COSME Week Tokyo 2025: Personal care packaging shines with vibrant design and sustainability

The cosmetic packaging industry in Asia is embracing sustainability and colorful design, driven by consumer demand for eco-friendly products and eye-catching aesthetics. At COSME Week Tokyo 2025, Packaging Insights speaks to Asian companies about evolving consumer preferences.

In East Asia, consumer behaviors are influenced by the regional culture. Yumi Saito, sales manager at MYC Packaging Group in China, tells us: “Particularly in the Japanese and other Asian markets, the demand for makeup from women is very high. In Asia, there is a greater emphasis on dopamine color palettes in packaging design, which are more visually appealing. ”

Dopamine color palettes feature vibrant red, orange and yellow hues that are associated with mood-enhancing visuals.

“Since e-commerce is very popular in Asia, consumers often judge products by their unique appearance online. In this regard, cosmetic packaging plays a significant role in attracting female consumers,” says Saito.

Cultural creativity

According to Saito, the demand for visually appealing packaging in Asia is particularly pronounced. Thus, the company is looking into developing trendy, hygienic and innovative packaging that aligns with seasonal color palettes and inspiration from fashion trends.

“Women often make purchasing decisions based on the outer packaging before considering the product’s functionality. These designs contrast with European minimalism, which often favors monochrome tones like black and white,” she says.

Colorful Wishes combines the colors of origami cranes with the natural texture of paper materials.Adding a cultural dimension, Crown Package develops packaging materials from recycled origami cranes. Each year, approximately 10 million colorful origami cranes are sent to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park as symbols of peace. 

Through the “Origami Crane Recycling Model Project,” these beautiful cranes are transformed into vibrant, socially conscious packaging material called “colorful wishes.”

Ryoichiro Morishita, a representative from Crown Package, tells us: “This initiative addresses the disposal issue of folded paper cranes and allows companies to highlight their social contributions.”

Sustainable innovations

MYC Packaging Group is focusing on sustainability, which has been a big trend in the Asian market. The company produces eco-friendly materials which are fully reusable and recyclable.

“Our factories in China and Italy are designed as green factories, reducing carbon emissions and environmental impact,” says Saito.

Metal packaging, another staple in MYC’s portfolio, offers a premium look that appeals to high-end brands and can be recycled. “Metal and aluminum packaging exude quality and reflect the brand position,” she adds. MYC Packaging Group develops new shapes for cosmetic packaging.

Morishita echoes the trend, suggesting the industry’s trajectory reflects a commitment to environmental responsibility.

“In Japan, contributing to the environment is a well-established corporate mission, and we make products for such customers. All the packaging on display at the trade show today is made from paper and cartons,” he says.

“The most popular carton packaging we have combines a shipping box and a display box for personal care products. It is often used in Japanese supermarkets. Conventionally, two different types of boxes were used, one for delivery and one for display. Our innovation can combine the two into one and has been praised for sustainability and improving work efficiency when displaying products.”