ICONS|ICS have been featured in Beauty Packaging Magazine’s October/November 2020 Issue, where Marketing Manager, Eleanor Bunting, discusses the impact of COVID-19 on skincare in their article “Zooming in on Skincare”!

As a result of the impact of COVID-19, consumers are devoting more time to selfcare, and skincare has become an easy and accessible way for consumers to invest in their wellbeing, not only as an act of selfcare, but also due to more time spent at home under social distancing conditions and as a dreaded result of the “maskne” many people are experiencing. At ICONS|ICS, we have been specializing in skincare packaging for almost 30 years and have seen a dramatic rise in demand for skincare packaging, especially for bottles, sprayers, pumps, jars, droppers, and tubes. Recently we have also seen a notable rise in the popularity of packaging made from glass and recyclable plastic. The skincare trend has also spread to the growth of body care packaging as consumers understand skincare does not just stop at their face and are seeking body care products that bring the same level of naturalness and efficacy as their face focused counterparts.

When Perricone MD created their breakthrough, multi-step Acne Relief Prebiotic Acne Therapy they required new, cost-effective skincare packaging options and partnered with ICONS|ICS to develop the ideal tube, applicator and cap configurations for their Gentle & Soothing Cleanser and Acne Relief Maximum Strength Spot Gel formulas. The Cleanser is a co-ex tube with an EVOH layer, featuring an oversized orifice to accommodate the unusually thick formula, and a convenient flip-top cap that makes it easy to use in the shower. The Spot Gel is also a co-ex tube with an EVOH layer, but with a needle nose applicator that allows precise, targeted “spot” application of the very fluid, yet powerful formula. As part of their robust Acne Relief launch plan, Perricone MD also partnered with ICS to develop the packaging for their complete trial-size assortment of the full Acne Relief range. Tubes continue to be one of ICONS|ICS’ most popular packaging choices as they are not only a cost-effective packaging option, but extremely versatile solutions for a variety of formulations. ICONS|ICS Tubes are also available in sustainable PCR and Sugarcane/Bio-Resin materials. Perricone MD Acne Relief successfully launched in early 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic was causing consumers to invest more in their own well-being. Perricone MD Acne Relief has also proven to be an effective solution to address the recent “maskne” phenomenon.

COVID-19 has also made consumers become more scrutinous regarding hygiene and their packaging preferences.  At ICONS|ICS, we have seen an increased demand for airless packaging and packaging that allows “hands free” application as brands and consumers alike are looking for packaging that helps keep their formulation contaminant-free. With Airless packaging, the formula is not exposed to air or other contaminants until the moment it is dispensed during application, making it an ideal packaging option for skincare formulations. ICONS|ICS has a wide selection of airless pump and sprayer bottles, as well as airless jars, which are ideal for a variety of skincare formulations including lotions, cleaners, mists and other treatments.

Dropper Bottles are another packaging choice high in demand since the built-in dropper application allows the formulation to be directly applied to the skin in measured doses. ICONS|ICS offers a huge selection of droppers available in plastic, tubular glass and molded glass in sizes 1.5ml and up and have recently developed our ICONS|ICS exclusive Boston Round Molded Glass Bottles in 15ml and 30ml sizes with standard neck sizes to fit with a variety of applicators, including droppers, pumps, and sprayers. In addition, glass material is an excellent option for many skincare formulations in terms of compatibility which makes glass dropper options an ideal packaging choice for serums, oils and more viscous formulations, such as Retinol, Vitamin C, Niacinamide, etc.

ICONS|ICS have specialized in hygiene care packaging ideal for hand care and hand sanitizer packaging for almost 30 years.  As the demand and need for hand care and hand sanitizer has grown in the past year, ICONS|ICS has developed packaging for multiple brands that have introduced new formulations and/or expanded their existing product range. At ICONS|ICS we have a huge variety of Hand Sanitizer Packaging options available in various fill sizes, shapes and materials and are available with a range of applicator options such as Pumps, Sprayers, Trigger Sprayers, Flip-top Caps and Screw-on Caps, depending on the formulation. Our Hand Sanitizer Bottles are available in PET and HDPE materials which have high performance chemical resistance, ideal for most hand sanitizer formulations.

In March this year, as news of the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread around the world, ICONS|ICS were approached by AMOS, a Singapore-based company that provides essential supplies, workwear and protective equipment to vessels at sea, to urgently develop a pocketsize hand sanitizer solution for their ALCONA Essentials brand that would be suitable for crew members to carry at all times. In less than 90 days our team at ICONS|ICS were able to develop their fully finished travel size Antibacterial Hand Sanitizer solution. The 50ml PET bottle with a PP flip-top cap is a workplace essential as it’s pocketsize design can fit tidily about your person for hygiene refreshes on-the-go. The quick-drying gel hand sanitizer formulation has a 70% alcohol content, suitable for eliminating 99.9% of germs and bacteria on the skin making it a must-have for hand hygiene during the era of COVID-19.

At ICONS|ICS skincare, selfcare and hand hygiene packaging are also available in our wide variety of sustainable packaging solutions, including our ICONS|ICS exclusive Biodegradable Packaging, ICONS|ICS Recyclable and PCR Packaging, Glass packaging, Sugarcane and Bio-resin Tube Packaging, FSC and Recycled Paper Packaging and Refillable Packaging. To reduce the environmental impact packaging has on our planet, consumers and brands continue to seek these more sustainable packaging material alternatives and we have seen an increased demand for recyclable mono-materials, such as packaging using only PP and PET plastics.

We are also seeing more and more demand for glass packaging, not only because of its formulation compatibility benefits, but also because of its recyclable sustainability benefits.  Mono-material and Glass packaging can both be easily classified for recycling meaning they can easily be reused and repurposed giving the product a longer life cycle making mono-material plastic and glass packaging a highly sustainable choice. ICONS|ICS Recyclable packaging is available in a variety of different packaging choices, such as bottles, jars, droppers, compacts, palettes and more.

Beauty Packaging is the premier global media source dedicated to the cosmetic, fragrance and personal care packaging industry, providing in depth coverage throughout the year on leading beauty companies, beauty news, beauty trends and exhibitions. See our feature below and find the link here!