BW Confidential highlights key packaging trends and innovations from the Luxe Pack Monaco show, which took place from September 28-30
Luxe Pack Monaco was a much quieter event than usual, with fewer big-name exhibitors, and a noticeable decline in visitors. The show has been deemed too expensive, with some companies saying that the return on investment is hard to justify.
In addition, in recent years, the event has come up against strong competition from the fast-growing Paris Packaging Week show, which takes place in February, and is liked for its central Paris location. Likely in response to this trend, the show’s organizers Infopro Digital unveiled a rebrand for the Monaco event, changing the name to Luxe Pack World in a bid to affirm its positioning as a global show.
It adds that its approach will now prioritize ‘quality over quantity’, and will focus on expanding international attendance, a broader content program, more targeted networking initiatives and VIP events. Despite criticisms over holding the event in Monaco, the organizers confirmed that the venue will not change.
At the show, a key talking point among exhibitors was once again the PPWR (Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation). Packagers stress the complexity of the task of reviewing, overhauling and testing new processes and the challenge of aligning new rules with client demands.
Another ongoing concern was price volatility exacerbated by increased shipping and energy costs due to the war in the Middle East. Meanwhile, M&A continues in the sector, as packaging players aim to build critical mass to better negotiate with clients.
Despite the pressures, manufacturers continue to say that the beauty industry remains resilient. Although some players note a drop in the quantity of new products, there are areas of growth, such as the US, says Coverpla President Bruno Diepois.
Key trends from the show
Premiumization
Exhibitors evoked strong demand from clients for premiumization, such as fragrance bottles with heavy bases or ornate caps, or the use of recyclable plastic in luxury packaging. Brands are also favoring complex designs and accessories in a bid to stand out. For Rabanne’s Million Gold for Her Pure Diamonds for example, TNT produced a stone-decorated zamak collar and zamak cap, which entailed high precision for the alignment of the stones.
Playful
On the back of the popularity of charms and K-Beauty trends, packaging suppliers are exploring new ways to make packaging fun. Tubes and palettes are doubling as accessories, and tools come with charms, such as Cosmogen & Asquan Group’s Mini Charms On The Go range, comprising three accessorized smaller-sized massage tools.
Soft jelly textures
Applicators are coming in new textures that are more supple, sensorial and hygienic. Albéa, for example, presented the Soft Range applicators, made with PET, and designed to deliver comfort, precision and sensoriality. New products by Cosmogen & Asquan Group also feature silicone-based applications, such as spatulas, kabuki brushes and tube applications.
Mini formats and tottles
On-the-go innovations continue to be popular, ranging from portable refillable fragrance formats to mini accessories. Tottle packs made a big appearance at the show, with items leaning into a playful take on the on-the-go trend, with portable formats like HCT Group’s Amulet Tottle, which has a pebble-shaped design and built-in attachment ring. Its Clique Jars are also described as a playful, customizable packaging solution for on-the-go use.
Seen in show
Axilone and GEKA partnered to unveil ‘Symbiosis’, a bottle concept for prestige beauty brands. It features GEKA’s injection blow molding technology with a premium aluminum outer shell by Axilone. The result is a packaging concept that can showcase the formulation thanks to see-through windows that provide a view of the product’s color and texture. The cutout shape and choice of finishes add a point of differentiation, the companies say. The companies offer a wide range of customization options, from different colors, finishes and textures. The product can be used for a range of solid formulas, beauty pens and stick formats. A next-generation version with a stronger sustainable focus will be unveiled at Cosmopack Bologna 2027.
Cosmogen & Asquan Group highlighted a continued focus on the premiumization of product applicators as a way of differentiation and offering added value, says the company’s Marketing & Communication Director and Co-innovation Director Maude Lelièvre.
New products on show included the Slanted Ball Tube, which has a slanted tip with a stainless steel ball in the center to provide a cooling and massaging effect.
The company also showcased a host of applicators with new textures, such as the Jelly Re’Use with an encapsulated soft silicone gel applicator, which can be detached and re-used on a refill tube. Similarly, the Jelly Kabuki has an encapsulated silicone head with domed surface for more even formula application without absorption, and easier cleaning compared to a traditional brush. It also taps into the popular accessories trend under the playfulness theme, which includes the accessorized Fun Tube. This has a sculpted translucent applicator in PET to reveal the color of the contents within and has a flower or heart sculpted silicone cap with a snap hook for clipping to a bag or key ring. The Glossy Lip Tube Love also has a transparent PET tip with heart-shaped profile to follow the curve of the lips. The company also presented mini charms for portable size tubes and tools, and the Powder Drop Jar with a dosed push-button dispenser for loose powders created for Bare Minerals.
Italian glassmaker Bormioli Luigi presented Indue, which is a dual-cavity glass bottle for bi-phase formulas that are mixed upon application, which it claims is a first in glass. The dual-cavity bottle has until now been traditionally reserved for plastic packaging. The Indue bottle, features chambers with different capacities to accommodate the most common formula ratio (two-thirds/one-third). The challenge was to integrate two separate cavities within a single bottle while ensuring uniform glass distribution throughout the container.
It also showcased a 100ml bottle weighing 220g (or 40% less weight than a standard bottle) made with PCR and PIR to reduce the use of virgin material, while keeping the premium aspect intact.
In addition, the company showed tube-shaped bottles that are held inside a metal frame, which it created for Spanish brand Otz Lab’s fragrance line. The company notes that these bottles were particularly challenging to produce due to the rounded bottle base that could not be stood during production.
Silgan Dispensing Systems has expanded its refill pump range to cater to the popular purse-size fragrance bottle format, with the new Melodie Pirouette SNI 13 pump designed for 13mm threaded screw neck sizes. In line with the on-the-go trend, this solution enables brands to use Silgan’s refill technology for portable bottles, rather than a standard glass vial, says Sandy Gregory, Marketing Director at Silgan’s fragrance division. The idea is that customers can now have refillable options for their fragrances in both full and small-size formats without sacrificing their branding, she adds. Silgan, which has been focusing on recyclable solutions, also showed its all-plastic pumps.
France-based bottle supplier Coverpla is building out its ‘360-degree’ refill offer, which now counts 19 references and includes refillable formats for standard, travel-sized, and large-sized 200ml refill bottle sizes. Coverpla has two partnerships for the full-sized and on-the-go refills, namely Techniplast’s BT-Twist for the full-size, and Aptar Beauty’s Nomad Refill for pocket size sprays. The company has also added new minimalist aluminium caps to its range, including the Magnet Sphère available in gold or glossy silver versions. Its base covers the collar, to which it clips with a magnet. Coverpla currently counts around 170 bottle families, 100 caps, and about half a dozen pumps.
French packaging supplier Pure Trade showcased an array of products and services spanning primary and secondary packaging, promotional materials, accessories and textiles for spas. For the Lancôme brand for the 2026 holiday season, for example, the company designed and manufactured The Suite Escape Palette inspired by a Parisian palace hotel.
The company, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, is also diversifying its business, having moved into the spa textile segment about five years ago. Pure Trade CEO Stefane Ladous adds that the company is focusing on developing business in the US and Asia, and expanding in the Middle East and India. Pure Trade currently does turnover of more than €100m and has six offices globally.
Packaging supplier HCP showcased innovations in plastic for luxury packaging, like the Prada Touch compact in mono-material PET. The compact in the shape of Prada’s signature triangle is stackable, which HCP says promotes repeat purchasing.
Also on display was the Twist Tottle, described as ready-to-recycle, ready-to-launch, and ready-to-go. The 30ml stock product has a one-handed twist-to-open mechanism and is said to be PPWR compliant. In brush applications, products included plastic mascara brushes, such as Melodia, which is a slim, square-shaped mascara brush said to offer precision and lift, while Licorne is a spiral-shaped brush for generous loading and clean release.
Highlights at the Albéa stand drew on Asian beauty trends under the Kute Beauty theme. The company showcased a range of playful, minimalist portable designs with ‘chubby’ silhouettes and sensorial textures, like the lightweight Fluff Tottle. In the Make-up by Albéa collection, products included the Visionary mascara range with twisted-fiber brushes created by its proprietary Interlace Technology, and tubing mascara with molded brushes aimed to enhance mascara applications. The Hybrush, also on show, has a hybrid design combining fiber and plastic in one applicator.
French luxury packaging specialist Segede spotlighted a collaborative effort supported by industrial partner Cetim that fully documents the recyclability of zamak for PPWR compatibility. The recycling process for zamak has been tracked and tested, and has an aesthetic finish and high tolerance, comments Claire Trescartes, Director of CSR & Export at Segede. The company also presented the L’Atelier Parfum brand, for whom it replaced a wooden cap with zamak to enhance the luxury, made-in-France positioning. This entailed manufacturing the mold with an engraved logo and decoration and fragrance formula compatibility testing.
Alongside its growing range of tech-based packaging and tools, Nuon unveiled the Skin Factory, a prototype designed for creating custom mask formulas for home, retail or salon use. It comes with a measuring tool for analyzing the skin’s sebum and hydration levels and the data is transferred to the blending machine. This automatically selects and measures the ingredients accordingly and produces the formula for the creation of a mask or cream.
Nuon’s latest tech-based products are also evolving with tailored dispensing systems, easy refilling and more lightweight and compact formats for on-the-go use. For example, the Renewal Microneedling Applicator, which uses red light to optimize delivery of the serum is now available in a portable format. The company is also expanding the integration of its technology into textile formats, such as for masks, via a manufacturing site in Poland.
TNT Group highlighted its expertise in creating complex designs. For the Jean-Paul Gaultier brand’s La Belle Rose et Le Beau Narcisse, the bottles are accessorized with a gold-metallized decoration made to fit onto the irregular shaped bottle. The challenge is in the demolding and mechanical robustness needed for industrial production, says the company. TNT also displayed its latest gift box designs highlighting folding and sliding mechanisms for premium products, including a textile compact made with cardboard that requires no mold, thereby speeding up market-readiness.
China-based packaging supplier B.I. Packaging showed its latest flacon products to give visitors an idea of the variety of designs on offer. The company, which has a team of designers, produces about 10 prototypes per month. Some 90% of the company’s business is for export, mainly in Europe and the US. Last year the company unveiled the expansion of its production facilities with advanced automation technologies and inspection systems.