a big mess all over my purse. Beautiful packaging is nice but the beside us what counts just like in a person.