Shiseido harnesses design with usability for free-standing cosmetic spatula container

13 Sep 2022 --- Shiseido has developed an “easy-to-open” cosmetic container with a clean spatula holder stand, achieving high useability by optimizing the design. According to the company, well designed cosmetic containers add to consumer satisfaction and provide a sense of added quality to the product.

Shiseido says containers must fulfill their primary function to store contents and also provide ease of use, and that design features should embody the brand’s worldview and sense of luxury which meets the consumers’ psychological comfort.

The new container will be used for Benefique Luxe Rebloom Night Cream, which will be launched on September 21.

Design versus usability
The cosmetic spatula is noted to give the product a sense of value-added quality and cleanliness. The issue highlighted with the older model is the lack of storage space in a container after use. 

Additionally, the container size and lid shape can pose restrictions for allowing spatulas to be stored cleanly and independently. The technical challenge lies between design and usability. 

Shiseido’s technical solution to the bulky and low design was to apply the new “built-in rotation control mechanism” to the lid. Using this, it was able to develop a container with a good design featuring a free-standing spatula holder that is sealed with the contents. The container size and lid shape can pose restrictions for allowing spatulas to be stored cleanly and independently. Credit: Shiseido. 

“High technical hurdles”
The research was conducted based on Functionality/Japan Quality, aiming to achieve high functionality and design to satisfy consumer emotional values. 

The company reports experiencing “high technical hurdles” in developing a container with a free-standing spatula holder with good design. 

“The main issue was a restriction in positioning the inner container, which is attached to the inside of the outer container along with the spatula,” says the company.

“When closing the lid with the existing mechanism, the spatula comes into contact with the inner side of the lid, misaligning the centers of the inner and outer containers and the lid, hindering it from sealing the inner container,” continues the company. 

So, by installing the “built-in rotation control mechanism” in the inner part of the lid, the internal top stops rotating once it reaches its position that does not contact the spatula. Once the inner top stops turning, the outer lid continues to spin like a regular lid until the product is fully closed. 

This way, the spatula can remain standing without poking out while staying at a height that is easy for users to pick. The product design is also noted to be compatible with refillable containers. 

In other recent packaging development, Shiseido Company, Sekisui Chemical and Sumitomo Chemical launched a joint initiative where used plastic cosmetics containers will be collected, converted into other resources and materials and recycled back into plastic cosmetics containers. 

Edited by Venya Patel