Baton Rouge, a new player in the lipstick space, offers customized lipstick creation at its store in Paris’ Marais neighborhood. Design agency De Baschmakoff is behind the company’s branding and packaging design.
In an increasingly online era, French start-up Baton Rouge is instead choosing to focus on the in-store experience via the creation of a bespoke, refillable lipstick at its boutique in the French capital. Consumers can avail of the brand’s make-up artists, who help them create their desired lip color, from the shade to the texture and finish.
“We don’t just ask the customer to choose a shade then create it; we refine the choice until they are perfectly happy,” Baton Rouge Founder Christelle Percheron explains to Luxe Packaging Insight. “The process is fun and transparent and results in a ‘wow’ moment when the lipstick is unmolded,” she says, adding that the made-to-order approach cuts down on waste.
A chemist by training with a degree in pharmaceutical regulations, Percheron says her background equipped her with the means to bring in-store, custom lipstick formulation to France. “The concept already exists, but not within Europe where regulations are very complex,” she says. Indeed, as Baton Rouge is classified as a cosmetics manufacturer, regulations are stringent, particularly as the brand is producing unique, custom-made products.
The company called on French design agency De Baschmakoff for its branding and packaging design. The contemporary, square-shaped lipstick packs sport a powder-blue hue. “We wanted to stand out through the colors of our packaging and with their design that differs from the traditional round packs on the market,” notes Percheron.
Available in three textures – satin, matte and natural – the refillable lipstick is made of an aluminum base and cap. The base is sprayed, with the logo silk-screened, while the anodized cap features the brand logo printed in 3D. Color injection is used for the cap and base inserts. While the lipstick has a magnetic closure, the lipstick refill works via a clip-in mechanism.
Baton Rouge also offers personalizable liquid lip formulas, available as a gloss or liquid matte variant, which come in transparent packs to showcase the color within. Here, the bottle and cap are in SAN, with matte-finish décor and silk-screened logo.
Baton Rouge decided to forgo secondary packaging, instead opting for fabric pouches made from European, GOTS-certified organic cotton that is woven, sewn and printed in France. The ingredient list is printed on recycled paper and placed inside the pouch along with the lip product.
The brand’s first store opened in Paris in December 2021 and Percheron hopes to open a second boutique in London. Watch this space.
