Designing the packaging for your private label skin care line is one of the most important things you can do to ensure the success of your business. Your customers have many different brands to choose from, and packaging design is one of the most powerful ways to persuade them to choose your brand over all the others.

Here we present three tips for designing packaging that will draw your customer in and give them a great first experience with your brand.

Tip #1: Know Your Customer

There is a saying in the skincare industry that states, “The first time, they buy your packaging. The second time, they buy your product.” No matter how effective your formula is, your best customer will never get the chance to experience it unless they feel some kind of emotional connection to your brand. In many cases, that opportunity for that connection is limited to the time it takes them to walk down an aisle at a pharmacy or scroll through thumbnail images on a website. At those times, the design of your packaging is the best way to draw your customer to your product.

But before you can connect with them, you first have to know who they are. Take some time to imagine the ideal customer for your brand. What kind of person will be most likely to become a loyal fan?

Your customer may have mature skin and is persuaded by clinical research and clean packaging. They may be in their teens and early twenties and attracted to a fun, casual design. Some shoppers want to spend more on exclusive, luxury items, and some will be drawn to packaging that evokes organic, all-natural ingredients. The more clearly you can imagine your customer, the more guidance you can give your packaging designer.

Tip #2: Choose Your Design Elements

You may want to design your packaging yourself, but in most cases, it is best to either hire a designer with packaging design experience or choose a private label manufacturer, like Evora, that offers full design services. Let them know how you envision your ideal customer. You can leave the design entirely in their hands, or you can describe some of the design elements you would like to see. Some of them include:

• Color: There are many resources geared toward understanding the emotional impact of color. Use the guides for ideas or collect samples of other color schemes that you feel go well with your private label skin care brand.
• Font: Clean and streamlined? Romantic? Edgy? Different fonts convey different moods, and a good designer can help you choose the right one for your brand.
• Background: A glossy or metallic background conveys a different mood than a floral design. Lots of open space in a design will appeal to a different shopper than an intricately illustrated label.

Tip #3: Remember the Practical Issues

At its most basic, a skin care package has to be appropriate for the product it contains. For example, some skin care items need to be spritzed on, and some need a pump dispenser. You also should consider the conditions in which your skin care product will be used, as well as any special protection your ingredients require (like opaque or dark glass containers for light-sensitive ingredients, or airless bottles for ingredients that shouldn’t be handled before use).

In addition, you need to make sure that your packaging is in compliance with the FDA cosmetic labeling guidelines. The guidelines cover issues such as the type size on your label, claims made on the packaging, and the correct listing of ingredients. These regulations are another reason why you might want to seek out a partnership with a packaging professional or a private label manufacturer that can guide you through the process.

Once you have a mock-up of your design, bring it to the customers you already have, or members of the community you are trying to reach, and get their feedback. With a little planning and research, you can design packaging for your private label skin care line that attracts the customers you are seeking and inspires them to give your product a try.

To learn how Evora can help you develop your product and brand identity, contact us here.