The cosmetics market is always growing and is proving itself as a profitable way to make money by selling products online. With more demand for cosmetics products comes more competition; in order to stay ahead of everyone else, you need to set yourself apart with your product offering.

One of the biggest considerations for distinguishing yourself from similar cosmetics products is through your product design and the packaging it comes in. The packaging of your products and sample products are the first impression a customer has of your product before using it.

At Fillcon, we are one of the UK’s leading cosmetic sample filling providers. We have more than 10 years’ experience in working with cosmetic brands develop their product packaging and samples. In this guide we’ll discuss how you can choose the best packaging for your products and the best cosmetic sample packaging options available for attracting new customers.

Define your Brand and Target Market

The initial stage of any business or product development involves market research and setting objectives. A good way to approach this would be starting with your target market. Think about who you want to sell your products to and who would buy your products.

Developing a consumer profile would be a good idea but you don’t need to define all the specifics yet so don’t worry about completely segmenting your market yet though. The most important factors to begin with are demographics; how old are your customers? What is their income or marital status.

From these considerations you can start to build a brand and figure out how you can appeal to potential customers. For example, a younger target market might prefer more colourful, unique and trendy packaging and older customers might prefer a more subtle and elegant packaging. For eco-conscious buyers, you may want to use Polypropylene(PP) sachets, which can easily be recycled at local shopping centres.

For the most part, your brand name, colour palette and graphic designs should be eye-catching in order to stand out. Both your product packaging and sample packaging should communicate your brand values. For example, more sustainable or luxurious products should highlight or reflect these aspects of your brand.

Designing your Cosmetic Products and Samples

Product Design is a crucial part of any product offering, there are a few factors that you need to consider when designing a product as it includes both the look of the product and the actual type of packaging that will be used.

As mentioned above, design aspects like colour, graphic designs and the focal point of your product offering on the packaging can have a huge impact. Think of popular brands and how they communicate their value and then decide how you will approach product design.

Most cosmetic brands go for a more minimalistic design that’s still elegant and catches your attention such as L’Oréal and Clinique. You can use this an opportunity to distinguish your brand by either having more risky designs or a broader range of colours. If your product has a natural ingredient or is sustainably made, then a small design communicating this could be a good idea.

For cosmetic samples, you might want to play it a bit safer as the size of the samples will restrict you from being too adventurous. Try to stick to some sort of colour palate though and make sure your brand logo is central along with any unique features of your product.

At Fillcon, we work with partners to print and manufacture sample sachets, we will work with you to produce cost effective and eco-friendly cosmetic samples which highlight your business in the best light.

Learn more about sample sachets with Fillcon >

Choosing the Right Sample Packaging for your Cosmetic Products

In terms of attracting new customers and growing your cosmetics business, product samples are paramount, and their packaging is therefore equally as important as the packaging of your products.

There are a few options available for product samples, and these different types of packaging can be used for different purposes they can also help communicate your branding differently. The cosmetic sampling filling options that we provide include:

Although you might be restricted to a certain type of packaging depending on how you provide customers with samples, it is always a good idea to go with the type of packaging that will leave the best impression.

For example, cosmetic bottles and tubes can help provide a more lasting impression for customers and if it is a small version of your actual product then it gives a realistic and complete trial experience for your customers.

Learn more about the important considerations for packaging liquids >

That’s not to say that sachets are not a good choice for your cosmetics, they can be very useful for reaching a wider target market and can be incorporated into a lot more promotional strategies than the other options. They are also more environmentally friendly and sustainable compared to the alternatives.

A sachet, on average uses 70% less plastic than a bottle of the same dosage. Not only are these consuming less raw materials, they are also easier to transport. Taking up less space, more sachets can be placed on lorries and in containers. This reduces the carbon footprint of each sample created, making the samples more sustainable for the planet. Fillcon sachets are also available with an anti-microbial varnish which offers surface protection against, bacteria, fungi, and moulds.

Cosmetic Sample Filling with Fillcon

Choosing the right packaging for your cosmetics is not a simple process, and there are a number of consideration businesses need to take before investing into one option.

At Fillcon we can offer our expert advice on which packaging would be best for your sampling needs, we work with brands big and small to produce cost effective and sustainable sampling solutions. With minimum order quantities starting at 10,000, get in touch with a member of our friendly team to see how we can help you.

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