Present at Luxe Pack Monaco, held on September 30, October 1 and 2, 2024, the Albéa Group showcased a wide range of innovations combining desirability, ingenuity and eco-responsibility. Read the full report.
"We are looking both to achieve the 'wow' effect that is essential for creating desirable cosmetic products, and to offer solutions that meet the challenges of traceability, decarbonation and recycling."emphasizes François Tassart, General Manager of the Albéa Group.
Taking user experience into account is also a major concern for the Cosmetics & Fragrance division.
Albéa Cosmetics & Fragrance: innovation and know-how to simplify gestures
Since July 3, 2024, manufacturers have been obliged to make closures integral to plastic bottles containing up to 3 liters of beverage.
With its new Polaris refillable skincare jar, Albéa's Cosmetics & Fragrance division has adopted the same principle: an invisible plastic hinge allows the cap to remain attached to the base. According to Albéa, this system offers easy access to the formula: no more wondering where to put the cap when opening the jar!
The PP-only, refillable jar opens like a jewelry box and can be filled using Albéa's Twirl cup system. "To encourage the adoption of rechargeable solutions, our role is to make them really simple - in other words, intuitive, explains Aline Roland, Marketing Director, Albéa Cosmetics & Fragrance. With our brand new "Polaris" concept, we've taken the next step by combining a unique, sophisticated design with a significant reduction in environmental impact."
Innovation also applies to make-up. Powder Breathe is a container for loose powder designed to deliver just the right dose, limiting material loss and simplifying the user's gesture. A flexible membrane pushes the powder onto the sieve. When closed, the lid pushes the unused powder back into the jar. Albéa's refillable container is available in PP with an elastomer pouch.
Beauty Lab, expertise in brushes, applicators and lip glosses
In Monaco, the Albéa Cosmetics & Fragrance team also presented some of the latest products from its Beauty Lab (formerly Albéa Tips Studio), the company's center of expertise for plastic and fiber brushes and applicators.
With customized solutions for various brands and a portfolio of 600 standard applicators, Albéa Beauty Lab has been demonstrating its capacity for innovation and creativity for 10 years, playing with shapes and materials.
"Our first center of expertise is in Bottanuco, Italy. We are now creating the exact same experience in the United States.says Aline Roland. The idea is to welcome our customers who can, within 48 hours, obtain a specific prototype that meets the brand's marketing brief. "
Albéa Tubes: recyclability, a priority
In creating the ultra-thin EcoFusion Top range, Albéa Tubes reduced the weight of the head and cap part of its packaging by 80 % compared with a conventional flip-top + head solution.
With the EcoTop product range, Albéa Tubes is now accelerating the integration of recycled content into the entire tube. Albéa Tubes has worked on integrating recycled materials into every component of the tube, particularly the caps.
In Monaco, the Tubes division of the French ETI presented the Slight Cap and Basic Cap containing 70 % of PCR PP. Albéa tubes can thus contain up to 60 % of recycled materials, depending on the skirt and head chosen. Capsules are compatible with extruded and laminated tubes.
To make a good impression
The Albéa Tubes division also highlighted its Advanced Decoration By NovaPrint solution. The manufacturer presents this offer as "the most innovative printing solution on the market". because it combines the best of extruded and laminated materials: flat printing and no side seams. Sophisticated, premium and complex designs can be achieved while combining several printing technologies: flexography, cold stamping, overprinted foil, etc.
With a reduced skirt thickness that lowers tube weight, a less energy-intensive production process for a lower carbon footprint than traditional decoration, and the incorporation of 100 % recycled materials (PCR) in the extruded skirt, making it possible to achieve 57 % of recycled content in a tube incorporating the ultralight EcoFusion Top, the Advanced Decoration By NovaPrint solution is sure to appeal to brands looking for a colorful, high-quality rendering with less impact on the environment, especially as the solution is fully recyclable in the HDPE stream.
"Plastic tube decoration is key to brand differentiation and identity, as well as consumer engagement, but it must not compromise sustainability , explains Caroline Hughes, Albéa Tubes Marketing Director. Advanced Decoration by NovaPrint is a true technological revolution combining sustainability and desirability: it meets customers' needs for desirable, more responsible tubes, but also our shared commitment to reducing plastic consumption and the global environmental footprint."
The Fancy Deco offer also enhances tube decoration possibilities with new printing effects. In particular, the lenticular effect lets you switch from one image to another depending on the viewing angle, while the application of a special varnish gives laminated tubes the effect of movement. The 3D Touch effect adds relief and texture to the tube, thanks to a special thicker varnish and an original application process.
| Albéa Cosmetics & Fragrance wins award In Monaco, Albéa's Cosmetics & Fragrance division received a Formes de Luxe award in the "Finishing & Decoration" category. Solicited by Puig, it was rewarded for its work on Christian Louboutin's Teint Fétiche Le Baume de Teint product. In the spotlight: engraving work replacing embroidery previously carried out by hand. Thanks to meticulous work on the mold, an appearance similar to the finely embroidered original piece can now be obtained via an industrial process. "To meet the brand's requirements, we developed specific molds, with a particular engraving method, thanks to our know-how and our network of subcontractors, in order to reproduce the embroidery details as faithfully as possible - all within a very challenging development timeframe! Since 2023, the part has been manufactured in 100 % PETG by our teams of Indonesian experts in Semarang".explains Charlotte Wastyn, Key Account Manager at Albéa Cosmetics & Fragrance. For these Formes de Luxe awards, the Albéa group was also nominated in the "Refill & reload" category for the production of the new Miss Dior Mini Miss solid fragrances, which are nomadic and environmentally friendly. |
| Three "ETMA Tube of the Year 2024" awards for Albéa Tubes Three Albéa Tubes packages were honored at the ETMA Tube of the Year 2024 awards, a competition organized each year by the European Tube Manufacturers Association (ETMA). The EcoLittle Top flip-top sample tube designed for Clarins won the Sustainable Tube Award. It meets the challenges of weight reduction, recyclability and use of recycled materials. Thanks to the elimination of one component, it offers a weight reduction of 47 % on the complete tube. Made from PE and HDPE, the tube incorporates 45 % of recycled materials, thanks to Albéa Tubes' PCR Max range, making it a single-material tube that can be recycled in HDPE channels. The Greenleaf tube with OctoTop cap, developed for L'Occitane, won an award in the laminate category. This 30-ml hand cream tube combines a Greenleaf multi-layer HDPE envelope with a two-in-one octagonal flip-top cap. This solution is designed to be recycled in France, Europe and the United States, while reducing the tube's overall weight by 23 %. Finally, the PCR Max tube with EcoFusion Top cap manufactured for Decathlon won the prize for best plastic tube. This single-material tube incorporates 70 % of recycled materials. The EcoFusion Top cap is also designed for HDPE recycling. |
Yaël Zajac
