Emotions Meet Technology in Fragrance Packaging

Most people love a particular perfume brand because they like the scent – or so one might think. But why is packaging in the fragrance industry often of such high quality? 

Fragrances are everyday luxury items for most people, regardless of price category. The packaging embodies the intended brand image and is therefore always of central importance. The world of fragrances is also very emotional. It is often appealing and eye-catching packaging or beautiful flacons that attract the attention of customers to try and buy fragrances.

Mäurer & Wirtz covers the entire value chain: from marketing and packaging to bottling, all processes are controlled from the headquarters in the Rhineland. What role does packaging development play in this chain?

Packaging development transforms the packaging design for a new fragrance into a functioning fragrance product, which is then presented at the point of sale. We have many different internal and external interfaces in this process and are involved from the design phase through to the delivery to our retail partners. At the beginning, we have to evaluate the idea from a technical and economic point of view, looking at the costs of production and the possibilities of efficient filling as well as transport safety. In the realization phase, the individual packaging components are manufactured by external partners. We carry out a number of internal tests with the new bottle packaging so that we can guarantee the best possible quality. It is also important to meet the legal requirements for cosmetic products. 

How did you come to go into packaging development ?

Women make up over 70 percent of the workforce at the company, which has 320 employees. The proportion of women in management positions is also comparatively high at almost 40 percent. Why is that?

On the one hand, we are certainly lucky with the fragrances and cosmetics category, with which women can identify well. On the other hand, with awards such as “Great Place to Work”, “Best Company NRW 2023”, and “Fair Company 2023” awarded by Handelsblatt, we have shown that we have created an internal culture of cooperation that enables women to develop their potential and to combine career and family very well. 

Design for recycling: how do you implement this for Mäurer & Wirtz brands?

We calculate recyclability early on in the development phase of new packaging designs in order to avoid materials or finishes that are difficult to recycle. Where possible, for example, we do not use opaque sprayed glass for our flacons, as this cannot be recognized in the used glass sorting process and is rejected. Ideally, we adapt the materials to the infrastructure of the recycling stream. In the glass recycling stream, this is achieved by combining glass with metals such as aluminum closures, as these can be sorted out in a recyclable manner. Paper labels or direct printing on the glass are also used. With our new sustainable fragrance brand hej:pure, we have achieved a certified recyclability of 98 percent through these processes.

What other options are there? To save on secondary packaging?

For us as a company, the topic of sustainability is relevant. Since 2019, Mäurer & Wirtz has had a Sustainability Management Team consisting of the Marketing, Human Resources, and Packaging Development departments. We have set ourselves a number of specific targets for 2030 in the three pillars of People, Planet, and Product. One of these is to reduce materials by ten percent by 2030, which is why we have examined our secondary packaging.

Following positive transport tests in the logistics chain, we do not use protective folding boxes, slipcases, or wrapping film. Many of our items can be placed directly in the transport carton without any additional outer packaging.

What trends do you see in fragrance packaging?

The trends in packaging materials are significantly influenced by European legal requirements. The increasing use of recyclate in glass, plastics, and metals such as aluminum will certainly be a focus. We are already implementing this in our product portfolio. For the first time, we are using 100 percent PCR aluminum from used beverage cans for the deodorant sprays of our licensed brand s.Oliver Fragrances. The inner parts of the bottle caps of 4711 Acqua Colonia contain 30 percent PCR-PP and the closure of the sustainable brand CARE is made from 94 percent PCR-PP.

Monomaterials Preferred

Good recyclability will also be promoted in the coming years through more favorable disposal fees. For us, this means giving preference to plastics that can already be fed into a material cycle and are monomaterials. One example is the changeover of caps made of PE for plastic tubes.

For our folding cartons, we make sure to use mono-materials without film lamination wherever possible. For metallic effects, transfer technologies are already available as a replacement for full-surface lamination. In addition, the use of thermoformed fibers as a substitute for plastics is certainly interesting.

Another trend in fragrance packaging is refillability. There is the option of unscrewable spray pumps, which enable refilling via the glass mouth of the bottle. However, this is not currently gaining acceptance in practice due to complex logistics and processes.