Perfume Packaging: Luxurious, but More Sustainable

The Christmas shopping season begins. Perfumes can be found on many wish lists. Brand manufacturers like to present their fine fragrances again in luxurious, eye-catching bottles with pompous caps. But overall, the cosmetics industry is becoming more sustainable. Armani, for example, has presented a refillable bottle for the well-known Sì Passione.

Perfume bottle “La vie est belle” with eye-shaped decoration. — The perfume La vie est belle by Lancôme is now presented in refillable packaging.

Sì Passione is the “red lip effect” in a bottle – a fragrance that radiates self-confidence, seduction and strength, according to the product description. Sì Passione eau de parfum is now available in a new, refillable, jewel-like bottle.

The background to this refillable alternative is a sustainability strategy proclaimed by the luxury brand. In a five-year action plan, Armani beauty has pledged to reduce its carbon footprint by a further 25 percent and to produce all products in a CO₂-neutral way by 2025. “I think that now more than ever, environmental protection should be close to everyone's heart,” explains entrepreneur and designer Giorgio Armani.

Perfume refill bottle “La vie est belle” with two empty glass perfume bottles. — Elegance and emotion play a major role in fragrance packaging. But they are becoming more sustainable. Lancôme presents refillable solutions.

Lancôme relies on refills

Like Lancôme, the cosmetics brand Giorgio Armani is part of the French group L'Oréal. Lancôme is also breaking new ground in luxury packaging. The perfume La vie est belle is now presented in refillable packaging. The refills are available in perfumeries. “The fragrance bottle can be unscrewed and then the refill is simply placed on top,” explains a spokeswoman.

Fragrances are everyday luxury items for most people, regardless of price category. The packaging embodies the brand image and is therefore of central importance. The world of fragrances is also very emotional. “It is often appealing and eye-catching packaging or beautiful flacons that attract customers' attention to try and buy fragrances,” Christiane Edelhoff, Head of Packaging Development at Mäurer & Wirtz, told FACHPACK360°.

The packaging expert explained that fragrance manufacturers can also use fewer materials, for example by dispensing with wrapping film.

German glass manufacturer Heinz Glas presented a glass closure for high-quality perfume and cosmetic products that complements its standard product portfolio. According to the company, the glass closure offers an elegant alternative for luxury products. It is available with decoration options such as coatings, printing, metallization and custom designs.

Glass manufacturer Stoelzle Glass Group presented the UV filter solution Lumi Coat in Monaco, which is designed to protect the contents of a bottle to enable a more sustainable and cleaner recipe. The optically clear filter reduces the need for additives to stabilize and preserve the formula and protects against colour changes or the degradation of fragrances. The company continues to work on new lightweight glass products and has developed a new refillable, lightweight and recyclable fragrance line under the Phoenix brand.

For many people, a personal fragrance is part of their daily body care routine. Perfumes and eau de toilettes are the most frequently used cosmetics, hair and body care products among women in Germany. Almost 63 percent of German women use fragrances at least once a week. According to a Statista survey, around 15.9 million men in Germany also state that they use eau de toilette or perfume specifically for men.

Global sales of perfume and eau de toilette amounted to around 53.9 billion euros in 2023. In Germany, sales in this sub-segment of the personal care and cosmetics market have risen significantly in recent years: According to Statista, sales of fragrances amounted to almost two billion Euro in 2023, compared to around 1.3 billion euros in 2021. More sales are generated with women's fragrances than with men's fragrances.