When starting a skincare line, there are several important steps you will take to ensure your brand is successful. The formulation is an important aspect your product, however packaging can help gain the attention of your customers. With so many skincare products on the market, customers have begun prioritizing the look of their skincare on display.

Once you have selected your formula, the next step in the process of starting your skincare brand is selecting and designing your packaging. In this blog we will discuss how to design skincare packaging including factors that should be taken into consideration and an overview of the process. Let’s go!

6 Steps of Designing Skincare Packaging:

1. Select packaging:

Once you have selected the perfect formula for your skincare brand, the next step is selecting your packaging. Your packaging will literally be the backdrop of your perfect design, so it’s important not overlook this step. When selected you packing with us, you can also choose a custom color for the background. This can make your design POP!

You must also consider what kind of design you will be creating for your packaging. If you choose a frosted glass, like 125007B for example, you will not be able to apply labels and must create a screen printing design. Your packaging and its size will also determine the size of your labels.

As a general rule, regular glass packaging will need printed labels and frosted glass packaging will need screen printed. Plastic packaging, on the other hand, allows for both labels and screenprinting.

2. Determine your target audience and create a mood board:

Before you jump into designing, it is a good idea to take into consideration who your target audience is. Will your target audience appreciate bold and contrasting colors, or do they prefer simple and muted colors. Consider the demographics and preferences of the people who will be using your skincare products. This will help guide your design decisions.

This is important to consider because it may set the stage for who you will be marketing your products to in the future.

Don’t know where to start?

Start with a mood board! With so many ideas, this can help you visualize ideas and understand how your colors may compliment each other.

3. Get dielines:

Once you have selected your packaging and decide if you will design your packaging using screen printing or labeling, your manufacturer will send you dielines for your specific packaging.

What are dielines?

Well this can be a confusing concept to understand, especially for a beginner. Basically, dielines are guidelines and set out a 2-D guide for where your packaging will fold and where the front and back of the packaging will be. Once you have your dielines you can use the parameters to design you packaging.

For more details about dielines and how to use them, check out this blog all about cosmetic packaging dielines.

4. Start Designing:

Now that you know the measurements for your printable area, it’s time to start designing. With all of the amazing tools available to us today, you can do this on your own. Consider taking a crash course in Adobe Illustrator and start designing your packaging.

For those who aren’t comfortable designing in AI (it can be difficult!), you may want to consider hiring a designer. Most suppliers, including Genie Supply, have designers on staff to help with designing your skincare packaging, but you can also hire a designer through an independent contracting website like UpWork.

At Genie Supply free design assistance is available with every order over 1000 pieces.

If you choose to work with a designer, the mood board mentioned above will come in handy! The mood board will convey your design ideas to your designer for a more seamless design process.

Pro Tip: Ask your designer to send your design in a .ai TTC format for best results.

5. Sample it!

Sample, sample, sample! Never forget to sample your packaging design. The colors or folds of your design can look different between a laptop screen and real-life which is why it is always a good idea to sample your packaging before placing a large order.

If you go with another manufacturer, they may not allow you to see a sample before placing a full order, but when there is a will, there is a way… Print off your design on a piece of paper and cut it out. Tape it together to get a feel for the look of the packaging. This simple step can save you a lot of time and money in the future!

6. Check to see if your design meets FDA regulation:

Whether you love or hate the FDA, your product must meet it’s requirements if you plan to sell it in the United States. The FDA has a published webpage with all regulations for cosmetic packaging. It is a long article with lots of details. We have done the hard work for you and created a simplified version of FDA cosmetic packaging regulations. If your manufacturer is based in the US, they should also be able to help you better understand FDA regulation. For a simplified version of FDA regulations for cosmetic packaging that we made just for you, check out this resource!

In general, your design must include the following elements:

• Product Name

• Net Weight

• Directions

• Warnings

• Name and Place of Business and Manufacturer

Once you have completed all 6 steps, your skincare packaging design is complete, and you are ready to place your order!

A note from Genie Supply:

We hope this blog was helpful in designing your skincare packaging. It can be difficult task, and we are here to help. For more resources to help with designing your skincare packaging check out these blogs and web pages we have created to assist anyone from the beginner to the expert.

• FDA Labeling 101

• All About Packaging, Die Lines + Screen Printing

Always remember to sample your packaging and ensure it meets FDA regulation to ensure a smooth product launch!

If you are looking to order packaging from Genie Supply, take a look at our packaging catalog for our most up to date inventory of cosmetic packaging. We have even included the dielines for each packaging in this catalog so you can get started designing your skincare packaging right away.

Email us with questions at customerservice@geniesupply.com or contact us at (812) 329-1105.