Top 5 sustainable perfume brands

perfume refill bar by Thierry Mugler

The threat of global warming has meant that many of us are rethinking the way we shop and what we buy. However, for cosmetics and perfumery brands how feasible is it to recycle perfume packaging? Which perfume brands are environmentally friendly? Most perfume sets are a combination of materials : glass, plastic, aluminum, zinc alloy or wood which makes it difficult to recycle packaging.  Nearly all perfume bottles sold have crimp pumps on them which has made it impossible in the past to refill them. So which companies currently offer refill at home options for bottles? Eden Perfumes in the UK offer a refill option where you post the empty bottle back to their factory to be refilled and then sent back out to you. So is there a better alternative to refill packaging? Unfortunately refill packaging also requires additional packaging – new bottles, boxes and closures. So the most environmentally friendly option is the fragrance refill bar. Thierry Mugler has dispensers in store where consumers can refill their perfume bottles at a lower cost. Chic Shaik in the Middle East has had perfumery refill bars in its larger distribution outlets since their launch and offer a lifetime refill service for their bottles. They also will do refurbishment of their beautiful bottles (at a cost) to ensure that they last a lifetime. Other big brands have limited refill stations in select outlets and cities, largely in Europe. Such as Guerlain in their flagship store in Paris, Roja Dove offers a refill option in Harrods using Daum crystal dispensers. Le Labo offers refilling in France primarily and selected European outlets. Caron offers a refill station at Fortnum and Mason in London. In the past only bottles with removable screw pumps could be refilled. But now technology from French company Techniplast allows even bottles where you cannot remove the pump to be refilled. Hopefully this is the way forward and more companies will start to buy into this new technology to allow more recycling of bottles in the future. However, this requires not only investment from brand owners, but also cooperation from retail outlets. Until there is more pressure from consumers or penalties imposed by governments to encourage more recycling, this approach is unlikely to become available in your local perfume retail outlet. Probably pressure from younger consumers will have an effect on brands as time goes on so that more perfume brands are environmentally friendly. Let us hope for the sake of the planet that this time comes sooner rather than later. If you enjoyed this article, why not read the following article about further perfume packaging trends: https://anisha.agency/10-useful-hints-and-trends-for-your-new-perfume-brands/ […]

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How are new perfumes made?

how a perfume is made

How are new perfumes made? What are the stages in the process? Establish the target market Establish the concept Sketch the concept Make 3D model of the bottle Make 3D printing mock up Final animation render presentation to show how it looks Make moulds ready for plastics and bottle Make pre production samples If you found this interesting, you may enjoy our article about the new product development process and what comes first: https://anisha.agency/what-comes-first-perfume-or-packaging/ […]

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How can we afford to innovate in a recession?

can we afford to innovate in a recession?

Yes, times are tough. The perfumery market has been hit hard all over the world and nowhere more than the middle East, it has been hit very badly due to the economic crisis in Saudi Arabia and other neighboring countries which are struggling with conflicts and monetary restrictions.  At Gulf Beauty exhibition this year it struck me how few new designs and concepts were on display, the majority of perfume houses preferring to display the items they developed a few years ago. During hard times it’s an easy decision to cut back on innovation and instead to focus on areas which bring in short term money. It takes a strong leadership to back innovation in this climate to help a company to reach its long-term strategic objectives.  Many successful companies use the recession as a chance to get ahead of the competition. While others are cutting costs and downsizing, a savvy company will develop new products which are satisfying new consumer needs and positioning the company as a leader instead of a follower.  As a good example of this strategy you can take the Apple iPod which was launched in 2001 – the same year that the Nasdaq 100 took a 30% hit. Operating costs are cheaper generally in a recession and talent is easier to find due to layoffs by other companies. Competition is less fierce because so many other players are laying low, choosing to wait until the recession is over to fund their own innovation. Whatever innovations are created during a recession, they will stand out strongly due to the decreased level of competition.   Consumers don’t stop buying goods altogether in a recession. But they do become more discriminatory and more selective in their approach. They buy products which resonate with them and have meaningful additions which somehow change their lives or understand a need which has so far not been met by the current products on sale. So in-depth market research going hand in hand with a development team who understand how a product is used or why it is purchased will give the best results. Sometimes it is better to outsource innovation to other companies if you cannot afford to hire your own team of innovators. Our company Anisha perfumes offers design resources to our regular perfumery clients free of charge, the design innovation charges are included in the cost of the final packaging supply. This model works well for smaller factories who do not have the time and expertise to pay for their own team of product and graphic designers or the time to fly around the world finding the right supply partners who can produce the new crazy ideas. It takes a strong leader to continue to innovate in a recession, as it’s too easy to prune resources which are not going to give an immediate return. But lack of product innovation means that you will lose your long term differentiation and competitive advantage, therefore your company will lose out on long term sales to your competition. It has been historically shown that a period of economic boom three times as long as the recession itself usually follows a downturn , so it makes more sense to prepare for the upturn. […]

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How to judge a design as a non designer

It is important to know who is your target audience

Many non designers may lack confidence in their ability to judge a design and feel shy to give their own honest feedback to experienced professionals in design meetings. They may find it difficult to explain in detail what is wrong and how to improve the design. They hold back from saying anything in design meetings due to lack of creative confidence, feeling that the professional designers have the monopoly on creativity and design understanding. It is true to say that most non designers are the people who judge designs on a daily basis, as they make up 99% of the population who are buying the designs. They can understand when things don’t look aesthetically pleasing or have a great user experience but often lack the ability to pinpoint exactly why the design isn’t working out well. Many say that design preferences are subjective, like art. But this is not true because graphic and product design must generally follow rules in order to be effective. And one can only truly judge the effectiveness of a design if we know what was the original brief – what were the creative problems which the design has to solve? If there is no clear brief as a starting point, then the design can only be judged on aesthetics and its ability to communicate a message clearly. What is a good design? Here are some points to help non designers to be confident in their design choices and analyze better why some designs don’t seem to work: Does the design fix the problem which it set out to resolve? If it doesn’t do this then it’s best to go back to the drawing board and not go any further. 2. Is it appropriate for the target audience? Is it the right tone and does it give the right image to position the brand correctly? Are all the graphical elements and fonts all communicating the same image and message or are they conflicting?    3. Is it easy to read, is it clear and easy to use?  No point having a beautiful design with text you can’t read it properly. Is the focal point of the design clear or do you find your eye is looking in two conflicting directions? 4.   Is it appropriate for the market in which it is going to be shown? Cultural considerations can be important for design. 5.   Does it look attractive? This is the area where most non designers might struggle most to articulate themselves. The key elements to bear in mind for this evaluation are as follows : Layout – are the elements within the  layout having balance and harmony?  Sometimes a designer might deliberately put design elements in unusual positions in a design to disrupt and avoid predictability, but still achieves an overall harmonious composition.Is there a clear hierarchy and focal point within the design to show what is the most important information? Colors – are the appropriate colors used to display the right emotion and appeal to the required audience? Don’t forget cultural differences for colors here and that different colors appeal to different age groups. Style – are the fonts and other graphical elements all consistently communicating the same style which is appropriate to the target audience? Are these elements solving the problem set out in the client brief? Spacing and positioning. Sometimes changing the spacing between elements can have a dramatic effect. Fonts – how many fonts have been chosen and do they contrast well and work in harmony? Generally a rule of thumb is that 2 to three fonts maximum work best in any design. More than this creates confusion.  Industry norms – certain design norms must be followed in some industries in order for the design to be recognized as relevant to that industry and appealing to certain members of the target audience. Is the product recognizable as a product within a certain product and price sector and, if it differs greatly, is there a good reason for it to break out of the norms? Was this the requirement of the client brief? Non designers – don’t be afraid to speak out when you don’t agree with a creative concept. But  also don’t forget to think about what the design team were briefed to do, which problems to solve and whether they have managed to do this in a clear and appropriate way. If a design can clearly communicate the message, people understand what it is and what it represents, then the design has done its job, whether you like it or not. […]

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