'It's so aesthetic!'

Bold, playful beauty and wellness packaging will top the trends in 2023

Cosmetics and wellness products are often at the leading edge of design trends. It's a saturated market and the packaging must stand out on the shelf. Customers are buying these products because they are interested in beauty and health so, naturally, they are making snap judgments about which packages reflect the aesthetic they seek.
In the cosmetics aisle, the consumer is shopping for an experience—something that makes them look and feel a certain way—and that begins on the outside of the box.

From 'clean' to 'conscious.'
Fast Company writes, "According to Shopify, four of the top five trending beauty brands over Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2022 were clean skin-care brands." Shopify also found that 63% of consumers are more likely to recommend a product if they believe it's less harmful to the environment.
 
Ironically, the term "clean" has gotten a little muddied over the last few years, with no collective or regulated definition in the health and wellness sector, other than a focus on natural ingredients. Some brands are moving toward "conscious" as a descriptor, which includes product ingredients, but also low-impact packaging and a low carbon footprint supply chain.
 
This move toward the intersection of beauty and wellness is influencing package design in several ways.
 
Beauty retailer LOOKFANTASTIC predicts "super sustainability" is on the horizon for 2023 with an increased demand for refillable and reusable packaging. In addition, designers are riding a trend called informatism, which is about the "design revealing all the lab details, providing every bit of data, numbers and diagrams." Product information considered to be otherwise dull is in fact showcased in a beautiful way on the outside of the package.
 
"The packaging takes us on the creative journey, making us appreciate the product we see before us today," JDO's Global Head of Strategy, Ed Silk said in a recent CreativeBoom post. "It's innovation with a passion for sharing the spirit of the invention. Although restrained, these designs are never boring; they ensure our focus stays on the vision realised."

Where texture meets touchability.
For luxury cosmetics and wellness packaging, texture is still tops. Tactile experiences draw consumers in. People literally reach for things that offer an experience beyond the visual.
 
A national study by the paper and packaging board revealed that paperboard boxes are extremely popular with consumers, especially when well designed and branded.

• 68% of consumers said they were most likely to buy something in a paper or cardboard package if given a choice between paper or plastic.
• 63% of consumers said they were more likely to buy products packaged in paper or cardboard because they could reuse the packaging.
• 63% of consumers said that paper and cardboard packaging makes a product seem premium or high quality.

In addition, 83% agreed that paper and cardboard packaging can be innovative. In fact, most respondents said it allows for more creative packaging designs than other packaging materials (75%) and that products packaged in paper or cardboard seem more artisanal or handcrafted (69%).
At Carlson Print Group, we specialize in these kinds of artisanal and touchable experiences. We can help you pop your brand off the package with embossing, debossing, artistic die-cuts, foils, embellishments, and finishes. You can also add plastic for sheen and holographic effects, corrugation or recycled paper for a rough feel, or even personalization and special inks using our Scodix press that incorporates a variety of tactile and visual enhancements.
 
Flashy, bright colors for the win in 2023.
Bold is the new black this year. Look for eccentric, clashing colors in wraparound designs. Leading-edge designers are leaning into saturated hues and bold swaths of color. Even in the luxury cosmetics market, where packaging designs have traditionally been understated or minimalist, we see wild, playful designs that entice our inner child.
Illustrations, scrawling text, and vintage 70s palettes and shapes are all influencing buying among Millennials and Gen Zs, who—like all of us—are ready for some fun.
 
Whatever packaging trend speaks to your brand in 2023, Carlson Print Group will help you get from design to market with our cost-effective, digital specialty printing options. Click or call today for a fresh start.