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The ongoing discourse around gender identity is increasingly influencing product design and marketing strategies. Gone are the days when blue was reserved for boys and pink for girls. Nowadays, many brands are choosing to steer away from presenting products as gender-specific. 

This move, however, tends to be more apparent within new brands rather than established brands. But whether you’re new to the cosmetic and skincare industry or you’ve been hanging around a while, there’s certainly value in evolving your packaging design in line with changing cultural attitudes. After all, it’s important to keep up with changing tides or risk being left behind. With this in mind, here are some ideas for gender-neutral packaging design:

For brands looking to succeed in today's market, the message is clear. Clean beauty practices are essential. Gen Zs and millennials, in particular, tend to prioritize sustainable products made from naturally sourced ingredients. According to Retail Dive, the #cleanbeauty tag had reached 2 billion views on TikTok as of October 2023.

• Single-dose packaging:For the ultimate protection, single-dose packaging is a popular choice. Such packaging takes the form of individual sachets or capsules, which contain a single-use amount of product. One downside of this type of packaging is that it produces a lot of waste. When it comes to protecting the integrity of the product, however, it’s highly effective.  

• The initial cost of bamboo packaging can be higher than that of traditional materials, such as plastic. This can result in an increased retail price for the end consumer, potentially limiting its market to those willing or able to pay a premium for sustainability. Although, that being said, consumers are becoming increasingly drawn towards sustainable products, so an investment in bamboo packaging could pay dividends. 

Now that we’re clear on what bioplastics are let’s take a closer look at their environmental impact. Compared to traditional plastics, bioplastics produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions over the course of their lifetime. In fact, a study conducted in 2017 stated that switching to corn-based PLA from traditional plastic would cut US greenhouse gas emissions by 25%.

Packaging has come a long way over the years. Historians believe that the use of packaging most likely began when people became increasingly nomadic and, therefore, needed ways to protect goods during transport. In those days, materials such as animal skins and leaves were used.