Smart beauty packaging: Gen Z mobile usage, demand for transparency a ‘match made in heaven’ - Meiyume

Speaking on the Beauty 4.0 Podcast​, Stephane Bulle of Meiyume highlighted that the digital native Gen Z consumer will expect more in terms of information and transparency on the product itself.

“How we connect the real world and the web is a key point. And if that that connection is used to actually serve what they're looking for, I think this is definitely a winning combination,” ​said the vice president of packaging innovation.

To meet the demands of Gen Z, the company believes there’s a huge opportunity for smart packaging solutions, which can be found often in the realm of wines and spirits.

“I think there's so much opportunity in beauty because there's a lot of similarities and use cases [as wines and spirits],”​ said Robert Brockman, vice president, digital solutions marketing and product development of Meiyume.

“The spirits they buy, they want to know where's it comes from and what's the process of making it. Where are the ingredients sourced? You can share the exact same information for a beauty product. Especially when we talk about the Gen Z and their interest in in traceability and their usage of mobiles, I think it's a match made in heaven.”​

To hear more insights on smart packaging in beauty, check out the full interview in the podcast above.

'Visually powerful, sustainable in essence'

Gen Z are also at the forefront of setting new packaging trends in aesthetics and sustainability.

Unlike the minimalism of the millennial era, today’s most popular and recognisable brands were designed to grab your attention on the small screen.

“It’s all about catching eyeballs and making the design of the packaging stand out the most because it’s a competition of getting attention,”​ said Brockman.

He highlighted a growing number of brands that were making use of loud colours to command attention.

“From a product marketing lens, the biggest thing right now is bold, bright colours. Brands [like Bubble, Youthforia and BYOMA] are taking advantage of that. Highly saturated neon colours and things that are playful are really attracting this generation of consumers and it fits very well with the TikTok-style of marketing.”​

At the same time, the Gen Z consumer is a thoughtful and socially conscious consumer that strives to prioritise sustainability. Bulle said that while packaging has to be “visually powerful” they also must be “sustainable in essence”.

“We need to be more simple with things – like mono-materials and be lean in terms of the number of parts and it needs to be simple to use. And preferably with noticeable points on the three Rs.”​

Check out the podcast to find out which brands have impressed Stephane and Robert in their packaging innovations.