4 Key Global Trends for Packaging in Beauty and Personal Care

Toiletries continue to dominate volumes of packaging

Within beauty and personal care, toiletries remain the largest generator of packaging volumes, led by bath and shower, hair care and oral care. While the main pack types for these applications, rigid plastic and flexible packaging, largely dominate beauty packaging, baby and child-specific as well as premium beauty products offer strong prospects for growth.

Growth opportunities in developing regions thanks to changing habits

In developing countries, demographic factors such as rising disposable income or urbanisation as well as change in legislation are impacting product consumption and therefore packaging, with consumers slowly moving away from single-use flexible plastic and increasingly adopting HDPE bottles and squeezable plastic tubes.

Value continue to be a key purchasing criteria

Globally, consumers continue to chose smaller pack sizes for immediate affordability in essential toiletries but also in discretionary products such as premium fragrances. Family sizes and alternative pack types such as pouches offer value too.

More functional packaging in developing countries

Consumers being more nomadic, brand owners have to respond to their needs offering beauty products with pack sizes that fit their bags or airport security but also products that offer ease of dispensing (such as lotion pumps and aerosols) and that can be applied on the go.

Towards greener packaging

With consumers increasingly aware of the impact of packaging globally, brand owners are more and more active offering greener packaging, from using recycled plastics to lighter packaging, compressed deodorants, refill pouches, many initiatives show that the packaging manufacturers and brand owners are going towards more sustainability.