Complete Guide to Cosmetic Label Design and Packaging for Beauty Product Companies

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Aesthetic matters and it matters a lot! That’s a fact you can’t deny! Your cosmetic label design and packaging are the primary elements that customers come into contact with right at the get-go. Even if you have the best products, everything will be futile if you don’t label them properly. The look and feel of product labels can never be made otherwise. Labels and packaging are the best and easiest way to leave a lasting good impression on customers.

Several key factors must be taken into consideration when designing the label and packaging of your beauty and cosmetic products. This article serves as a complete guide to cosmetic label design and packaging concept design services for beauty product companies. Here are the nine stages involved in designing cosmetic labels and packaging:

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Complete guide to cosmetic label design and packaging for beauty product companies

1. Choose a suitable visual language

Your cosmetic label and packaging’s visual language plays a critical role. Make sure you choose one that will perfectly reflect your product and brand. The right visual language will convey the correct feeling to your end customers. 

2. Identify the style of the product label

The specific style of the cosmetic label design and packaging will largely depend on your target audience. If your target audience belongs to a younger demographic, you should opt for a more extravagant style. On the other hand, if your target market is more sophisticated or elegant, the right choice is a minimalist label. 

If your brand is already a popular historical one, you will surely want to stick to a more traditional style. Modern beauty companies, in contrast, can enjoy the perks of letting their imagination go wild. This will allow the cosmetic packaging design firm to design custom product labels for eye-catching items. The main point here is to know how to be daring while staying faithful to your existing brand. 

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3. Pick the right images

After defining the basic design of your label and packaging, it’s time to choose the images you will use. The best advice here is to use images that best represent the uniqueness of your product or brand. Dig deep and pinpoint the elements that set you apart from other similar products on the market, including your production method, ingredients, and the like. 

4. Determine the size and shape of the label design and packaging

The next step is to pick the size and shape of your product label design and packaging. You can opt for a standard label size and shape or choose something custom that will make your product stand out. Choose a different label on the front and back of the package. You can also go for a wraparound label. 

5. Opt for readable characters

Whether you believe it or not, the specific typeface you use is equally important too. Using the correct font will allow you to convey the correct message and establish the personality of your brand. While it can be tempting to use more imaginative and creative fonts, all your efforts will go down the drain if readability is not guaranteed, making it extremely critical. 

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6. Find the right color 

When the packaging designer chooses the color, there are three primary factors that should be paid close attention to:

  • Select a color palette aligned with your brand’s personality. 
  • The color should attract the attention and capture the interest of potential consumers. 
  • You have to stand out from your competition. 

In highly competitive markets like beauty and cosmetics, strict attention should be given to the smallest detail, although this is often underestimated. For instance, your brand’s cornerstones are respect for raw materials and sustainability. In cases like this, green is undoubtedly a color that will recall nature and health, which makes it a great choice to consider. 

The choice can also include pastel and soft colors that exude delicacy and are simultaneously original compared to competitors. You can opt for lively and bold tones like fuchsia, turquoise, and yellow for a younger and more modern product. On the other hand, if you prefer a simple but elegant label, the packaging design company can never go wrong with white and black and possibly add some touches of glamour with a copper or silver finish. 

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7. Decide on the material 

The material you choose must also be in line with your brand and reflect the primary characteristics you wish to communicate with your customers. If you want your brand to stand out for its natural ingredients and eco-sustainability, the good news is that you can choose from a plethora of natural anti-pulping papers. These include laid paper, marked paper, and cotton that tactfully return the concept of simplicity while respecting the planet. 

On the other hand, if you prefer something more avant-garde and more impactful, you can go for unique cards that exude modernity and a premium feel. In such cases, the most obvious choice is matte-coated or glossy paper. However, you can also consider other materials like transparent polypropylene or silver metallic paper that will give the product a distinct no-label look. 

8. Enter the right information 

Several critical pieces of information must also be indicated in your cosmetic label design and packaging. These details include the following:

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Compliance with labeling requirements mandated by regulatory bodies

All countries have their regulatory bodies that decide the labeling requirements for beauty and cosmetic products, and companies should adhere to these. In the United States, for example, there is the FDA or Food and Drug Administration, while Italy has the Ministry of Health.

The respective regulatory bodies regulate every country equally. Thus, one thing to consider when designing the labels and packaging of your beauty products is compliance with the regulations as directed by your country’s regulatory body for beauty and cosmetics labeling. 

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Declaration of product identity or identity 

The declaration of product identity or identity, more popularly called the PDP or principal display panel, is an integral part of a product label. The order of identity refers to the name of the product together with the product’s net weight. This should be indicated on the front of the product package. You also need to put the product’s common name and its specific type, whether it’s a cream, soap, eyeliner, or the like. 

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Information panel

All beauty and cosmetic packages must have an information panel that includes the declaration of ingredients, the warning statement, and the manufacturer’s address. Every single ingredient must be listed in descending order. This means listing first the ingredient with the highest percentage in the product, followed by the most elevated rate after number two, and so on. 

Net weight or net content

The net product content indicates the quantity of the product. The net content should be in terms of weight for semi-solid or solid products. Meanwhile, the net content should be stated in terms of volume for liquid products. See to it that the net content should be placed at the lower part of the front label. The net content must not be higher or lower compared to the actual content.

Warnings

It’s also important for manufacturing design services to mention warnings on certain beauty and cosmetic products like products that contain alpha hydroxyl acids, cosmetic aerosols, and deodorant sprays to avoid endangering the health of consumers. This is especially true for certain products that contain contents that could be flammable under pressure like product sprays. This warning statement should be mentioned for it to be easily legible and prominent at the time of the product purchase. 

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9. Perform printing tests

Proofing your cosmetic label design and packaging is essential, especially if you are planning to launch a new product on the market and prefer a selective test that will help you make a wise decision. Here are the benefits of printing proof for cosmetic label design and packaging:

  • It lets you pick the right material.
  • It helps identify errors in the file.
  • Look for suitable color combinations.
  • It reduces testing costs. 
  • It allows testing the extra machining. 

This cosmetic label printing test will let you touch a proper reproduction of the product label on plastic or paper, which you can use during the production process and in future processes. Packaging experts can recommend the most appropriate way to perform a print test for cosmetic label design and packaging.

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How Cad Crowd can help 

Convincing your target customers to choose and buy your products is never easy. However, you can easily do so as long as you have quality cosmetic label design and packaging. Properly labeled beauty and cosmetics products will not just help your customers but even your brand. 

Contact Cad Crowd and we will be more than happy to assist you. We will help you find the best professionals who will be there for you right from the conception to the final production stage of your cosmetic label design and packaging for your beauty products. Call us today and we will get back to you right away! 

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MacKenzie Brown

MacKenzie Brown is the founder and CEO of Cad Crowd. With over 18 years of experience in launching and scaling platforms specializing in CAD services, product design, manufacturing, hardware, and software development, MacKenzie is a recognized authority in the engineering industry. Under his leadership, Cad Crowd serves esteemed clients like NASA, JPL, the U.S. Navy, and Fortune 500 companies, empowering innovators with access to high-quality design and engineering talent.

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