The most eagerly awaited time of the year, the holiday selling season, is just around the corner. This year, industry observers will be watching retail figures more closely than ever in an effort to try to get a handle on just where the economy is headed as 2001 draws to a close. Early predictions suggest that the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year’s will be weaker than they have been in a long time, and that’s bad news for fragrance, cosmetic and toiletry manufacturers. Hardest hit will probably be prestige fragrance marketers who often register the bulk of sales during the frenzied holiday season.

If trends in holiday promotions are a good barometer of what’s to come, marketers and suppliers seem resigned to a slower holiday selling season. According to associate editor Veronica MacDonald, cosmetic and fragrance companies are scaling back their efforts a bit for Holiday 2001. To find out the latest trends in trendy gift-giving, turn to p. 40.

But if older consumers are watching their spending this holiday season, younger shoppers are still hitting the specialty stores with a vengeance. That’s good news for those trendy independent cosmetic companies that have been on the cutting edge of fashion for the past several years. In her article on trendy independent companies (p. 45), associate editor Melanie Marchie reports that firms such as Too Faced, Tony & Tina, H2O+ and others continue to celebrate their independence.

The Fall edition of Cosmetic Packaging & Design includes an in-depth look at the latest packaging trends in hair styling products (p. 34). As associate editor Kerry Pianoforte reports, it’s not enough to provide just another pretty package when it comes to hair styling products these days. Consumers expect plenty of “extras” when it comes to components such as metered doses and 360° spraying angles.

We’ve also included an article on the dynamic environmental fragrance market (p. 52). Sales of candles may have cooled, but sales of other fragrance forms continue to heat up. This issue of Cosmetic Packaging & Design also has updates on the newest fragrance from Parfums Visari, a photo montage of exhibitors at HBA Global Expo 2001 and ideas on how to capture the elusive, yet loyal male consumer.

Finally, our new website, www.CosmeticPackagingandDesign.com, is up and running. The site features several back issues and is an easy way to update your subscription. In the coming months, we’ll be adding new features to the site, so be sure to visit it often.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Cosmetic Packaging & Design and, as always, we welcome your comments and suggestions.

Tom Branna
Editorial Director
[email protected]