At The DPS, we want to make sure your product looks its best—but also functions at its best, too. To ensure your product packaging captures the best of both worlds, we spoke to our packaging experts to discover unexpected considerations to keep in mind as you bring your product vision to life.

1: Think On-the-GoWhen designing packaging, many brands want to create weighty, luxurious packaging that elevates the product inside—and while this is a great route to take, it’s important to consider your customer’s lifestyle. If they tend to travel, or want to look great on-the-go, bulky packaging won’t work for them, and can actually be a dealbreaker. For small-volume products, like glosses, eye creams, and hand lotions, it’s essential to consider their ability to be tossed in a bag without getting damaged—or weighing the carrier down, literally.

2: Consider the PurposeBefore you fall in love with a unique mascara wand or lip wiper, consider the intentionality of your formula. For example, if you really love a volumizing wand, but your formula is specially created to lengthen lashes, your customer’s experience will fall short of expectations. Instead, you can work with our team to make sure you’re getting the best applicator for your product, while creating packaging that’s still super unique.

3: Craft for PlacementMany beauty products are stored in the bathroom—and it’s extremely important to keep that in mind when you create your packaging. While your brand may value sustainability, creating a paper tube for something like deodorant simply won’t hold up against the day-to-day moisture of the environment. The good news is, we can consider other ways to capture your values, without sacrificing the quality of your packaging throughout its entire lifecycle, no matter where your customer may keep the product.

4: Focus on EfficacyWhen creating new products, many businesses tend to consider their relationships with their formulation lab and packaging creator separately—when, really, many benefits can come from connecting the two. Your chemist can help inform the features your packaging should have to keep your formula safe, for example: you may want to add UV-protective coating to glosses and serums so they don’t interact with light, or create an airtight pump primary package for formulas that shouldn’t be exposed to air.

5: Keep Size in MindWhile we know consumers aren’t the best at tossing expired products (ahem, people still using their Urban Decay palettes from 2013), but keeping your product lifespan in mind can help minimize waste and maximize customer return rates. If you know your serum will only last 3 months, we recommend a smaller bottle that’s carefully dosed for exactly 3 months of use, so your customer is happy with the efficacy throughout the entire bottle. While it can seem more intuitive to offer a larger size, it may end up hurting your brand reputation in the long run.  To tap into more product and packaging expertise, or get advice on your brand’s packaging, schedule a consultation with our experts today.