There are numerous product categories. They are skincare, haircare, fragrance, personal care, and color cosmetics.

Color cosmetics include foundations, lipsticks, and eye shadows. Over-the-counter (OTC) also falls under this category. OTC refers to products purchased without a prescription from a doctor. For example, skin tint with SPF.

As you can see, the product forms for color cosmetics are rather general. But, there are classifications inside each subcategory. Eye shadow, for example, can be further divided into creams, powders, and hybrids, such as demi press, slurry, and amorphous textures.

A baked powder is a product that undergoes a particular high-temperature curing or baking process to provide a product that is both wearable and weightless on the skin.

A slurry powder is an example of a powder subcategory. This technique converts powder into a mud-like consistency. It also produces a dry powder that’s ultra creamy and smooth.

The industry is moving toward hybrids due to our need for innovation and multi-use products. A hybrid combines qualities from two or more groups. A moisturizer with color and SPF, such as a BB cream, is an example. Another example is a pearl-infused primer that contains a skin-brightening cream.

The distinctions between skincare and cosmetics are becoming increasingly blurred. Transformative textures for tactile and visual senses, such as powder to lotion, cream to water, oil to lotion, cream to oil, foam to liquid, or new color forms, such as color shifting, transforming, and encapsulating, are becoming essential.

Swirl technology combines a variety of uses and colors into a single composition. It isn’t only visually appealing in lip gloss, lips, creams, hybrids, foundations, tints, skin creams, and primers. Special effects are especially significant since they provide various benefits while also satisfying a craving for beauty.

These ingredients provide a new texture or advantage that you can add to these formulas. Infusing a skin tint with extra moisturizers for quick hydration, SPF in a lipstick, and highlighters in a concealer are just a few examples.

We fragrance everything from perfume to bath and body products, cleaning products, household products, and home fragrances.
We may not realize it, but all products have a base odor. Fragrance is then used to either mask or neutralize a scent, or to add something new to the product.
The addition of fragrance is used to enhance the experience of consumers and meet their needs or demands. Specific fragrances can target specific consumers. It’s often cultural and demographic tastes that dictate what we gravitate towards. We tend to look towards what we’re familiar with.
The generations also provide different tastes and influences. Socio and economic factors can change the trends in architecture and colors. Fragrances really mirror those trends. For example, younger generations prefer fruity fragrances, while older generations may have grown up with floral, green, powder, or heavier scents.
Another example is that American cleaning products are fragranced with pine and citrus notes, while Latin American cleaning products are fragranced with lavender. Baby products in the US use powdery notes, while in Europe orange flower and citrus notes are used for baby products.
We’re also drawn to fragrances that make us feel positive emotions like feeling special, powerful, confident, sexy, successful, clean, energized, or relaxed. Sometimes we select a fragrance based on the mood that we’re in or the experience that we’re going to have for the day. Citrus notes, for example, are energizing notes and make us feel fresh and clean. Heady floral fragrances in ambers and woods can make us feel sexy or feminine. And in the workplace, we might want to choose a fragrance that is not too intrusive or distracting but makes us feel confident.
In a competitive environment, fragrance can really make or break the viability and success of any given product. If you don’t like the way something smells, it will be hard to purchase it for the second time. Fragrance is the key.

We understand a lot more about marketing than we used to. An important part of the marketing process is identifying and analyzing your target customer.

After this point, the marketing process involves creating your first product and deciding on a price. Once you’ve set your price, you need to find ways to distribute it and promote it.

Marketing professionals use a tool called the marketing mix to help build their businesses and organize products.

The marketing mix is sometimes referred to as the ‘Four P Model’. But what are the ‘four P’s?

The first P is product. What kind of product is your target customer going to be interested in? For example, if you own a fragrance brand, consider the different aromas that people enjoy in each area of your target demographic. Different fragrances will be popular in different countries and even within the different regions of each country.

The important thing is to understand your customer and develop a product that’s going to appeal to them.

The second P is price. It’s not only important to have a product that is going to appeal to your target customer, but you have to have a product that your target customer can afford.

Make sure the price matches the product. Take a look at what kind of products are sold by other companies and compare them to your product. You can use this comparison to determine your price. Set your price so that it is accessible to your customers but will also provide you with a profit so you can grow a successful business.

The third P is called place or placement. You might also hear marketers call this distribution. This involves finding a place to sell your product, whether that’s in a brick-and-mortar store or online.

The final P is promotion. This involves communication and advertising to let your customers know about your product.

The role of a packaging designer is both critical and multifaceted. These designers collaborate closely with an interdisciplinary team that includes marketing experts, designers, engineers, researchers, material specialists, suppliers, manufacturers, and production teams. Their ultimate goal? To transform a product from concept to a shelf-ready marvel. Candace Allenson, a seasoned professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), sheds light on the critical role packaging designers play in preparing a product for its market debut.

The Workspace of a Packaging Designer

A common inquiry among those intrigued by the field of beauty packaging design relates to the environments in which these creatives operate. Marianne Klimchuk, a design professor at FIT, notes the curiosity of online beauty education students regarding not just the types of companies packaging designers collaborate with, but also the nature of their workspaces. In today’s digital era, the landscape of design agencies stretches globally, allowing packaging designers the flexibility to work from virtually anywhere. Whether it’s a cozy home office or a bustling design agency, the work environment can vary significantly.

A Global Network of Specialized Agencies

What sets apart packaging design in the beauty industry is the presence of specialized agencies focused solely on this niche. Unlike general graphic design firms or advertising agencies, these specialized entities are dedicated to the art and science of beauty packaging. Working on projects for both small firms and major brands, such as Glossier, packaging designers find themselves in diverse team settings, from small creative clusters to large interdisciplinary groups.

The Creative Environment

The physical workspace of a packaging designer is often designed to stimulate creativity and foster collaboration. It’s a space brimming with visual inspiration, from desktop computers to an array of design tools, packaging samples, and sources of inspiration. This environment mirrors that of architects and graphic designers, where the ambiance is crafted to enhance creativity, inspire innovation, and facilitate teamwork. For freelance designers or those with work-from-home arrangements, creating a personal workspace that echoes these principles is key to producing amazing packaging designs.

Crafting Packaging Designs in Beauty

The journey to creating compelling and effective packaging designs in the beauty industry is intricate and rewarding. For aspiring designers or professionals looking to deepen their understanding and skills in beauty packaging, specialized education can be a game-changer.

Whether you’re new to the field or seeking to advance your career, many of online beauty courses offer comprehensive insights into the world of beauty packaging design. These courses can provide a blend of theoretical knowledge and practical application, preparing students for success in this exciting industry.

Take the Next Step in Your Beauty Packaging Design Career

If you’re passionate about beauty packaging and eager to make your mark in the industry, exploring specialized education is your next step. Discover how the FIT Beauty Business Essentials Course and the FIT Beauty Industry Essentials Course at Yellowbrick can give you new opportunities and improve your design skills. Start your journey towards becoming a leading packaging designer in the beauty world today!

“All of beauty has changed because of technology,” explains Sophia Panych. “The first is backstage, primarily because I’ve done Fashion Week. I covered Fashion Week for eight years. I’ve gone to Milan and Paris twice a year to cover the shows. And that is something that has completely changed, not just for editors in magazines, but for the people that work backstage-the hair, the makeup artists, the models.”
Technology—and social media—has exposed something that used to be private and secretive. Exclusive is now broken wide open. There are no secrets left.
It’s changed how we talk about beauty makeup trends. Trends don’t really exist anymore because of social media. You get so much information at once, there’s no chance for something to build for six months and become a trend that everybody copies. It’s changed how important Fashion Week is in terms of those beauty trends.
Beauty brands work so fast now. Social media and technology have completely changed how brands strategize their product launches and how they get the news out about products to their consumers. The playing field has changed, and everybody has to shift their strategies and their plans. If the companies are changing their plans, the editors have to change how they cover them. It’s a cycle.
Panych continues, “As an editor, we work a lot faster and produce a lot more content. So that’s another thing that has definitely changed.”

In 2016, the global beauty and personal care industry was valued at almost $444 billion. This dollar amount includes skincare, haircare, color cosmetics, fragrances, and other beauty-related products. This is a very large and profitable industry. Growth is predicted to be positive over the next five years.

So, who are the biggest names in the beauty and personal care industry? Let’s take a look at the top five companies by retail sales volume.

1. The L’Oréal Group is a French corporation that owns L’Oréal and Lancome. For additional information, visit the L’Oréal Group’s website. You’d be surprised at what you’d find, as they’re likely to own one or two of your favorite brands.
2. Procter & Gamble is an American company that makes excellent drugstore items, such as Oil of Olay.
3. Unilever is a large multinational company with a unique history. The company is from both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. They also sell products like Dove all around the world.
4. Colgate-Palmolive is an American company focusing on drugstore beauty and personal care products such as Irish Spring.
5. The Estée Lauder Companies has an extensive luxury portfolio. Tom Ford beauty goods are owned and distributed by this American corporation.

In 2016, the L’Oréal Group took the #1 spot in the beauty and personal care industry. Even though they already have a strong portfolio, they continue to acquire or purchase exciting new brands. For example, they’ve purchased high-growth brands like IT Cosmetics and Urban Decay in recent years.

This article will discuss two aspects of the marketing process: analyzing sales over time and collecting feedback. These details are crucial since you want to know whether your product is a success or not.

Because you’re continuously attempting to improve your customer service, gathering feedback is critical. When it comes to client connection building, the first thing to remember is to make sure you’re offering customers what we call “perceived value” in marketing, which is an essential concept.

Perceived value relates to a customer’s internal assessment of whether a product is worth the price you’re asking. This value is in terms of both money and the time and effort it takes to obtain it. As a result, you’re continually striving to make sure you’re in sync with your customers’ perceptions of value. It would be best if you also kept in mind that customers sometimes misjudge value and cost.

Consider how a rare ingredient for a scent or a special pigment for a cosmetic will significantly increase the price of your product. If your customer doesn’t value the unique ingredient, you’re not going to pay for it because it doesn’t match their perceived value. This area is where you should get input regularly.

You must ensure that your assessment of your proposition’s value correlates to the customer’s sense of value. You’ll do this because you want to build long-term connections with your customers. The main objective of marketing is to increase consumer loyalty. You strive to gain and build long-term relationships with your customers.

Repeat customers are more likely to generate more profits for your business. The 80/20 rule in marketing suggests that 20% of your clients account for 80% of your profits, which is a significant amount of money. You should make a considerable effort to cultivate long-term customers.

To do so, you must first figure out what their needs and wants are. A customer’s need is something they can’t live without. Customers crave or desire something based on their personality, culture, or society. Marketers of beauty products and fragrances tend to focus on wants rather than needs. To establish a devoted customer base, you’ll need to concentrate on this topic.

Attracting customers and keeping customers are two separate matters. Customer relationship management (CRM) is how businesses tackle this critical issue of customer relationships. CRM encapsulates the marketing process. It’s the method of establishing and keeping profitable customer relationships by providing superior value and satisfaction to all of your customers.

FIT professor Meeta Roy breaks down the role market segmentation plays in beauty marketing for large and niche brands.

Like all other consumer-based industries in recent decades, the beauty industry has undergone an enormous change. There are a lot of reasons for this.

The internet has impacted every possible business on the globe. This is partly to blame for the changes within the beauty industry. But I think the beauty industry is also very cyclical.

It goes through periods when larger brands and corporations are very powerful. Then it switches to periods where small businesses dominate the industry.

Until around a decade ago, the beauty industry was all about the big companies. We’re all familiar with Estee Lauder, L’Oreal, Avon, and Revlon. They’re the most well-known beauty brand across the world.

But we’re now at a point in the cycle where the beauty industry is much more consumer-driven and customers are much more excited about smaller businesses. And it’s not just the beauty industry. It’s also the fashion and food industries too. The small players aren’t faced with the same challenges that they use to be.

The Internet has enabled any business, no matter how big or small, to become global. They can create a stunning website and build their social media accounts to grow an audience quickly. The internet has given businesses the chance to grow but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will have the resources to keep up with this growth.

But this is much less challenging than it used to be. It’s less expensive and requires fewer resources. The barriers to entry are much smaller but you usually need a large volume of resources to keep your business going.

The biggest shift in the industry is the move towards smaller businesses. The second biggest shift is the shift in consumerism.

The beauty industry is now more personal and consumer involvement is tenfold what it was just 15-20 years ago.

The beauty business is quite competitive and fast-paced, but there are three important traits that will help you succeed. Jihan Thompson, the co-founder and CEO of Swivel Beauty, believes persistence is number one.

Persistence means not giving up, whether you’ve heard no a million times or you’ve tried and failed. Keep figuring out solutions, advance your online beauty education, hone your craft, and keep improving. This level of persistence and not taking no for an answer is incredibly important.

Number two, be a risk taker. Be willing to say yes when others say no. Be willing to put yourself out there, even if it feels a little bit scary. Your willingness to take risks helps get you to that next level in your beauty career. It will put you in a position for massive opportunities for growth. Put yourself out there.

Take those calculated risks. No matter how scary they are, those are the ones that are going to really help grow your career.

Lastly, Thompson says to focus on being business-minded. While the beauty industry can be such a creative field, it’s also super important to have business acumen. Think about how you’re going to strategically grow your business and invest in your ongoing beauty education. Contemplate how you’re going to get from where you are to where you want to go, your dreams and goals, and the steps you’ll need to take to get there.

Don’t be afraid to think about the business side of things too at the start of your beauty career. When you put all of those traits together – you’re persistent, a risk taker, and understand the business side of what you’re doing – it creates a triple threat and helps you grow in your business.