Multisensory beauty packaging attracts Gen Z shoppers as playful aesthetics drive purchases

24 Aug 2023 --- The importance of multisensory packaging for the beauty industry among Gen Z consumers is more pronounced than ever, highlights a report by event company Easyfairs. Look, touch and smell should all be considered to appeal to today’s youngest customers. Suppliers, brands and marketers across the board have taken notice of this pivotal engagement driver, which has evolved their strategies. 

Easyfairs says that while trends come and go in this day and age, exceptional packaging remains a constant, and the beauty sector’s need for aesthetically pleasing packaging is more important than ever.

The report calls multisensory packaging, environmental sustainability and the attraction of the unboxing experience crucial factors for beauty brands to consider when designing product packaging. 

Fenty Beauty uses touch as a means to engage consumers with its packaging (Image credit: Fenty Beauty).Haptic effects create allure
According to Easyfairs, Gen Z craves tangible connections more than ever. Brands are incorporating haptic effects – unique textures, finishes and shapes that demand to be touched, creating allure to be grabbed off the shelf.

The company names Glossier as an example, known for its minimalist aesthetic and clean beauty products. The makeup and skin care company has designed its packaging to be visually appealing, tactile and functional, with soft-touch materials and pastel colors that resonate with Gen Z.

Fenty Beauty’s Killawatt Freestyle Highlighter, for example, features a unique magnetic closure system that gives a satisfying click when opened and closed, enhancing the overall user experience.

Regarding the inclusion of scent on the packaging, Easyfairs cites that a person’s sense of smell profoundly impacts memory and emotions. This makes fragrance fusion a powerful tool in beauty packaging.

For example, Viktor & Rolf, the avant-garde luxury fashion house’s fragrance Flowerbomb, comes in a diamond-cut bottle with a multifaceted glass design. The bottle emits a subtle scent, adding to the luxurious experience.

Jo Malone, well-known for its fragrances and luxurious packaging, sells many of their products, like perfumes and candles, in boxes delicately scented with the signature fragrance of the product inside.

From a supplier standpoint, ingredient formulators have been heightening focus on the connection between scent and emotion as well. Fragrance house Firmenich introduced a range of fragrances branded Focus, powered by EmotiCODE. The scents are designed to give consumers the benefit of improved focus and help them get into a state of flow.

Unboxing experiences for Gen Z customers are becoming increasingly popular on social media apps (Image credit: Charlotte Tilbury).In general branding, the study of smell is being explored more in depth in marketing strategies. Fragrance house Givaudan recently kickstarted a project that uses neuroscience and AI to translate scent profiles into color patterns for better fragrance branding. The company aims to broaden its “feel colors, smell emotions” approach in perfumery.

Appealing to eco-conscious consumers
Easyfairs says for Gen Z, environmental sustainability isn’t just another fad but a way of life as they have “grown up with it.”

“They seek products that align with their values, and packaging plays a crucial role in this equation.”

The report also calls attention to the increased pressure beauty brands are under to use eco-conscious materials like bamboo, cork, bio-based compostable materials and recycled plastics that offer a range of tactile benefits and are also kinder to the environment.

Environmentally sustainable materials like cartons, paper, renewable and recycled plastics, refillable containers and end-of-life solutions that divert waste from landfills are all growing in popularity.

Easyfairs says REN, Lush, Aveda, and L’Occitane prioritize ethical packaging options, sending “a powerful message of commitment to the planet.”

Importance of unboxing 
Unboxing has become a ritual for Gen Z consumers with social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

Scent evokes memories making it a useful addition to beauty packaging (Image credit: Viktor & Rolf).To keep up, brands are creating thoughtful, Instagram-worthy packaging that reflects the product’s essence and makes unboxing an event to remember. With the addition of personalized messages to surprise trinkets tucked inside, each package is designed to evoke excitement and foster a sense of connection with the brand.

Easyfairs names Charlotte Tilbury as taking “TikTok by storm” with the unboxing videos of their Mystery Boxes. The brand periodically releases these beauty sets, filled with full-sized, undisclosed items.

These elevated unboxing experiences result in a growing community of beauty enthusiasts eagerly sharing their unboxing process, spreading the brand’s message.

In other market research coverage of Gen Z engagement strategies, tech specialist Bolt released its analysis of how AI is increasingly driving purchases among young shoppers who are delighted by the concept of trying cosmetics virtually using smart digital programs before committing to a product.

Earlier this month, Spate released consumer research on which TikTok trends and brands the beauty industry should be narrowing focus on. 

By Sabine Waldeck