HAPPI - August 2015

More fragrances are offering
a luxury look and feel with cus-
tomization, “but something as
simple as colorizing the dip tube
is enough to set a brand apart
from other fragrances,” Keklik
insisted, pointing to Nautica Life
Energy, which rolled out just last
month. It is a “great example of
adding a custom colorized dip
tube to enhance brand image on
the shelf.”
According to Mike Warford
of ABA Packaging Corp., which
represents Heinz Glass and its
line of stock fragrance bottles
produced both in Germany and
Poland, there’s a move toward
using stock bottle designs with a focus on decorative technique
for branding purposes.

“As we carry, and in many cases stock, a large number of high quality fragrance bottle designs, we continue to be a go-to source for them. Our ability to provide decorating, including some of the most cutting edge techniques, help us to support these inquiries,” he said.

Fragrances in luxury aluminum crimp neck and threaded neck bottles are also on the rise.

“This practice is much more advanced in Europe and we are working with Envases in Spain to promote their aluminum bottle products exclusively here in the USA for this market. Their ability to highly decorate their aluminum bottles, inclusive of hot stamping, is helping us to promote this concept,” added Warford.

Even the fragrance’s name can influence bottle design, noted Darryl Do of Delbia Do Company, which offers turnkey manufacturing.

“When we do a turnkey project, the customer usu-
ally gives direction on the components they want us
to put together, color scheme with art. This
helps give direction on bottles, as the name
needs to fit on the front. For short names, or
one word, we can go with a round bottle. The
longer the name, we suggest a flat front so it
all fits and the brand is reflected clearly.”
Glass purveyor SGD has identified the
“mixologist”trend, in which blurred lines be-
tween beauty and technology are becoming
increasingly common with overlaps between
fragrance, skin care, hair care and color
cosmetics.

“The brands take inspiration from com-
pletely different categories to create new
products and marketing messages. This trend creates more op-
portunities for personalization,” noted Sheherazade Chamlou,
vice president, sales and marketing/perfumery division, SGD
North America.

There’s also been a focus on “clean design interpretations
which value simplicity and heavy glass weight, as well as com-
plex shapes with extravagant decorations that refer to luxury
and opulence.”
To that end, Chamlou pointed to I am Juicy Couture by
Elizabeth Arden, which SGD produced. It has a classic decanter
shape with heavy glass weight that presents a sophisticated and
modern silhouette.

Sensorial aspects can also help communicate a brand’s DNA, according to Chamlou. For Narciso, the latest launch from designer Narciso Rodriquez, the brand’s identity and fashion collections are reflected in several ways, including the use of SGD’s patented“Color’in” technology, which keeps the fragrance secret from the eyes of the consumer.

“The inside decoration of the bottle has been an exclusive design of the brand since day one and the white inside color matches the Narciso Rodriquez fashion wardrobe,” said Chamlou.

For fashion designers like Rodriquez, the elements of a fragrance bottle and box are as critical as the lines and fabric featured in their clothing collections.

Take Joseph Abboud, for example, who as chief creative director of Men’s Wearhouse, Inc. has rolled out an eponymous fragrance sold exclusively at Men’s Wearhouse and Joseph Abboud stores.

“Our packaging is very emblematic of a guy with style… herringbone on the front in a beautiful matte textured paper, plaid on the top and on the side my signature that makes it really personalized and shows it is something I really believe in,” he told Happi.

Yet another way brands can set themselves apart in the fragrance category is by offering alternative gestures, according to executives at Aptar. For example, the company has focused in on the visual appeal of its Eternelle bulb atomizer by offering new decorating techniques that provide diverse graphic textile and custom printed design possibilities.