Berlin Packaging’s personal care packaging trends highlight sustainable materials and reusable formats

26 May 2021 --- Hybrid packaging supplier Berlin Packaging has released a market trend report for personal care packaging highlighting sustainable materials and reusable packaging.

The five-page report provides insight into the trends driving packaging innovation and consumer purchasing patterns within the personal care industry, including a focus on health and hygiene.

Sustainable materials
Consumers are increasingly looking to support brands that align with their values – and environmental responsibility is among the values they prioritize, Berlin Packaging says. 

“While sustainability may have been overshadowed during the height of COVID-19, consumers feel it is now as important as ever.” 

Packaging often plays a key role in a company’s sustainability initiatives, and consumers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly options, the company notes. 

This includes recyclable packaging, reduced packaging and packaging with sustainable materials, such as post-consumer recycled plastic, ocean-bound plastic, bio-plastics, and bamboo.

Innova Market Insights previously revealed its Top Packaging Trends 2021 in collaboration with PackagingInsights. Trend three is “Fiber-Based Frenzy,” which flags innovation in plastic-replacement fiber-based solutions. 

This sector is booming as brands explore plastic waste escape routes and new connections with the enlarging eco-conscious consumer base. More stringent regulations are driving the transition from single-use plastics to fiber-based alternatives. Packaging often plays a key role in a company’s sustainability initiatives, and consumers are willing to pay more for eco-friendly options, the company notes. 

According to Innova Market Insights’ 2021 survey, half of US consumers (49%) regard packaging’s recyclability as its most important sustainability credential, followed by reusability (44%) and recycled material use (35%). Meanwhile, 72 percent of global consumers and 62 percent of US consumers recognize paper’s exceptional recyclability.

Interestingly, 46 percent of global consumers would accept decreased product shelf life if it meant more sustainable packaging, the market researcher says..

Refill and reuse
Another trend identified by Berlin Packaging is refillable and reusable solutions. Refillable packaging can allow for high-quality, durable (often premium) materials to be used for “forever” dispensers, while reduced, recycled or recyclable packaging is suitable for the refills, the company notes. 

In addition to refill systems, some companies utilize packaging that can be easily repurposed and reused. Echoing this, Innova Market Insights pegged “Reusable Revolution” as one of the top packaging trends of 2021.

Reusable packaging is increasingly recognized as crucial to waste reduction, with wide-ranging support from NGOs, regulatory bodies and consumers. According to the market researcher, the majority of global consumers (52%) believe reusable packaging is the most sustainable model, followed by recyclable (50%) and recycled (39%), biodegradable (31%) and compostable (24%) (2021).

Personalization
Another trend in Berlin Packaging’s list are personalized solutions. The company says today’s consumers want products tailored to their own individual preferences, interests and needs. 

These personalized products are viewed as being more effective and providing a unique value and point-of-difference, which can result in higher consumer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

Consumers want products tailored to their own individual preferences, interests and needs. With this in mind, personal care industry behemoth Beiersdorf is investing in a new personalized skin care start-up called Routinely, which offers digital, personalized skin care with real-time app measurements for tailored solutions.

Hygiene focus
The pandemic has also increased the awareness of the important connection between health and hygiene, leading to shifts in consumer attitudes, behaviors and expectations, says Berlin Packaging.

Packaging is no longer just about protecting the product inside but providing assurance that it is safe to handle and use. 

This is especially important within the personal care category, where beauty routines often involve handling multiple different packs and formulations before touching one’s mouth, eyes and other body parts. 

Other hygienic packaging solutions include single-use formats and anti-microbial coatings that act as a protective barrier against germs.

Innova Market Insights’ trend four is “Hygiene Heroics” and according to its consumer survey, 59 percent of global consumers believe packaging’s protective function is more important since the virus outbreak (2021).

Consumers mostly support the increased use of plastic for hygiene during the pandemic. While 20 percent of global consumers favor more plastics, 42 percent see them as an undesirable necessity at this time.

PackagingInsights previously spoke with experts from Berry Global, SABIC and Baralan, who discussed challenges in achieving environmentally sustainable packaging and spotlighted trending eco-friendly materials.

By Kristiana Lalou