Convinced that full-service is the future, South Korean packaging and formulation specialist CTK Cosmetics is aiming to make it easier for companies to develop turnkey beauty products with the launch of CTK CLIP, its online innovation platform. The supplier also continues to launch new packs with a focus on recycle, reuse and refill formats.
CTK CLIP, the new product development platform from CTK Cosmetics, launched earlier this month, is designed to enable brands to create their own full-service beauty products from formula to packaging, with a decoration function launching in April. The supplier aims to list between 30 and 50 products on the platform per month. CTK CLIP also includes a virtual showroom and access to its global sales and marketing teams; with the bulk of its business done in North America, the company is banking on the platform to expand its reach in Europe, the Middle East and China.
Also on the innovation front, in January, the company inaugurated CTK Inno Lab, an innovation center meant to boost formula development by building partnerships for active ingredients and raw materials. In this area, the company is seeing strong demand for clean and vegan formulas. CTK is notably working with raw material researchers from Jeju island to create oil from yuzu seeds that would otherwise go to waste.
In terms of its packaging development, CTK is tapping into the green trend, with new applications based on reuse, refill, recycle, as well as mono-material packs, PCR and bioplastics. Its Eco-Green Springless Pump, for example, is an all-plastic patented airless design that does not contain a spring. Made from 94% PP and 6% MPP, the pack is available in versions ranging from 15ml to 100ml and can be recycled without needing to be taken apart.
Eco-Pact is a refillable PET compact with an aluminum mirror that can be removed for recycling, while the Bottom Up stick is a stick pack that aims for a “100%” restitution rate: by twisting the container, the formula is pushed up beyond the cup. The container and mechanism can be separated to facilitate recycling.
CTK also developed Folding Brow, a refillable, folding eyebrow tool comprising a brow pen and a brush, whose design is inspired by children’s chopsticks, and a portable beauty clip, mainly made of PET and aluminum, for lip and cheek products that the user can clip onto their outfit or bag.
CTK Cosmetics, which reported sales of close to $95m in 2019, saw its 2020 sales fall due to the global pandemic and the sluggish make-up market. On the domestic front, sales were down 9.5% in volume in 2020, although exports were up 13.5%; China recovered more quickly than expected, the company notes.
