A Bright Beginning to a Beauty Launch

Daphne Allen
Editor

Nutrimetics is one of Australia and New Zealand’s leading beauty product manufacturers. Part of the Tupperware Brands Corp., Nutrimetics employs more than 200,000 consultants marketing products directly to men and women around the world.

To ensure that Nutrimetics products help consumers “live the life they love,” the company makes use of innovative packaging. Nutrimetics has been working with International Cosmetic Suppliers Ltd. (ICS; Hong Kong) for almost 20 years. ICS CEO and founder Susanne Nichols started the relationship with Nutrimetics in the early 1980s while living in Australia, and the two businesses have grown together. “Each year, we work on many cosmetic, beauty, and sundry projects,” Nichols says. “ICS and Nutrimetics both have product development and R&D departments that work together closely.”

Nichols says that because ICS has both product designers and engineers on staff, “we are able to keep clients up to date with emerging trends and manage projects from development through to delivery. The design support we provide to clients depends on their needs. ICS is able to design new products from scratch, help modify and improve existing products, or help bring a client’s idea to life. It really depends on the needs of the company for each of their projects.”

A recent project that the longstanding partners launched together involved the development of almost 30 tubes. Particularly noteworthy are two tube designs: an iridescent-finished tube for Nutrimetics’s new Brighten line and a newly tooled 25-mm-diam ophthalmic tube, both custom designed and decorated. The Brighten line and the ophthalmic tube were rolled out for the summer of 2008 and continue to be available through Nutrimetics sales points.

Part of the Brighten line, “the Brightening Serum is emerging as one of our star performers in the Nutrimetics portfolio, due in part to the strongly differentiated packaging that supports and reflects the exceptional performance of the product,” says Annis Won, international technical development manager, Nutrimetics.

For the Brighten line, Nutrimetics requested an iridescent look, explains Won. “We chose this particular finish because it complemented the shimmery effect of the formulation in the Brighten Line very well.” ICS made recommendations on what process and finish would best achieve it, and the two companies worked together to perfect it.

The iridescent finish development is particularly interesting, says Nichols, because iridescence is “a hot trend in cosmetic packaging right now. But it’s not commonly used on tubes. The iridescent finish is a second process, which is sprayed on a coextruded tube. In addition, we added detail to the product with silk-screen decoration.”

Nutrimetics was pleased. “From the start of this project, we knew that the star treatment product in the range was going to be the Brightening Serum,” Won says. “We were very conscious of making sure that the tube material was compatible with the potent formulation and was presented in the best way possible both aesthetically and functionally. We believe we have achieved this, and we are very happy with the result.”

The new tube chosen for Nutrimetics eye product line is a 25-mm-diam tube, unusual because most ophthalmic tubes are 10 mm or below, Nichols says. “Generally, ophthalmic tubes designed for eye formulations are smaller for the smaller fill capacity, but Nutrimetics had a desired fill capacity. We chose to redesign the tube for a 25-mm-diameter size to better fit the product range.”

Nichols adds that the tube itself is an interesting package for ophthalmic products. “Often, a jar or pot is used for eye products, but with a tube, you can apply product without contaminating the remaining fill,” she says. “It makes for easy and clean application.” A standard ophthalmic applicator cap is used.

For these newly developed tubes, ICS and Nutrimetics product development/ R&D worked together for concept development, and then ICS engineers and product development department managed design, tooling, and production.

“It made sense to go with ICS for the new tube design for our new range,” says Won. “We have had a long and successful relationship with ICS and we have always been very happy with the ICS proactive approach. ICS and Nutrimetics worked well on this project to fine-tune the fiddly technicalities of such a complex tube format. ”

The tubes are all produced in audited factories in Asia and shipped to Nutrimetics for filling, details Nichols. ICS tube factory manufacturing sources are ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14000 certified; comply with health, safety, and environmental regulations; are REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals) compliant; and have passed voluntary Ethical Trading Initiative audits.

The ICS product development team includes several product designers and engineers based in ICS offices in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and China. “The close proximity to the factory sources in Asia makes it easy for visiting for testing, sampling, and overall development,” Nichols says. “Plus, we are able to easily make modifications and/or catch issues before they become problems.” In addition, a product designer is based in the United Kingdom.

ICS works with clients to coordinate production schedules and shipments to meet the needs of each individual project. “We take into consideration annual quantity needs and required shipment dates and are able to coordinate with factory partners to build schedules that work best for our clients. Depending on the project, we can forecast production for quick turnarounds, including negotiating shortened production lead times and holding raw material and or producing caps/applicators to hold against production for quicker deliveries.”

Such support and creativity helped Nutrimetics successfully launch its new lines. “Brighten was launched at our inaugural Australia and New Zealand’s annual conference, “Extravaganza!” With attendance of about 1000 Nutrimetics consultants, the launch was a huge success, and we are continuing to have great feedback to the new range,” says Won. “The packaging along with the extremely effective product it houses is bound to be a winner!”