Innovations from the show floor: LUXE PACK Monaco 2022, part 1

GLASS

Heinz Glas, which feted its 400^th anniversary at LUXE PACK Monaco this year, showed its All4One refillable glass jar. Four interchangeable glass inserts have been developed for the single outer jar, meaning it can be used for fragrance, make-up (both jars are fitted with pumps), cream lotion or home fragrance. Thanks to a retaining ring, the insert appears to "float" in the outer glass. All4One can be made in PCR clear glass, colored or opal glass.

Glassmaker O-I showed its Contemporary Collection, a range of three standard 70cl spirits bottles with debossed ring and domed punt. The models - Luxe, Attenua and Noble - are made of regular flint glass and can contain up to 33% recycled content. They are available in a new version that is 20% lighter than the regular model and which can be customized using its O-I Expressions digital printing technology.

Following its acquisition of a glassworks in Tur, Poland, glass decoration specialist Dekorglass has added to its range of stock bottles for the spirits market: the 500ml Bart bottle comes with a cork finish, and stands out thanks to its truncated base design. The bottle features a large print area and is aimed primarily at the rum market.

In the fragrance segment, new this year is a 30ml capacity Odeon flacon, which was previously available only in 100ml format. The line is currently being developed to include a number of different capacities.

FINISHING & DECORATION

Applic’Etains showed pewter labels embellished with digital inkjet printing and worked with reliefs. “We can offer ultra-premiumisation with a very high degree of precision,” the company says, adding that there is no limit in terms of color.

Through a range of new solutions, Sleever was highlighting how its shrink sleeves can be made more sustainable. The supplier is working to integrate PCR material, namely recycled PET, into its adhesive-free sleeves. It’s PureFeel reference, an opaque sleeve with the feel of paper, which launched last year, can now integrate up to 30% PCR PET, as can a similar solution, Mattvelvet, which offers the same finish, but destined for the beauty market. LDPET Dry-Shrink, meanwhile, is a full-body sleeve developed to be recycled in PET recycling streams thanks to its low-density PET.

Part of Sleever’s security portfolio, Seelcap, a solution that simply uses a perforated seal to render a bottle tamper-proof, is now also available with 30% PCR content.

Materials expert Winter & Company chose to adorn its stand in red at this year’s show to shine a light on the development of ecologically, economically and socially responsible cover materials that it says are comparable to conventional products in terms of visual appearance, feel and durability. With its tagline How Green Can Red Be?, the supplier highlighted 12 red materials from its portfolio that are labeled Winter Wrup-Cycling, an upcycling process in which raw materials from post-consumer and post-industrial waste are processed into new cover materials. Winter also announced plans to add molded pulp products to its offer as early as 2023.

DISPENSING

On the back of the success of its Melodie and XD 11 fragrance pumps in the prestige segment, Silgan Dispensing has expanded its Pirouette screw pump technology to the lifestyle brands category. The Aspire Pirouette pump with injected PP closure has a low-profile design with smooth actuation and a fine, consistent atomization. “With Aspire Pirouette, we are offering lifestyle brand owners all the benefits of prestige pumps, such as no visible engine and with a bead option,” Sandy Gregory, Director of fragrance marketing at Silgan Dispensing, tells Luxe Packaging Insight, adding that the lifestyle category is a “huge market” globally.

Silgan Dispensing also showed developments to its Pearl 2 airless system with patented plastic spring that debuted at LUXE PACK Monaco last year. Now industrialized, Pearl 2 is available in 75ml and 100ml formats in addition to the previously launched 50ml. The supplier is also working on a lock system with the men’s care segment in mind, forgoing the need for a cap. It also plans to use Pearl 2’s monomaterial spring in other products in its portfolio. “New products will be coming with this technology,” the company promises.

After its monomaterial Future pump, Aptar Beauty + Home has introduced Future Disc top, a monomaterial PE closure. Also available in PCR resin, the recyclable closure has an on/off locking system to prevent leakage. It is suitable for e-commerce (Amazon ISTA-6 compliant).

Aptar Beauty + Home also debuted Airless Glass, a piston airless system for skincare made using tubular glass for a lower carbon footprint and reduced weight. The snap-on pump enables high-speed filling.

Aptar said its Private Refill – showed at LUXE PACK Monaco last year – is now in production, with the first launch with a brand expected next year. The refillable lipstick has a safety key in its mechanism specific to each brand to prevent consumers from using the refill alone or with a competitor's case. Iconic Woodacity, developed using Quadpack’s wooden casing with patented closure system and Aptar’s Iconic lipstick mechanism, was also on display.

In fragrance, the supplier has expanded its Inune range of fragrance pumps with Aqua Silk. Designed for water-based fragrances, the screw pump offers “delicate and gradual” diffusion with “non-wet” feel.

After its patented Affinity Atmospheric Pump with dip tube design for facial serums, lotions and liquid facial make-up, HCP has debuted its Affinity Airless Pump, which is offered as a full pack solution for skincare or color cosmetics with bottles or tubes. Featuring a patented disc-valve engine, the pump offers "360-degree application, fast priming and controlled dosing". Airless tubes are available in co-extruded single-layer or 5-layer PE for high-barrier protection, while airless bottles range from 15ml to 50ml sizes. HCP also highlighted its tottles made of EcoWood, a bio-based material created partially from cellulose processing by-products from the paper industry and which is recyclable in the PE/PP recycling stream. Decoration options include UV lacquer and silkscreening. The tottles come in 10ml, 15ml, 30ml and 50ml formats.

Barcelona-based Virospack showcased a new line of droppers qualified as 100% recyclable. The main components – including the TPE bulb, the PP collar and the PP pipette – are all made of PCR materials. The percentage of recycled content depends on each component but stays above 70% - which allows for their recyclability without requiring them to be sorted before entering conventional plastic recycling channels. The range is available with classic droppers or push-button droppers and is compatible with tubular glass bottle formats ranging from 3ml to 35ml. Virospack is also offering a molded 30ml flacon in recycled glass. On the strategy front, the supplier announced the inauguration of a Breeam certified production facility for early 2024.

SECONDARY PACKAGING

Cosfibel showed its patented summer 2023 coffret collection. This includes the Venice wooden box (plywood with walnut veneer) with wooden hinge and friction closure, the Helsinki monomaterial cardboard wine and spirits coffret with sliding closure, and the St Germain de Près coffret whose floral motif on the lid is made of molded pulp. Looking to develop in wooden coffrets for beauty and watches & jewelry, the supplier also showed a range of four coffrets designed to illustrate its expertise across different finishes, closures and hinges. The range includes an oval, white lacquered wooden box with gold paper interior and ball hinges, as well as a square, black and white wooden box with mechanical closure. Demonstrating that lightweighting is a growing trend, Cosfibel also showed lightweight, 100% RPET bags with floral embroidery devoid of a zip and a lining.

Italian secondary packaging company Valtenna’s Light Core is a rigid pack with a core in microflute board. It is said to be 30% lighter than a standard pack, and can be fitted with varying inserts in cellulose core (as an alternative to plastic and foam inserts) for a monomaterial option. Valtenna has also developed a collapsible version of Light Core, which in addition to the 30% weight reduction, cuts down on volume by 90%.

PLASTICS

Albéa showed Breizhstick, its monomaterial lipcare stick nominated for a LUXE PACK in Green award. Made at the supplier’s site in Brittany, it consists of four parts, all in PP – base, cap, mechanism, cup. The product is recyclable at end-of-life. Three new volume mascara brush designs made of thermoplastic elastomer Pebax, and a chemical PCR jar made using Eastman’s Cristal Renew, were also on show.

Albéa Tubes unveiled what it claims is “the first squeezable paper bottle”. Currently in the proof-of-concept stage, the bottle combines a standard PE plastic shoulder with Albéa’s tube technology. It contains a minimum of 50% FSC certified paper (without the cap or pump).

Twirl is a 50ml refillable cosmetics jar with an intuitive and simplified refilling gesture thanks to a guided screw system. The base and cap are in PET, while the refill is in PP. The size of the jar and form of the refill can be customized.

Albéa's monomaterial refillable compact in PP is a lightweight pack (35% lighter than similar plastic compacts) said to offer an intuitive user experience and strong mechanical resistance. Conceived without a metallic hinge, it can be fitted with either a clear or opaque window. The supplier claims that the new compact’s environmental impact is reduced by 53% after two refills.

In a bid to lessen the content of plastic in its products, Baralan developed caps and lids whose material make-up include upcycled organic scraps such as coffee husk and rice. The scraps (30% of the content) can be mixed with virgin PP, or between 30% and 100% PCR PP. “Any component produced in injected PP can be produced using these organic scraps,” the company says. The packaging supplier has also expanded its Evelyn line of glass bottles with 8ml and 100ml formats, and has developed a lockable, PP cream screw pump that can be completed with an overcap.

In addition to the Iconic Woodacity lipstick developed with Aptar Beauty + Home, beauty packaging supplier Quadpack launched a new addition to its Regula range. Aimed at prestige cosmetics brands, New Regula Refill Jar is an evolution of an existing product that was previously made of SAN. The 50ml pack consists of a thick-walled PET outer jar with glass-like aesthetic and a PP inner jar. A gap in the outer jar makes it easy to separate the two components. The double-walled cap is in PP. PCR content is also an option for the pack.

Flosty highlighted new standard products including 10ml and 15ml travel sprays in a mix of aluminum and plastic. Available in square or round formats, they can be decorated via hot stamping, screenprinting, laser or mechanical engraving. The company also showed new lipstick cases in wood, plastic or aluminum.

Aimed at the make-up and skincare market, Texen launched the Sweet Collection, which includes three monomaterial sticks made entirely of PP (facial stick, lipstick, slim stick) and therefore recyclable as well as an eyeliner that is refillable via a cartridge.

The supplier also presented four make-up accessories focused on new gestures. Part of this offer is Twice Eyes, a mascara whose molded plastic brush can be articulated and rotated thanks to a lever to be pushed laterally on the handle. The lashes can therefore be made up in a vertical motion. Other items include Lash Up Roller, which replaces the traditional lash curler, the Multi-intensity Brush, whose brush varies in length depending on the desired make-up effect, and the Multi-use Pen, a versatile make-up pen. Texen is also making progress in droppers and now offers stock models. For early 2023, the supplier is launching a system that will have the function of a dropper, but with a new type of gesture.

CLOSURES

Cognac-based closures specialist Les Bouchages Delage, acquired by Tapi in 2019, unveiled its new brand identy and name, Delage. The company highlighted its new range segmentation of four collections and two capsules at the show:

• Excellence - premium plastic closures for decanters
• Extra - uniting past bespoke creations in marble, zamak and glass to showcase the company’s ultra-premium offer
• Exception - wooden (mainly oak) closures for decanters or bottles, decorated via laser marking, debossing and pad printing and with zamak or plastic medallions
• Expressions – GPI screw caps and plastic closures for bottles.

The capsule collections, designed to present the supplier’s innovations, are:

• Explore – sustainable closures such as 100% natural corks or those made with bio-sourced plastic and oyster shell or wood, as well as varnish-free closures that are heat-treated to achieve their color
• Experience – smart closures, such as those with integrated NFC tags. Delage says NFC tags are compatible with all materials except metal and that there is no impact on decoration or bottling.

Guala Closures Group highlighted its luxury positioning with Carat, a line of stoppers launched earlier this year aimed at the premium spirits segment. Available in resin, zamak, wood or a combination of wood and zamak, the intricate stoppers can be customized in terms of decoration, and can be paired with natural cork, agglomerated cork or synthetic cork shank options.

Cork Supply showed Bloom, a new material for bar top capsules that combines 20% cork residue from in-house manufacturing with a biobased material. Previously, the company only produced the corks for its Talis product portfolio, which were then assembled with tops produced by external suppliers.

PAPER/CARDBOARD

Zuber Rieder showed Perma+, a new range of label papers with Ice Bucket Proof resistance. Destined for champagne and sparkling wine labels, it offers the same resistance as the company’s existing Master Process paper range (48 hours resistance for a label immersed in an ice bucket), but with improved recyclability as the latest paper is uncoated. The brand’s “anti-humidity” treatment developed with a green chemistry laboratory is positioned inside the two layers of paper. Perma+ can be decorated using digital and offset printing, hot foil and embossing.

Knoll Printing & Packaging presented a molded pulp, monomaterial make-up palette. Made of two layers of Knoll Eco Form pulp, the palette has a friction closure. Solid and ergonomic, it can be embellished with screenprinting, hot stamping or digital printing, while the pulp can also be bulk dyed to create different colors. Knoll offers molded pulp also to create refillable trays for make-up palettes.

Autajon showed a gift developed especially for this year’s LUXE PACK Monaco show – a Provence-inspired mini-coffret containing a lavender-scented hand cream. The sheath is made from card with high deformability and features multi-level embossing, hot stamping and plastic-free sequin screenprinting. The cellulose pulp insert is embellished with stamping and embossing.

ESKA is adding to its Eska Colours collection, a recycled board laminated between two virgin fiber papers. Eska Bicolours is a recycled board pulp that can be mass colored and combined with outer papers of different colors making for two or even three colors in the same medium. This innovation is the fruit of a partnership with the Polish printer Marceli, which created rigid boxes whose surface is notched so that a second color on the inside is visible.

New Material is the name of a new FSC kraft paper shopping bag from Procos that is coated on a single side. This coating is to avoid the blotting effect of kraft paper and allows the printed colors to better stand out. In order to meet the requirements of a monomaterial solution, the bag comes with handles also in FSC paper that have been developed to be flexible and silky.

LABELS

Eurostampa chose to focus on the expectations of Gen Z consumers for the 2022 edition of its Envelope project, Onlife. In collaboration with the University of Gastronomic Sciences of Pollenzo and the DAAP program at the University of Cincinnati, Eurostampa presented a new format of the project that involved brands from the wine, sparkling wine, spirits, beer, oil, chocolate and cosmetics sectors. The students created labels, then manufactured by Eurostampa, that recall the specific brand’s identity in line with Gen Z consumer expectations. Each of the seven projects boasts a feature, including a chocolate box whose stickers covers the entire surface and is made with paper containing 5% cocoa bean shells waste, and a removable beer sticker-label printed on Fasson’s durable paper-like product made of calcium carbonate (80%), bonded with high density PE (20%).